• Jason Lalor, CEO at Conferma


• 31.07.2025 03:00 pm
#CorporateTravel #FinanceEfficiency

Business travel is booming again. A projected 6.2% increase in 2025, coupled with return-to-office momentum, signals one thing: travel is no longer a nice-to-have — it’s a business-critical investment.

But while employees are back in the air, too many finance systems are still stuck on the ground. In banking alone, 70% of IT budgets are swallowed by maintaining legacy infrastructure. There’s little left to fund modernisation — and CFOs are feeling the strain.

Today’s finance leaders face a complex balancing act: control costs, manage inflation, integrate new technologies like AI —  and still fuel growth. The modern CFO isn’t just a financial gatekeeper. They’re a growth architect. A culture shaper. A technology enabler.

And travel spend is a high-friction blind spot.

Outdated expense processes — manual reconciliation, personal card use, reimbursement delays — don’t just slow things down. They create frustration, inefficiency, and risk. In fact, 83% of employees say managing travel expenses is a burden. When finance is built on friction, no one wins.

Embedded payments change the game.

By integrating payments directly into the booking process, embedded solutions remove hassle for travellers, reduce risk for the business, and unlock control for finance teams.

No more chasing receipts. No more duplicate entries. No more black holes in reporting. Just real-time data, automated reconciliation, and visibility you can act on.

And the results are real.

PwC and Kayak used blockchain to streamline travel — giving all parties a single source of truth, reducing cost and complexity, and increasing flexibility and flow. Hilton became the first global hotel chain to automate virtual card payments end to end, eliminating manual handling and elevating the experience for guests and finance alike.

This isn’t just operational optimisation. It’s strategic reinvention.

With embedded payments, CFOs can move from reactive oversight to proactive leadership. From reporting on yesterday’s costs to shaping tomorrow’s strategy. From admin-heavy expense policies to employee-first travel experiences that drive retention and productivity.

Modernising travel spend isn’t about fixing a broken process. It’s about seizing a competitive advantage.

The choice is clear: lead the change — or chase it.

Finance leaders who embrace embedded payments now will reduce friction, unlock insight, and transform how their organisations travel. Those who wait risk being left behind — by competitors, by technology, and by their own people.

Travel is back. The CFO has a seat at the table.
Now’s the time to act like it.