Cyber risk tops wholesale CFOs’ concerns as automation ambitions hit roadblocks

  Posted by: electime      17th October 2025

Piero Macari, Corpay Complete’s VP of Products

Just under half (46 per cent) of wholesale CFOs have experienced a ‘significant’ cybersecurity breach in the last two years according to Corpay research

• 100 per cent  of wholesale CFOs surveyed state they’ve experienced some form of payments-related cyber incidents in the past two years.

• Cybersecurity is cited as the top operational risk by 62 per cent – the highest among all sectors surveyed (including retail and manufacturing sectors).
• Despite strong appetite for automation, organisational resistance and integration challenges remain roadblocks.

New research commissioned by global S&P500 corporate payments company, Corpay, has found that wholesale CFOs in the UK are grappling with record cyber risk, fragmented systems, and slow supplier payments as they strive to modernise operations and improve efficiency.

Every wholesale CFO surveyed (100 per cent) reported some form of payments-related cyber incident in the past 24 months – with just under half (46 per cent) saying they’d experienced a ‘significant’ breach. In addition, 62 per cent identified cybersecurity as their biggest operational risk – the highest across all sectors surveyed. Almost all (96 per cent) plan to increase cyber investment in 2025, with over half (51 per cent) planning a significant uplift.

The findings from a sample of UK-based CFOs – a third of which all work in the wholesale sector – reflect the pressures facing finance leaders today as they work to manage risk, control costs, and modernise operations in an increasingly complex and interconnected payments landscape.

The surveyed wholesale finance leaders also show a strong appetite for automation, but priorities are spread across multiple functions. Nearly half want to automate Accounts Payable (48 per cent), cross-border payments (48 per cent), and fraud prevention (50 per cent), while 56 per cent prioritise expense management. This reflects the broad friction points across supplier payments, procurement, and international transactions that are central to wholesale operations.

Yet progress is being slowed by practical barriers. Almost half of wholesale CFOs surveyed (48 per cent) cite organisational resistance as their main obstacle, while 42% point to integration challenges and 46 per cent to cyber or data privacy concerns.

The oversight gap is significant too. While 94 per cent of wholesale CFOs surveyed say real-time visibility is important, only 64 per cent feel confident that their processes deliver effective cost control and operational efficiency.

Piero Macari, Corpay Complete’s VP of Products, said: “Wholesale CFOs are operating in an environment of unprecedented risk and complexity. Cyber threats are rising, supplier networks are large and dispersed, and payment cycles are longer than in other sectors – all of which put pressure on cash flow and operational continuity. Automation and real-time visibility are essential, especially for the wholesale sector.

“By digitising Accounts Payable, cross-border payments, expense management, and fraud prevention, wholesale finance teams can process supplier payments more efficiently, reduce delays, and maintain healthy relationships with suppliers. Without full visibility, firms risk mismanaging cash flow, missing procurement opportunities, or disrupting delivery schedules. Corpay Complete gives finance teams the tools to streamline processes, close fraud gaps, and gain the oversight needed to operate confidently in a high-pressure wholesale environment.”

Launched earlier this year, Corpay Complete provides wholesale finance teams with a single, mobile first platform to manage Accounts Payable, cross-border payments, expenses, and supplier transactions. By unifying and digitising Accounts Payable processes, including domestic and international payments, as well as corporate card expenses, it enables CFOs to automate manual processes, shrink the threat surface, and gain total visibility across every transaction.