Amex deepens B2B focus as commercial payments take priority - Trade Treasury Payments

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Amex deepens B2B focus as commercial payments take priority

American Express is expanding its business-to-business (B2B) payments capabilities as part of a broader commercial strategy to diversify revenue and improve its value proposition for enterprise clients.

In a recent investor presentation, CEO Steve Squeri outlined initiatives designed to increase the volume and range of business spend processed through Amex networks, including enhancements to card acceptance infrastructure and the integration of expense management tools into its commercial platform.

According to the company, these efforts are intended to address persistent frictions in B2B payments, particularly in areas where supplier acceptance and transaction costs have historically limited card-based usage.

As part of this initiative, American Express has acquired Center, a US-based expense management firm. Technology from Center will be incorporated into Amex’s commercial tools (called Blueprint) that support areas like budgeting, reporting, travel, and payment workflows.

By broadening the functionality of Blueprint, Amex aims to become a multi-service provider in the B2B space, offering capabilities that extend beyond the point of transaction.

In addition, the firm is investing in new payment infrastructure to support non-card payment methods. Partnerships with providers such as Boost and Versapay, which are expected to facilitate invoice-level payments and integrate alternative rails into Amex’s B2B network, are designed to improve payment flexibility, particularly in complex supplier relationships.

Market and economic context

JPMorgan, a bank, believes there to be a 40% probability of US recession in the next year, with slowing growth and labour market uncertainty being the primary drivers for this assessment.

By contrast, B2B payments remain a significant growth area. According to research by Deloitte and McKinsey, large portions of global B2B spend still rely on legacy systems such as cheques and manual invoicing. Financial service providers are increasingly targeting this segment with digital solutions.

Amex’s announcement is consistent with this broader trend. The company has not disclosed the financial terms of the Center acquisition, nor provided forward-looking revenue guidance related to Blueprint or its new B2B partnerships. However, senior leadership has reiterated its intention to prioritise commercial payments as a key area of long-term investment.

The ability to scale adoption across supplier networks, manage cost competitiveness, and deliver platform-level value will likely determine the impact of these efforts in the quarters ahead.