Will ACH Drive B2B Payments Growth In 2025?

Most companies are always on the lookout for faster, more cost-effective ways to make transactions. As B2B payment methods evolve, ACH (Automated Clearing House) payments have emerged as one of the best ways to make these types of payments.

In 2024, ACH Network handled 8.2 billion payments in just the first quarter.

(Source: Nacha)

The digital network, which allows for direct payments between bank accounts, has played a significant role in consumer transactions but might now make a similar impact on the B2B space in 2025.

In this blog post, you’ll learn more about what ACH means for B2B payments, how it will affect the landscape of B2B payments in 2025 and beyond, and what kind of growth you can expect.

What Does ACH Mean?

ACH refers to a digital payment system that many use to transfer funds electronically from one bank account to another.

As a network that connects thousands of financial institutions in the United States, it’s an integral part of the financial infrastructure, accounting for many types of transactions, including direct deposits, tax refunds, and bill payments.

With ACH, you can process your payments in two ways:

• ACH debit: With an ACH debit payment, the business or individual authorizes payment from their account

• ACH credit: With an ACH credit payment, the payer confirms the release of funds to the recipient’s account 

ACH has become very popular in the B2C space, and, later, the B2B space because it’s fast and reliable and offers economic transaction fees.

The Role of ACH in B2B Payments

Since B2B payments can be far more complex than consumer transactions, as they will often involve huge sums of money and layers of approval, it’s important to have a flexible solution.

However, once B2B payments are made via cheque or wire transfer, these methods can feel a little dated these days, especially cheque payments. Paying by cheque is a slow process and leaves you more vulnerable to fraud attempts, and paying by wire transfer is costly, especially if you have a lot of transactions to make.

ACH finds the sweet spot for B2B payments as a streamlined alternative. You can use ACH to directly transfer funds between accounts without any friction.

Plus, internet transactions represent one of the ACH Network’s fastest growing segments, with close to $10 billion of internet payments made via ACH, capitalizing on the trend towards online payments in recent years.

Why Use ACH for B2B Payments?

While no one method is infallible, ACH is a compelling solution for B2B transactions for various reasons.

Low Transaction Fees

The main reason many businesses choose ACH payments over other options is their cost-effectiveness. Transaction fees are often lower with ACH payments, so if you deal in large volumes of payments, it can seem like a no-brainer.

Enhanced Security

When making B2B transactions, you need to feel confident that your money is secure. With ACH, you’re guaranteed secure payments, as they’re processed with thorough fraud prevention measures.

As electronic transfers, ACH offers a much higher level of security than paper cheques.

Fast Processing Times

One of the ways ACH payments continue to excel is in their processing speed. The introduction of same-day ACH payments in 2016 means that you can easily process B2B payments in a single business day so you can stay on top of your cash flow.

Since their introduction in 2016, the volume of same-day ACH payments have increased exponentially.

(Source: Nacha)

Will ACH Drive B2B Payment Growth in 2025?

There’s evidence to suggest that ACH will be a primary driver in B2B payment growth in 2025. Industry analysts estimate that ACH will capture a significant share of this expansion, as many businesses will see the benefit in faster transactions and lower fees.

Plus, payment technology advances such as same-day ACH will continue to accelerate the rate at which businesses adopt ACH for B2B payments. 

While ACH might be the predominant choice for B2B payments, it is just one option. Since every business has specific needs, it’s important to explore different payment methods to find the best solution for your business.

Leading the Way for B2B Payments

It’s hard to debate that ACH is fast becoming the most important way to make B2B payments in 2025, and it's set to increase in relevance even more.

The introduction of same-day ACH and similar payment advances indicate that it might soon become the best option for most businesses.