Survey of 400 senior finance leaders reveals the growing impact of late payments and cash flow uncertainty on strategic decision-making
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Versapay has released the 2026 Annual Cash Flow Clarity Report, developed in partnership with Wakefield Research, at a time when finance leaders are under growing pressure to do more with less amid economic uncertainty, rising costs, and tighter access to capital. Based on a survey of 400 finance leaders in the United States and Canada, the report examines how rising payment delays and increasing accounts receivable (AR) complexity are undermining cash flow predictability and why challenges once viewed as operational are now influencing core financial planning and strategic decision-making.
New research reveals the four accounts receivable processes most likely to disrupt cash flow, according to 400 finance executives in new Versapay annual report.
In the report, 69% of finance leaders report that late customer payments increased over the past 12 months, while 78% say unexpected AR issues are forcing changes to capital investments, hiring plans, and borrowing decisions. Together, these findings show that payment delays are no longer a back-office inconvenience—they’re directly constraining growth and flexibility. When cash inflows become unpredictable, finance leaders are forced to delay investments, slow hiring, or take on additional financing, weakening resilience, and competitiveness. As a result, short-term AR volatility is now shaping decisions traditionally guided by long-term forecasting and capital planning.
Key findings highlight the growing scale and operational impact of AR disruption:
More than two-thirds (69%) of finance leaders report an increase in late customer payments over the past year, signaling a widespread deterioration in payment reliability.
Nearly eight in 10 (78%) say unexpected AR issues are now forcing changes to capital investments, hiring plans, and borrowing decisions, evidence that cash flow volatility is influencing core business strategy.
Over four in five (81%) say collecting outstanding invoices has become more challenging, while three-quarters (74%) report their teams spend significant or moderate time each week chasing late payments, underscoring the growing operational burden on finance teams.
“Cash flow uncertainty is no longer episodic; it’s becoming a defining challenge for finance teams,” said Carey Kolaja, CEO at Versapay. “This year’s data aligns with what we hear from customers: breakdowns across the AR process create friction at every stage of the receivables cycle, compounding uncertainty and cost.”
As AR volatility disrupts cash flow and planning, finance leaders are increasingly turning to automation to restore predictability and control. In the survey, 63% of respondents report that AR automation has already reduced payment delays. Looking ahead, 91% expect automation to reduce days sales outstanding (DSO) by four or more days within the next year, with nearly one-third (29%) anticipating reductions of 11 days or more, demonstrating that automation is viewed not just as an efficiency gain, but as a meaningful lever for reducing risk and stabilizing cash flow.
Adoption plans include AI and predictive capabilities. Fifty percent of finance leaders expect to use AI to automate repetitive AR tasks, and more than one-third plan to adopt predictive analytics to identify payment risks earlier and improve collections prioritization. In total, 82% plan to increase investment in AR automation in the next 12 months.
Methodology
Wakefield Research surveyed 400 finance leaders in the United States and Canada with a minimum seniority of director, reporting to the office of the CFO, November 21st and December 3rd, 2025, using an email invitation and online survey.
Download the report
The 2026 Cash Flow Clarity Report is available now at www.versapay.com/state-of-accounts-receivable-automation.
About Versapay
Versapay is the platform that rewires AR by removing barriers from collecting and reconciling B2B payments, providing end-to-end cash flow clarity, ensuring businesses can manage working capital on their terms. By closing the loop for finance teams and their business systems, customers, and payment activity into a single intelligent ecosystem, Versapay transforms money matters into a data-driven advantage. With 10,000 customers and 5M+ companies transacting, Versapay facilitates 110M+ transactions and processes $260B+ in payments volume annually. To learn more about how Versapay eliminates financial friction, visit: versapay.com.
SOURCE Versapay
