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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Sticky by design: Why embedded finance is the SaaS retention strategy nobody talks about
Customer retention has become the defining challenge in SaaS. As the industry matures and product categories become saturated, differentiation is no longer about who can ship features fastest; it's about who can keep users coming back, and right now, many can't. Recent Weavr research found that 51% UK-based product managers cited retention as their primary business concern. This problem isn't exclusive to underperforming companies, since even well-funded platforms are struggling to maintain loyalty in categories like CRM, marketing automation, and procurement, where competition is fierce and switching costs are low. So, what's driving the churn? In 43% of cases, product managers say users leave not because they dislike the software, but because it forces them to jump between disconnected tools to get basic jobs done. This insight is critical as it means that business efficiency - in terms of delivering better outcomes (desired results, fewer errors, less fraud) with less effort now trumps functionality or pricing. This is where embedded finance (EF) offers SaaS platforms a powerful, under-utilised advantage. The friction no one wants to own We've all felt it. You're using a business platform to manage projects or suppliers or customers - and then you hit a wall. You need to pay a bill, issue an invoice, top up a card, or approve an expense. Suddenly you're in a different tab, logging into another system, rechecking data, and praying the sync holds. It's not just annoying, it's a risk for error, and dare we say it, for fraud too. For instance, the highly effective fraud attack known as CEO fraud relies on the human in the loop taking advantage of financial activities that are disconnected from SaaS workflows such as paying an invoice. Every time a user toggles between systems, there's an opportunity for dissatisfaction, inefficiency and poor outcomes. In other words, a reason for churn and competitors know this. Many have built their onboarding messages around the promise of 'fewer integrations' or 'one workspace to rule them all.' However, here's the irony: a lot of that fragmentation isn't due to bad product design. It's because finance - billing, payments, lending, card issuing, reconciliation - have traditionally sat outside the domain of software. Most SaaS teams either punt those workflows to third party platforms and, or leave them to their customers to handle manually. The result? A disjointed experience that feels less like a product and more like a toolkit. In a crowded SaaS marketplace, that's often the difference between growth and churn. Embedded finance as a retention lever Embedded finance changes that equation. It allows platforms to offer fully integrated financial capabilities inside their own user flows - without becoming banks or fintech companies themselves. Think of a SaaS platform for managing temporary staff. Instead of asking employers to manually process payments through external banking apps or payroll systems, the platform can embed a payment execution feature that disburses wages directly through pre-approved logic and connected accounts. These aren't just features; they're strategies for stickiness. By embedding finance, you remove points of friction, reduce context-switching, and eliminate operational dead ends. Users stay longer because their workflows are complete - not because they've been locked in, but because they're getting more done with less hassle. And nothing makes customers more reluctant to leave than having to go back to disjointed processes. Keeping users in the ecosystem One of the strongest predictors of retention is frequency of use. If your product becomes the default place where users handle their day-to-day tasks, it becomes much harder for competitors to win them over. This is where embedded finance excels as it doesn't just streamline a specific task, but it's also capable of expanding the scope of what your platform can be used for. A procurement platform that lets buyers not only manage suppliers but also approve budgets and issue virtual cards becomes a control centre, not just a reporting tool. An HR platform that handles not just employee data but also benefits disbursement and expense reimbursements becomes an essential workflow hub. The more users rely on your platform to operate, the more value they derive from it. That value compounds over time, reducing the likelihood that they'll defect to a newer or flashier competitor. Retention is the new growth In today's economic climate, retention isn't just a defensive metric - it's a growth strategy. Retention is recurring revenue without customer acquisition cost. According to Bain & Company, increasing customer retention by just 5% can boost profits by up to 95% depending on the sector. For SaaS businesses under pressure to do more with less, it's an obvious place to invest. Yet while most product managers obsess over feature releases, roadmap alignment, and funnel optimisation, few look at the financial touchpoints in their product experience. Even fewer ask: what if we stopped outsourcing payments and made them part of the product? The resistance is understandable. Finance is complex, regulated, and historically hard to embed. However, that's changing. Modern embedded finance platforms offer ready-to-integrate infrastructure that abstracts the hard parts - from compliance to licensing - while giving product teams control over the user experience. As a result, financial functionality no longer has to be tacked on at the edges. It can be woven into the product flow, natively and securely, at the moments users expect it most. From fintech feature to product strategy Too often, embedded finance is dismissed as something for fintechs or marketplaces. But its real power lies in the broader SaaS world, where it can transform user value and switching costs, ultimately reducing churn, and deepening platform utility. It's time we stopped thinking about EF as just a payment button or a lending module. It's a design strategy for building products that keep users engaged, productive, and loyal. Especially in sectors where switching is easy and attention is scarce, that edge is not just useful, it's essential. Alex Mifsud is CEO and Co-founder, Weavr "Sticky by design: Why embedded finance is the SaaS retention strategy nobody talks about" was originally created and published by Retail Banker International, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Weavr, Visa Partner to Embed Visa Cards in HR Tech Platforms, Enhances Employee Benefits
Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) is one of the best US stocks to buy according to Billionaires. On July 11, Weavr, which is a UK-based embedded finance company, announced a partnership with Visa. The collaboration aims to provide embedded Visa cards specifically for Human Resources/HR technology platforms. As an associate member of Visa, Weavr will enable SaaS businesses to integrate Visa-backed financial tools directly into their systems. This alliance shifts embedded finance, moving beyond simple payments to enable comprehensive propositions and business models within sectors like HR tech. The partnership allows HR tech platforms to offer tailored employee benefits. A side profile of a consumer within a store handing a credit card to a cashier, reflecting the debt collection services of the company. Weavr's platform integrates multiple financial partners into a unified solution and offers extensive regional reach and diverse financial products through a single agreement and integration process. With Visa's involvement, B2B SaaS platforms can now provide embedded features, including the issuance of various payment cards, real-time budget monitoring, and expenditure management, all within their existing user experience. While we acknowledge the potential of V as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the . READ NEXT: and . Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
Finextra
10-07-2025
- Business
- Finextra
Weavr teams with Visa to offer embedded payments in employee benefits sector
Weavr, the embedded finance company, has announced their Associate Membership with Visa, a global leader in digital payments. 0 As a Visa Associate Member and one of its embedded finance partners in Europe, Weavr is now empowering SaaS companies to integrate Visa-powered financial products into their platforms, focusing initially on the rapidly growing sector of employee benefits. Globally, employers are transitioning from static, one-size-fits-all benefits to spendable, personalised employee allowances. In Europe, the discretionary employee benefits market is valued at $162 billion annually¹, part of a broader global employee benefits market worth $377 billion¹ - highlighting significant growth potential. B2B SaaS platforms operating in HR tech - from benefits platforms to workforce management tools - are well-positioned to meet this demand. However, integrating financial services remains complex and risky for many. Weavr and Visa both aim to simplify this process. 'Embedded finance is fast becoming an important tool for businesses that want to deepen relationships with their customers,' said Mark Wilcocks, VP Product and Solutions, Visa UK & Ireland. 'Weavr is paving the way for HR platforms to simply integrate these solutions, and we're excited to enhance this offering with our Visa-powered products.' 'Our membership with Visa signifies a shift in the deployment of embedded finance: it's not just about adding payments, but about enabling entire propositions and business models in sectors like HR tech,' said Alex Mifsud, CEO and Co-Founder of Weavr. 'By joining Visa, we can provide SaaS platforms with the confidence and capability to launch card-based employee benefits, supported by trusted infrastructure ready to scale.' Weavr's multi-FI embedded finance model - whereby multiple financial partners are integrated into its platform - provides broad geographic coverage and rich financial product sets through a single contract, and a single integration. The addition of Visa allows B2B SaaS platforms to offer seamlessly embedded solutions that include the issuance of diverse types and forms of payment card products, tracking of budgets, and control of spend in real time - all within their existing user experience. This integration offers clear advantages across the value chain: • HR tech platforms gain a ready-to-integrate solution to offer flexible benefits cards, backed by Visa. • Employers can deliver smarter, personalised benefits without the need for spreadsheets, receipts, or reimbursement delays. • Visa benefits from a scalable distribution model for B2B payments through trusted SaaS providers globally. The demand is evident: research from Weavr indicates that 89% of B2B SaaS platforms are developing or considering integrated payment features² - from card issuance to wallets and embedded billing. Through working together, Weavr and Visa will bring these features within reach for HR platforms aiming to stay ahead of evolving employee expectations and employer needs.
Finextra
10-07-2025
- Business
- Finextra
Weeavr teams with Visa to offer embedded payments in employee benefits sector
Weavr, the embedded finance company, has announced their Associate Membership with Visa, a global leader in digital payments. 0 As a Visa Associate Member and one of its embedded finance partners in Europe, Weavr is now empowering SaaS companies to integrate Visa-powered financial products into their platforms, focusing initially on the rapidly growing sector of employee benefits. Globally, employers are transitioning from static, one-size-fits-all benefits to spendable, personalised employee allowances. In Europe, the discretionary employee benefits market is valued at $162 billion annually¹, part of a broader global employee benefits market worth $377 billion¹ - highlighting significant growth potential. B2B SaaS platforms operating in HR tech - from benefits platforms to workforce management tools - are well-positioned to meet this demand. However, integrating financial services remains complex and risky for many. Weavr and Visa both aim to simplify this process. 'Embedded finance is fast becoming an important tool for businesses that want to deepen relationships with their customers,' said Mark Wilcocks, VP Product and Solutions, Visa UK & Ireland. 'Weavr is paving the way for HR platforms to simply integrate these solutions, and we're excited to enhance this offering with our Visa-powered products.' 'Our membership with Visa signifies a shift in the deployment of embedded finance: it's not just about adding payments, but about enabling entire propositions and business models in sectors like HR tech,' said Alex Mifsud, CEO and Co-Founder of Weavr. 'By joining Visa, we can provide SaaS platforms with the confidence and capability to launch card-based employee benefits, supported by trusted infrastructure ready to scale.' Weavr's multi-FI embedded finance model - whereby multiple financial partners are integrated into its platform - provides broad geographic coverage and rich financial product sets through a single contract, and a single integration. The addition of Visa allows B2B SaaS platforms to offer seamlessly embedded solutions that include the issuance of diverse types and forms of payment card products, tracking of budgets, and control of spend in real time - all within their existing user experience. This integration offers clear advantages across the value chain: • HR tech platforms gain a ready-to-integrate solution to offer flexible benefits cards, backed by Visa. • Employers can deliver smarter, personalised benefits without the need for spreadsheets, receipts, or reimbursement delays. • Visa benefits from a scalable distribution model for B2B payments through trusted SaaS providers globally. The demand is evident: research from Weavr indicates that 89% of B2B SaaS platforms are developing or considering integrated payment features² - from card issuance to wallets and embedded billing. Through working together, Weavr and Visa will bring these features within reach for HR platforms aiming to stay ahead of evolving employee expectations and employer needs.
