Alibaba.com Adds Balance’s B2B BNPL for US Business Users

Alibaba.com’s U.S. business users can now select Balance’s B2B buy now, pay later (BNPL) as a payment method at checkout.

With this option, eligible users of the B2B eCommerce platform for global trade can gain greater purchasing power and more control over how and when they pay by financing purchases, the companies said in a Friday (June 27) press release.

“By embedding Balance directly into our checkout, we’re making it easy for customers to buy on their terms, without being limited by cash flow constraints,” Yiran Li, head of customer retention strategy at Alibaba.com US, said in the release.

Balance’s embedded financing solution is powered by the company’s artificial intelligence risk structure, which delivers real-time credit risk management and higher approval rates for small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that are often overlooked by traditional lenders, per the release.

“In tight economic conditions, and especially with the added strain of tariffs, access to financing can make the difference between surviving and thriving,” Balance CEO and Co-founder Bar Geron said in the release. “We’re proud to partner with Alibaba.com and power a solution that helps its U.S. users grow their businesses with confidence.”

B2B BNPL offers businesses a much simpler method of making purchases than acquiring commercial loans from traditional lenders, according to the PYMNTS Intelligence and Splitit collaboration, “Is BNPL the Next Driver for B2B Growth?”

The report found that by splitting large payments into smaller installments, B2B BNPL can help businesses navigate the pressures of acquiring inventory and raw materials to manage costs, improve cash flow and boost their competitive standing in the marketplace.

In addition, by applying the same principles to the corporate sector that made it so popular for consumer transactions, BNPL could help level the playing field when it comes to B2B payments, per the report.

In another recent move, Balance said in May that it added a new real-time payments tool called Instant Bank Connection, designed to simplify ACH setup for buyers and speed payments to merchants.

In January, Balance unveiled a suite of products that span the B2B transaction lifecycle, from order placement to payment settlement. These artificial intelligence-powered tools encompass net terms assessment and financing, payment cost optimization and accounts receivable automation.

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