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The future of e-commerce payments between embedded finance and BNPL
Anyone who runs an e-commerce business knows it: the checkout moment is crucial and, for the purchase to be completed, every step involved must be simple and fast for the user. Otherwise: cart abandonment, which often never gets recovered. In this process, e-commerce payment solutions such as embedded finance and Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) play a crucial role. These services have revolutionised the online purchasing process, offering users greater financial flexibility and businesses more opportunities to increase sales.
Behind the apparent simplicity of these systems, which allow customers to buy on the web by automatically entering their details or requesting an instalment payment in just a few clicks, there is complex software. These are infrastructures connected to numerous APIs such as those for payment management or e-invoicing, which must ensure intuitive and secure processes while, at the same time, complying with national and international regulations. Here is how these solutions have changed the e-commerce payments landscape, what the benefits are, and the challenges for companies and brands that decide to adopt them.
E-commerce payments: embedded finance and BNPL
When we talk about embedded finance, we are referring to the integration of one or more financial services directly into B2B or B2C e-commerce platforms. These services give users the possibility to make instalment payments, access financing or purchase insurance services without leaving the website. Some examples? The integration of PayPal or Stripe into e-commerce payment systems, which allow the customer to complete the purchase without having to enter their card details every time or register on the site.
Buy Now Pay Later, literally “buy now, pay later”, specifically allows you to buy a product online and pay for it in instalments, often interest-free. This option also makes high-value purchases accessible without having to leave the site or apply for loans from credit institutions. Services such as Klarna, Scalapay and Afterpay integrate seamlessly into the user journey, simplifying online payment instalments. BNPL appears as an additional option during checkout, allowing users to choose the type of instalment that best suits their needs.
BNPL is already fairly widespread. At the moment, 1 in 5 e-commerce sites offers this option and this payment method will be increasingly present in online transactions. In 2025, transactions of this type could reach 481 billion dollars (data from Statista) and exceed 800 billion dollars by 2028. Not integrating these systems into your e-commerce business could easily lead to a significant drop in sales.
Embedded finance and BNPL: benefits and challenges for e-commerce businesses
The concrete benefits of embedded finance and BNPL do not concern consumers only, but also the companies and brands that operate online. By integrating these systems into their e-commerce platforms, it is possible to:
offer faster checkout, reducing the steps needed to complete the purchase and lowering the risk of cart abandonment
increase sales by allowing customers to buy expensive products in instalments, increasing the average basket value
optimise the user experience thanks to different payment options, including flexible ones
build loyalty among users who, thanks to a fast checkout and a positive shopping experience, will be more inclined to choose the platform again for their purchases.
Despite the many benefits, B2B and B2C e-commerce businesses are not without challenges. One of the main risks linked to BNPL, for example, is related to managing defaults, especially if reliable partners are not chosen. For embedded finance, on the other hand, the complexity may lie in regulatory compliance and in the need to ensure secure management of users’ financial data. In both cases, one of the issues concerns sales in global markets. To give a concrete example, for 52% of e-commerce companies, payment localisation remains one of the main challenges (Verifone).
Companies that sell online must therefore carefully evaluate payment providers, making sure they offer secure solutions that comply with current regulations, especially in an increasingly regulated European context and in an increasingly competitive international market.
Issuing receipts and e-invoices: what changes with BNPL systems?
It is natural to wonder whether, when BNPL systems are in place, there may be differences in the way receipts are issued or e-invoices are sent. For e-commerce businesses, it is not mandatory to issue receipts or sales slips to the end customer (unless they request them), but it is good practice to provide a purchase receipt that includes the transaction details, including any BNPL payment option chosen. In this case, the number of instalments and the due dates for each one should also be specified.
As for e-invoicing, however, it should be borne in mind that BNPL pays the full amount of the purchase to the merchant, minus any fees. This means that the merchant receives the full payment at the time of sale, regardless of whether the customer pays in instalments or not. The invoice must therefore be issued in full with the purchase, without any substantial changes to the process for any BNPL payment.
In any case, one of the crucial aspects of managing national and international payments in e-commerce lies in the use of the right APIs for e-invoicing. A-Cube’s APIs, for example, integrate smoothly with online sales platforms, simplifying the entire process. They make it possible to manage e-invoicing in compliance with the Interchange System (SdI) in a transparent, flexible and scalable way. The benefits of integrating our APIs for e-invoicing are numerous, from the choice of communication protocol to the modularity of the options. In addition, to support the automation of accounting reconciliation, data feeding, due-date management and cash flow processes, our Open Banking solution can be paired with the e-invoicing API.
Our APIs designed specifically for e-commerce are varied. In addition to solutions for e-invoicing, for sending e-receipts and for open banking, we have also developed the A-Cube e-invoicing App for Stripe, specifically for those who use this payment system.
Towards the future of e-commerce payments
Financial technologies continue to evolve and new, faster payment methods for users are already on the horizon. Biometric payments, voice payments and the use of artificial intelligence to personalise financing options are examples of this. And they are certainly trends to follow. The links between fintech and e-commerce platforms could also lead to personalised and secure solutions.
Meanwhile, the integration of e-commerce payment systems such as embedded finance and BNPL represents a unique opportunity to optimise and increase online sales. Adopting a strategic approach, keeping up to date with trends and new technologies, and carefully choosing the partners and software to integrate, is crucial to maintaining a competitive advantage.
