Anouska Ladds, Executive Vice President of Commercial & New Payment Flows, Asia Pacific at Mastercard.
It’s no surprise that rising costs, fragile supply chains and cooling demand are forcing Asia Pacific’s businesses to rethink their future strategies. But economic slowdowns don’t just test resilience – they expose inertia. In fact, SMEs across the region, still operate in cash-dominated environments that hold them back. Limited understanding of financial tools, poor line of sight into finances, and constant exposure to theft and operational inefficiencies are daily battles to overcome.
Capitalising on Cards
In today’s tight-margin environment, effectively managing working capital is the key to navigating financial pressures and seizing new opportunities. 8 in 10 SMEs fail due to ineffectively managing their cash flow. Even as financial institutions embrace digital and data-driven ways to assess SME credit risk and unlock tailored support in the digital economy, card adoption stands out as a simple yet powerful solution to deliver flexibility, security and control to key processes like vendor payments.
Businesses that accept cards are 14 percentage points more efficient at maximising working capital than those who don’t. This is especially critical in volatile economic conditions, where liquidity and responsiveness are essential for resilience. Beyond checkout, integrating cards into unified API-driven platforms enable SMEs to automate reconciliation processes, reduce manual errors and gain real-time visibility into cash flow.
Research estimates that by simply digitalising the expense process businesses can save as many as 30,000 hours a year and boost productivity by more than 70 per cent. With enhanced financial control and forecasting accuracy, SMEs can prioritise innovation and growth.
When Progress Pays Off
For SMEs navigating uncertainty, your instinct may be to slow down investments in favour of stockpiling. But standing still poses a bigger risk. Around the world we see a robust ecosystem of digital platforms transform how SMEs launch, operate and scale their businesses. In markets like the US and Chinese mainland, marketplaces have enabled small businesses to reach global customers. Several other platforms have also provided small players with access to financial services, logistics and other capabilities once reserved for large enterprises.
It’s clear that modernising your payments infrastructure can bring critical value during this period of flux. However, it can also be a daunting undertaking – one with plenty of unknowns, a plethora of partners to choose from and murky regulatory complexities to overcome. But the path forward is clearer than you think. Getting started is as easy as A-B-C:
1. Audit: Audit current payment and reconciliation touchpoints to identify automation opportunities that reduce risk and delays. When combined with a unified payment platform with global reach, open APIs and built-in reconciliation tools, your operations move from fragmented to focused.
2. Bridge: The right partner doesn’t just provide the tech; they’re the bridge to operational excellence and sustained growth. They’re a trusted guide that minimises risk and recognises that small steps lead to big changes. Together, you’ll solve real challenges and drive meaningful change every step of the way.
3. Checkout: In an increasingly digital-first era, your checkout is the last – and often most decisive – touchpoint with a customer. A frictionless payment journey boosts conversions and cements loyalty: when every tap, scan or click feels effortless, customers come back.
Card-based solutions may not be the cure-all, but they can be the catalyst for transforming working capital and operational pain points into competitive advantages. Ultimately, progress does pay off – especially for those who move first.
Anouska Ladds is the Executive Vice President of Commercial & New Payment Flows, Asia Pacific at Mastercard. The views and opinions expressed are her own.
