JAGGAER adds Conferma virtual cards in Europe rollout

JAGGAER has added Conferma's virtual card technology to its procurement platform, extending JAGGAER Pay's virtual card offering into Europe.

The integration allows businesses to generate virtual cards within the JAGGAER system when a purchase order is approved. Suppliers can then be paid at the point of order rather than through a separate invoice cycle. Companies can also issue cards to employees for purchases and travel through the same setup.

This links purchasing, payment and reconciliation in a single workflow. Payment data remains tied to the original purchase order, removing a handover between procurement and finance systems that often slows settlement and adds manual work.

Late payment remains a persistent issue for suppliers across Europe. According to the EU Payment Observatory, more than half of companies have faced problems caused by late payments, while average business-to-business payment periods extend beyond 60 days.

For procurement teams, the pressure is often greatest in long-tail spend: large volumes of lower-value purchases that still require approval, payment and reconciliation. These transactions can create a heavy administrative burden because they are numerous but do not always justify lengthy invoice handling.

Purchase order-linked virtual cards are intended to reduce that friction by shifting payment earlier in the process. Instead of waiting for an invoice after an order is placed, a buyer can trigger payment once the purchase order is approved.

The arrangement uses existing corporate card programmes. Conferma says its network connects businesses and payment partners with more than 100 card issuers, allowing customers to keep current banking relationships rather than adopt a separate card structure.

Procurement gap

The launch reflects a broader push by software providers to bring financial services into operational systems already used by corporate teams. In procurement, companies have long relied on separate tools for sourcing, order management, invoicing and payment, leaving finance and purchasing departments to work across disconnected processes.

JAGGAER, which provides source-to-pay software for organisations managing procurement and supplier relationships, has been building out JAGGAER Pay as part of its wider platform. The latest addition focuses on purchase order payments, a segment where virtual cards can serve as a direct settlement method.

"When procurement teams highlighted the need to close a critical gap in the procure-to-pay process, JAGGAER listened," said Alastair McMullan, Vice President of Product Management at JAGGAER.

"By enabling virtual card payments at the point of order, organisations gain greater control and efficiency across purchasing and payments, while continuing to leverage their existing banking relationships," McMullan said.

Conferma, based in Manchester, has built its business around virtual payments technology used by banks, travel management companies and large organisations. In the partnership, it provides the card issuance and connectivity layer behind the payment process.

It says supplier payments remain one of the more cumbersome parts of the wider procure-to-pay cycle, even as procurement software has become more automated in other areas.

"Supplier payments are one of the last major friction points in the procure-to-pay process," said Mark Ledsham, Chief Executive Officer of Conferma.

"By embedding virtual cards directly into approved purchase orders, we're enabling organizations to pay suppliers faster, with greater visibility and control. Our partnership with JAGGAER reflects a broader shift toward embedded, supplier-centric payments that truly connect procurement and finance," Ledsham said.

Operational focus

The main use case is high-volume, lower-value and time-sensitive purchasing, where manual invoice processing can be disproportionate to the size of the transaction. By connecting the purchase order to the card payment, finance teams can also match transaction data more directly during reconciliation.

JAGGAER says the system is available globally. The European rollout is notable because it is the first time the company has introduced this element of JAGGAER Pay outside North America.

The wider appeal for customers lies not only in faster payment but also in tighter spend control. Virtual cards can be created for a specific supplier or transaction, helping companies set clearer limits on how a card is used while maintaining a record linked to the original order.

Businesses may also be able to shift more eligible spending onto corporate card programmes, affecting working capital and card rebate arrangements. While the financial benefit will vary by customer and issuer terms, the integration points to a growing effort by procurement platforms to capture more of the payment process rather than stop at approval and ordering.