Bottomline and American Express Partner to Expand B2B Payment Connectivity Through Paymode

Strategic partnership brings Paymode’s secure vendor network and Premium ACH capabilities to American Express Buyer Initiated Payments customers

• Bottomline and American Express are partnering to integrate Paymode into American Express Buyer Initiated Payments (BIP) through a new feature called BIP Connect.

• BIP Connect gives eligible American Express customers access to Premium ACH vendors on Paymode, improving connectivity and digital payment adoption.

• New Amex Trendex research from American Express highlights buyer-supplier relationships are strained, and payment errors persist as a result of invoice inefficiencies.

Bottomline, a global leader in business payments, announced a strategic partnership with American Express to deliver a more connected digital business payment experience. Through the partnership, Bottomline’s secure business payments network, Paymode, is now integrated into American Express Buyer Initiated Payments (BIP) through a new feature called BIP Connect, enabling eligible customers to pay Premium ACH vendors through Paymode. BIP enables buyers to initiate electronic payments to suppliers as an alternative to paper checks and ACH, leveraging American Express’ unique direct relationships with suppliers to help drive working capital flexibility on both sides of the transaction.

Payments automation may help address key gaps identified by surveyed financial decision-makers. Recent Amex Trendex research found that 67% of financial decision-makers surveyed agree that payment inefficiencies make it harder for their business to operate at its full potential. This complexity may stem from fragmented vendor networks that limit visibility and control, as well as from manual processes. Bottomline and American Express are helping to address these challenges by connecting eligible BIP customers with a broad network of authenticated, verified vendors across key industries, including manufacturing, healthcare, commercial real estate, and higher education.

The offering may help address the challenges faced by many financial decision-makers surveyed. For example, 90% of financial decision-makers surveyed report their business experienced payment errors in the last 12 months, and 65% say inefficiencies in their invoice and payment experiences make it more challenging to maintain strong buyer-supplier relationships. Through the secure Paymode network, businesses gain access to participating vendors that are enrolled, authenticated, and accept digital payments, helping create more predictable and seamless payment interactions between payers and vendors.

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Expanding and Modernizing B2B Payments
Eligible businesses can initiate payments to vendors using their existing American Express BIP account, while vendors receive funds via Premium ACH through Paymode. This supports the continued shift to digital payments, helps improve working capital flexibility for buyers, and gives vendors a more predictable, data-informed payment experience.

“Partnering with American Express is an important step forward in helping businesses modernize how they manage payments,” said Craig Saks, CEO, Bottomline. “By integrating Paymode into BIP, we’re giving buyers access to greater control, enhanced security, and a simpler way to manage payables and receivables, while making it easier for vendors to reconcile payments and maintain visibility into their cash flow.”

The integration provides eligible American Express BIP customers with secure, authenticated payments backed by Paymode’s multi-layer fraud controls, a consistent user experience, and seamless access to Paymode’s vendor network.

“Businesses continue to look for new ways to modernize supplier payments without adding complexity,” said Widad Chaoui, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Corporate and B2B Products, American Express. “Our partnership with Bottomline allows BIP customers to get expanded access to Bottomline’s extensive network of B2B suppliers, while also providing working capital flexibility and control.”