Xero Partners with BILL to Deliver Industry-leading Bill Pay Capabilities for Small Businesses
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Insights
The strategic partnership between Xero and BILL represents a significant development in the fintech space. The integration of BILL's payment solutions into the Xero platform is poised to enhance the accounts payable process for small and midsize businesses (SMBs) in the U.S. This collaboration could potentially streamline operations, reduce manual work and improve cash flow management for a large segment of the market, given that there are over 33 million SMBs in the U.S.
From a financial perspective, the automation of bill payments and the ease of reconciliation could lead to increased efficiency and cost savings for businesses. The ability to access BILL's proprietary network of 5.8 million members offers a valuable expansion of financial operations capabilities. This move could be seen as a strategic effort by Xero to increase its market share in the U.S. by offering differentiated services that address the pain points of manual financial processes.
The long-term implications for stakeholders may include improved financial health of SMBs due to better cash flow management. However, it is essential to monitor the adoption rate of the new solution and the actual impact on Xero's revenue and market positioning. As the fintech industry continues to evolve, such partnerships are likely to become more common as companies seek to leverage each other's strengths to provide more comprehensive solutions to their customers.
The partnership between Xero and BILL underscores a growing trend in the financial technology industry towards embedded finance. Embedded finance allows non-financial companies to integrate financial services into their offerings, thereby creating a seamless user experience. This trend is particularly relevant for SMBs that may lack the resources to manage complex financial operations.
By focusing on the user experience and reducing the need for manual financial processes, Xero and BILL are tapping into a demand for more integrated and user-friendly financial services. The potential for increased customer retention and acquisition for Xero through this partnership is significant, as businesses are likely to gravitate towards platforms that offer more comprehensive and automated financial management tools.
It is important to note that the success of such integrations hinges on the reliability and security of the payment solutions. As SMBs are increasingly targeted by cyber threats, the security measures implemented by Xero and BILL will be a critical factor in the adoption of the embedded bill pay solution. The market response to this partnership will be an indicator of the viability of embedded finance solutions in the SMB sector and could influence future strategic decisions within the industry.
The integration of BILL's payment solutions into the Xero platform is a significant technological advancement for SMBs. The embedded finance solution leverages the capabilities of both companies to create a more efficient and streamlined accounts payable experience. The technological implications of this partnership include the potential for reduced errors in the payment process, faster transaction processing and enhanced data analytics for better financial decision-making.
Furthermore, the ability of the solution to integrate with various banks and financial institutions is a noteworthy feature that could set a new standard for interoperability within financial software. The use of BILL's network to facilitate payments also suggests an emphasis on network effects, where the value of the service increases as more users join the platform.
While the technological benefits are clear, it is crucial to evaluate the scalability of the solution and its ability to handle the diverse needs of SMBs across different industries. The technical support and user training provided by Xero and BILL will also play a vital role in ensuring that the solution is effectively adopted and utilized by businesses.
Embedded finance solution to bring a robust accounts payable experience to Xero customers, powered by BILL
Xero will embed a bill pay solution from BILL into the Xero platform. Once available, the solution will deeply integrate BILL’s robust payments options, allowing customers to more efficiently pay their bills, without leaving the Xero Platform. BILL is a trusted partner of leading
There are more than 33 million SMBs in the US. Paying bills and getting paid on time are critical requirements for small businesses to effectively manage cash flow. However, this is still a very manual process for many small businesses. According to Xero’s Money Matters report, small businesses utilize multiple and disparate payment strategies to manage their cash flow.
Xero and BILL are partnering to make financial automation and cash flow management easier and more accessible for US Xero customers. Once the new embedded bill pay solution is available, small businesses will be able to avoid manual bank transfers, writing and mailing checks or entering credit card details to pay their bills. The solution will make it easier for small businesses and their advisors to reconcile transactions, regardless of their bank, and provide greater visibility and control over their cash flow. Every hour small businesses save through automation, is an hour they can invest in their business.
The bill pay solution will enable Xero customers to access BILL’s proprietary network of 5.8 million members – enabling small businesses to use the network to find their vendor and easily and efficiently start paying them straight away. More details about the bill pay solution will be made available later this calendar year.
Diya Jolly, Chief Product Officer, Xero said: “Xero is committed to helping small businesses run their operations and manage their finances as efficiently as possible through the Xero platform. Our partnership with BILL reflects how Xero can use strategic partnerships to support the three most important small businesses tasks – accounting, payments and payroll – in the US. This includes delivering payment solutions that help customers easily make and collect payments. Through our partnership with BILL, we can offer our customers more robust bill pay capabilities and broad payment choices, which further strengthens Xero’s US offering and reinforces our commitment to deepen customer support and engagement.”
Irana Wasti, Chief Product Officer at BILL said: “We are excited to bring an embedded bill pay solution and related financial operations capabilities to Xero customers. From the start, BILL has worked to serve the needs of SMBs and make it simpler to manage and optimize their cash flow. Our agile platform enables us to incorporate capabilities into partner solutions to extend our ability to serve more SMBs, wherever they want to do business.”
About Xero
Xero (ASX: XRO) is a global small business platform with 3.95 million subscribers which includes a core accounting solution, payroll, workforce management, expenses and projects. Xero also has an extensive ecosystem of connected apps and connections to banks and other financial institutions helping small businesses access a range of solutions from within Xero’s open platform to help them run their business and manage their finances.
About BILL
BILL (NYSE: BILL) is a leading financial operations platform for small and midsize businesses (SMBs). As a champion of SMBs, we are automating the future of finance so businesses can thrive. Our integrated platform helps businesses to more efficiently control their payables, receivables and spend and expense management. Hundreds of thousands of businesses rely on BILL’s proprietary member network of millions to pay or get paid faster. Headquartered in
Note on Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, based on our expectations as of the date hereof, which are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, many of which involve factors or circumstances that are beyond our control. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding expectations about Xero’s partnership with BILL, BILL’s ability to bring its embedded payments solutions to Xero customers, and the ability of such embedded solutions to save time and make it simpler for small businesses to manage their financial operations. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially include, but are not limited to, macroeconomic factors, including changes in interest rates and foreign exchange rates, general market volatility in the US and globally, and Xero’s and BILL’s ability to implement the partnership on the timeline and terms anticipated or at all. Additional information on factors that could affect BILL’s financial and other results is included in the filings BILL makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. Neither Xero nor BILL assumes any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements contained in this press release because of new information, future events, or otherwise.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240228908320/en/
Danielle Montana — Xero
danielle.montana@peppercomm.com
John Welton — BILL
john.welton@hq.bill.com
Karen Sansot — BILL
ksansot@hq.bill.com
Source: Xero
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