Top-performing CFOs in Asia Pacific are turning working capital into a growth lever, with digital payment tools reducing late payment losses by around 10%
SINGAPORE, March 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Results from the recently released Visa Growth Business Working Capital Index (WCI) 2025-2026 reveal a significant gap between the working capital needs of businesses in the Asia-Pacific region and the financial tools available to them.
Amid rising inflation, interest rates and liquidity pressures, Asia Pacific growth companies (mid-sized companies with annual revenues between $50 million and $1 billion) are increasingly viewing effective cash flow management as essential, with working capital becoming a more strategic tool to drive growth and resilience. However, nearbyNearly half of the region’s growth companies do not use any working capital solutions, even though companies need more flexible access to liquidity.
Visa identified three key themes from the WCI report that are relevant to businesses in the Asia Pacific region:
Misalignment between financial products and operational needs
Mid-market companies in the Asia-Pacific region face changing working capital realities, including longer cash cycles, more structural payment delays and increasing pressure to release liquidity more quickly across borders. However, most financial solutions have not kept pace, with many remaining too rigid or generic for the diverse industries and rapidly evolving markets in the Asia-Pacific region.
This growing disconnect between traditional financial product design and real business needs is driving CFOs to demand faster, more flexible, fully digital tools that align with real-world cash cycles and deliver capital at the pace of the business.
Key information includes:
- 47% of growth companies don’t use working capital tools, often because existing solutions don’t fit their operating models.
- 41% of businesses want simplified digital tools for credit and account management, while 38% seek on-demand financing aligned with cash flow cycles, signaling demand for more flexible financial solutions.
Financial institutions that create offerings around real business cycles, while rethinking underwriting, approval speed and flexibility, will be better positioned to meet the changing needs of growth businesses.
Working capital as a lever for strategic growth
While many companies lack the right tools, leading finance teams in the Asia Pacific region treat working capital as a strategic lever rather than a last resort, using prepayments from suppliers, virtual cards and flexible financing to strengthen liquidity and respond more quickly to market opportunities. As a result, cards are evolving from transactional tools to working capital levers.
Key information includes:
- Late customer payments can cost businesses an average of $15.7 million per year, but those that use card payments to speed up collections have reduced late payment losses by about 10%.
- Businesses Using Working Capital Solutions can achieve an average of $17.7 million in annual net benefits, which equates to a 4.3% increase in revenue.
- 9% of businesses used working capital solutions to finance unplanned growth, up from 5.6% in 2024-25.
By improving cash flow visibility and accelerating receivables, these finance leaders can unlock additional capital during their operating cycles, transforming liquidity management into a competitive advantage with direct bottom-line improvements.
Changing demands on banks
Across all regions, CFOs place rapid, on-demand access to capital and simplified digital credit management among their top priorities, but these needs are particularly pronounced in Asia Pacific, where companies operate in rapidly changing and often volatile markets.
Key information includes:
- 61% of growth companies in Asia Pacific are now using AI or machine learning to optimize their working capital, including forecasting, risk scoring and automated approvals, as demand grows for integrated analytics and simpler digital credit management within banking platforms.
- CFOs expect rapid, on-demand access to liquidity through digital channels, including tools such as virtual cards, automated approvals and digital platforms that enable businesses to respond quickly to time-sensitive opportunities.
- Finance leaders prioritize the industry-specific expertise of banking partners, seeking relationship managers who understand industry-specific economic cycles, supplier relationships and capital spending needs.
These trends signal a shift in how CFOs think about accessing and managing liquidity. As demand grows for faster, more flexible financing and digital financial management, banks and financial institutions will need to move beyond generic products by integrating AI-driven insights, streamlining approval processes, and combining digital capabilities with deeper industry expertise to better meet the evolving expectations of CFOs in the Asia Pacific region.
“Asia Pacific CFOs want flexible, industry-specific tools tailored to their operational realities,” said Chavi Jafa, Head of Commerce and Money Movement Solutions, Asia Pacific, Visa. “Our data shows that agile, digital-first strategies and smarter forecasting help businesses remain resilient and reinvest freed capital into growth. The Working Capital Index continues to shine a light on how growth companies turn volatility into opportunity. At Visa, we collaborate across the ecosystem to deliver tailored, digital-first business solutions, such as ERP-integrated virtual cards and digital validation platforms, that help unlock working capital, accelerate approvals and turn liquidity into a strategic growth lever.
For more information on the Growth Firms Working Capital Index, visit: https://workingcapitalindex.visa.com
About the index
Visa’s Working Capital Index tracks the financial behavior of mid-sized businesses, defined as companies with annual revenue between $50 million and $1 billion. The 2025-2026 edition is based on survey responses from more than 1,300 CFOs and treasurers across 23 countries and territories and 8 industry segments, with 298 respondents surveyed across the Asia-Pacific region. The index provides new insights into strategic trends, efficiencies and changing behavioral profiles shaping corporate finance, including the emergence of strategic and adaptable working capital users.
About Visa
Visa (NYSE: V) is a global leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, sellers, financial institutions and government entities in more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world with the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone, everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and view access as fundamental to the future of monetary movement. Learn more at Visa.com.
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SOURCE Visa Worldwide Pte Ltd
