Most UK businesses can see the point of embedded payments, but few have them working smoothly. IDC research commissioned by Edenred Payment Solutions found that more than 75% of respondents see strategic value in the technology, while only 10.8% of the businesses using it say their payment and payout experiences are fully integrated. More than half report only basic or limited integration.
The IDC InfoBrief, titled Embedded Payments: Strategic Promise Meets Operational Reality, surveyed 200 senior decision-makers at UK mid-market and enterprise organisations. Of those, 120 use embedded payment and payout capabilities and 80 provide or embed them in products or platforms offered to other businesses or users. The research was sponsored by Edenred Payment Solutions and dated August 2026.
Respondents pointed to three shortfalls. Some 67% cited data transparency and payment status updates, 56% cited the speed at which funds become available, and 58.5% said they run four or more systems across payment processing, reconciliation and reporting. Only 40.5% said they have a mostly or very transparent view of their payment data.
Rehana Mitha, Managing Director at Edenred Payment Solutions, said the strategic value is widely recognised but a gap remains between that potential and today's experience. For software and financial services companies, she said: “By addressing these operational challenges and making payments easier to manage, they can deliver greater value to their customers and differentiate through the payment experience they provide.”
Managing payments across several systems can make reconciliation harder and limit visibility of payment data, the research notes. Edenred Payment Solutions is a fintech payment provider and regulated Electronic Money Institution operating across the UK and Europe, and the full report is available from the company.
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