The Growth Corporates Working Capital Index 2025-2026

Working capital isn’t just a buffer. It’s the new growth engine.

Nearly 1,500 CFOs and Treasurers across 10 industries were surveyed and many say they are no longer waiting for perfect conditions. They are using working capital to seize opportunity now. This third annual Visa–PYMNTS Intelligence report shows how middle-market firms ($50M–$1B revenue) unlock millions in trapped cash, turn volatility into advantage, and put AI and cards to work as timing tools for growth.

CFOs and Treasurers who use these solutions report unlocking $19M in savings, on average, with faster supplier decisions powered by AI, and receivables accelerated with corporate and virtual cards. The message is clear.

Discover where your peers are finding their edge and how your industry stacks up. The data is here. What you do with it starts now.

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The Adaptive CFO and Treasurer Take the Field

For Growth Corporates, working capital isn’t a backstop. It’s opportunity. Their adoption choices reveal how they manage cash, invest strategically, and seize opportunities when they appear, particularly in dynamic times.

• Strategic

  • Cashflow management

    • Cover expected cashflow gaps
    • Manage seasonality of business

  • Planned growth

    • Make capital investments
    • Upgrade systems
    • Expand to new markets
• Adaptive

  • Unplanned growth

    • Accelerate payments to strategic suppliers
    • Buy just-in-time inventory
• Tactical

  • Emergencies

    • Cover expected shortfalls
    • Address critical needs

Solution Adoption

Turning Volatility Into Competitive Advantage

Growth Corporates are done waiting. They now use working capital solutions to fuel growth, manage risk, and move fast when opportunity knocks. In 2025, CFOs and Treasurers surveyed are 64% more likely than in 2023 to use these tools for unplanned growth, including accelerating payment to strategic suppliers for time-sensitive business needs and buying just-in-time inventory.

Fast-tracking payments and locking in terms no longer just manage volatility. They help CFOs and Treasurers turn it into competitive advantage.

27.0% of surveyed firms use solutions primarily for strategic investments and upgrades, while 8.2% use them opportunistically to capture unexpected growth opportunities, such as fast-tracking payments to strategic suppliers to capture unplanned ventures and optimize just-in-time inventory.

Figure 1. How Growth Corporates use external working capital solutions

Corporate Cards Power Growth

Corporate card adoption shows the shift. Their use for opportunistic working capital needs tripled year over year.

Figure 2. How Growth Corporates use each external working capital solution

Working Capital Efficiency

Working Capital Works Harder

CFOs and Treasurers are putting capital to work, not letting it sit idle. Growth Corporates unlocked an average of $19M in savings by paying early, securing inventory, and negotiating better terms. Every dollar freed today becomes fuel for tomorrow’s growth.

Growth Corporates surveyed in 2025 have integrated 45.0% of their suppliers into payment systems, while just 6.7% still face unpredictable financing needs. By unlocking cash flow visibility and streamlining payments, they paid 37.3% of invoices ahead of schedule.

Figure 3. Growth Corporates’ liquidity strategies

From Savings to Innovation

Adaptive CFOs and Treasurers in the study reinvest quickly, with 7 in 10 paying suppliers faster to stay agile and strengthen supplier relationships. Strategically focused Growth Corporates look longer term, with 54% channeling savings into product and service innovation.

82.3% adopted solutions that unlocked All Regions savings of $19.3M—equal to 4.1% of revenue. With those savings, 51.9% accelerated supplier payments, boosting agility and strengthening buyer-supplier relationships.

Figure 4. How Growth Corporates are reinvesting their savings from working capital solutions

Smart Tools

AI Gives Cash New Visibility

The cash that CFOs and Treasurers can’t see, is cash they can’t use. 58% of Growth Corporates now turn to generative and agentic AI to bring cash into view, helping them forecast liquidity, onboard suppliers, and make workflows more autonomous. The payoff is sharper visibility, an average of almost 66% more savings from using solutions, and faster, smarter supplier decisions.

Cash Visibility Drives Efficiency

Growth Corporates across regions studied lifted their Working Capital Index scores for the third straight year by accelerating payments and strengthening supplier ties.

Surveyed CFOs and Treasurers achieved a working capital efficiency score of 54.6.

Figure 6. Working capital index score and share of top performers

Commercial Cards

Commercial Cards Put CFOs in Control of Cash

Growth Corporates surveyed across the globe lose an average of $18M each year to late payments. Fifty-three percent of CFOs and Treasurers studied now use corporate and virtual cards to cut DSO and bring cash in faster.

Figure 9. Advantages of making payments using commercial and virtual cards

2026 Outlook

2026: Faster Moves, Smarter Money

The winners in 2026 will be the CFOs and Treasurers who move first and play smart. Growth Corporates plan to pair opportunistic capital plays with AI-powered forecasting, early supplier payments on corporate cards, and digital-first financing. Banks that deliver speed and tailored tools will own the relationship—those that don’t risk losing out.

94.2% of surveyed firms plan to adopt working capital solutions next year, including 45.6% turning to flexible on-demand tools like commercial and virtual cards.

Figure 13: Share planning on using each working capital solution in 2026