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Building a world-class payments organization: 4 strategies leading platforms use to drive adoption and deliver value
As platforms grow, payments are becoming a strategic priority that unlocks revenue, boosts retention, and helps leading SaaS companies stand out in a crowded market.
As platforms scale, payments evolve—from a back-office utility to a strategic growth lever.
Embedded payments don’t just unlock revenue; they improve customer retention, deliver operational value and help platforms differentiate themselves in a crowded market.
At a recent closed door session hosted by Adyen, leaders from some of the top vertical SaaS platforms shared how they’re building high-performing payments organizations. One theme was clear: payments need to be a company-wide priority, with clear ownership, internal alignment and a focus on long-term customer value. Without this, platforms struggle to realize the full potential of payments.
Here are four strategies of success they’re using to make it happen:
1. Start with data, build for value
The best platforms are deeply connected to their customers' bottom line. They map the entire money flow, identifying where customers lose time, face friction, or deal with delays. When you have clear data that reveals your customers' pain points, you can identify specific opportunities to add value, improve net retention, and create new revenue streams.
2. Align your teams around a shared goal
Payments adoption starts internally. Finance teams need to see the ROI, product needs clear prioritization top-down, sales needs the right incentives, and company-wide resources need to be available for quick reference.
When teams understand how payments can contribute to net revenue, adoption is more likely to follow. The strongest platforms build internal buy-in early, and treat payments as a cross-functional growth driver.
3. Lead with value, not volume
Top platforms don’t compete on price, they compete on impact. They know their customers want integrated, all-in-one tools that power their business.
While lower-cost providers might look attractive upfront, hidden costs from poor service, fragmentation or inefficiency quickly add up. Leading platforms position payments (often as the default package) as part of a broader solution that delivers long-term operational and financial value.
4. Build a go-to-market motion that drives results
When the entire organization, from the board to the frontline, is bought in on how payments help the business grow, your GTM strategy will succeed.
Top platforms link sales commissions to payments adoption, align marketing around education and proof points, and give CROs ownership of payments revenue, not just bookings. They also invest in dedicated payments leadership to drive ongoing innovation.
This is how payments adoption becomes repeatable, and how platforms become indispensable to their customers.
What’s next: 5-Year outlook for fintech in platforms
Over the next five years, participants had an overwhelming optimistic view that vertical SaaS platforms will evolve into powerful, full-stack financial hubs. Payments will sit alongside tailored financial services, like business accounts, financing and branded cards, delivered natively.
Legacy enterprise resource planning software (ERP) will give way to vertical-first tools that better reflect how businesses operate. The $185B TAM for embedded finance will accelerate payment penetration, serving the needs of platform customers with business financing, business accounts, and branded cards.
And as fintech and SaaS converge, platforms that invest now in data, design, and alignment grow from software providers to essential financial operating systems for their customers.
Looking for more strategies?
Explore our full guide, co-created Bessemer Venture Partners: Winning on value: How platforms can drive payment adoption.
Hear more about how embedded payments can transform your business: