The next 12-24 months will be a defining moment for Partner Dematerialization Platforms (PDPs). As the backbone of France’s upcoming e-invoicing infrastructure, PDPs aren’t just ticking a compliance box—they’re shaping the future of B2B payments. And the businesses that move first will win big. 

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This is a unique opportunity to evolve from a compliance provider into an essential financial partner. PDPs that go beyond invoice processing and offer embedded lending will unlock new revenue streams, strengthen customer loyalty, and stand out in an increasingly competitive market.

Two shifts in payments and finance happening at once

We’re about to see a major modernization and digitalization of the French B2B landscape. PDPs need to take every available opportunity to differentiate themselves and their services. 

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Right now, two unstoppable trends are converging:

1. E-invoicing is (nearly) here

The French government’s e-invoicing mandate is rolling out. By September 2026 (for large and mid-sized businesses) and September 2027 (for all others), every business will need a PDP. This isn’t optional.

That means millions of companies will be picking their PDPs, and those PDPs need a way to stand out. Compliance is table stakes—true differentiation comes from added value.

2. Embedded lending is taking hold

The way businesses access credit is changing. 70% of banks now see embedded finance as core to their digital strategy.

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Embedded lending—offering financing seamlessly at the moment of need—outperforms traditional lending models because convenience is king. It integrates financing directly with a transaction, making access to capital frictionless and effortless. Borrowers don’t have to seek out loans, and small business loans become faster and more dynamic. 

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We’ve seen BNPL transform consumer finance, and now the same is happening for SMBs. PDPs have the perfect vantage point: they sit at the heart of invoicing and payments, giving them the data and infrastructure to make lending seamless.

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And lending is easy to integrate into PDP SaaS platforms. All of the classic hurdles in offering lending—compliance, risk analysis, KYC—are now easily outsourced or automated altogether. 

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The result? More liquidity for businesses, faster payments for suppliers, and a new revenue stream for PDPs. It’s a win-win-win.

The massive commercial opportunity for PDPs 

Adding embedded B2B lending services to a PDP can be a powerful differentiator and revenue driver. Here’s the impact our embedded lending partners are seeing: 

1. Increased customer retention & loyalty

Offering financing options directly within the platform creates a seamless buying experience, reducing friction and enhancing convenience. Customers are more likely to return to the platform that helps them access credit to grow their business or complete a transaction.

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Suppliers also benefit—they complete more sales—reinforcing their commitment to the platform.

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Seamless financing within the PDP platform removes obstacles and ensures businesses stay engaged. With quick access to credit, SMBs can maintain cash flow and scale faster—ensuring they remain on your platform rather than seeking alternative solutions. 

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When buyers depend on a PDP for both invoicing and financing, they get a more complete service and are far less likely to go elsewhere.

2. Higher revenues & transaction volumes

Customer cash constraints slow business growth. If your clients can’t spend—or if their amounts are capped during slow periods—you lose out as their PDP.

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Embedded lending enables larger transactions, quicker payments, and higher invoice volumes. PDPs benefit from increased usage, transaction fees, and lending commissions—all without taking on risk. 

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As licensed lenders like Defacto handle compliance, underwriting, and risk—you just need to integrate and monetize.

3. Better “stickiness” within your products

The best SaaS platforms help users solve a range of common problems in one place. The wider that range, the less likely users are to look for additional services elsewhere. 

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By embedding lending into existing financial services—spend management, insurance, accounting, or ERP—you expand your role in customers' daily operations, increasing engagement and reducing churn.

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Lending has not traditionally been part of this mix. SMBs have been forced to use third-party factoring services or small business banks for financing. 

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But they’d rather stick with the platforms they already know and trust. And embedded lending makes this possible and relatively low effort.

4. Solidified market leadership 

For now, most PDPs will focus solely on compliance and invoice management. But as embedded lending becomes easier to implement, that is likely to change. Integrating lending into the PDP experience adds a further string to your bow. 

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Early adopters of embedded lending will gain a significant competitive edge. Not only will you have a more comprehensive feature set, you’ll be deeply entrenched into customers’ financial workflows. You quickly become an indispensable tool for small businesses, while others are mere “nice to haves.” 

Why PDPs are uniquely positioned to be the next B2B financial hubs

The smartest PDPs recognize that they are not just software providers—they’re financial enablers. They began life as an invoice automation or accounts payable system, but have quickly evolved to handle legal, accounting, pricing, business intelligence, and much more.

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Top PDPs are what Alex Johnson (Fintech Takes) calls “Small Business Operating Systems” (SBOSs). And these platforms have a few incredible advantages over traditional lenders:

1. Distribution power

Acquiring lending customers is incredibly hard work. Many SMB owners aren’t actively looking for short-term financing—even if they should be. Identifying and onboarding suitable borrowers is expensive and time consuming. 

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But PDPs have direct access to thousands (potentially millions) of businesses, making them the ideal channel for embedded financial services. And as noted above, the coming e-invoicing mandate only amplifies this reach.

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Soon, every business needs to use a PDP just to do business in France, and much of wider Europe is following suit. 

2. Comfort and familiarity

Platforms like Sage, Pennylane, and Qonto are essentially command centers for the small businesses that rely on them. Users log in every day and run much of their operations from here directly—hence the term “SBOS.”

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And crucially, the more functions SMB owners can perform within the tools they already know and love, the better. Per Alex Johnson, “they are accustomed to getting everything through those systems. They have no desire to take time away from pizza making/tutoring/lawyering/car repair to go to a bank or non-bank lender and apply for a loan.”

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This built-in trust and access mean that PDPs can distribute financial products at scale with far greater efficiency than standalone lenders.

3. Data superiority

Information asymmetry is always a challenge in lending. A lender will always want as much data as possible. But collecting and assessing documents and credit histories adds time and expense for both parties. 

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And borrowers will never be able to tell the true story of their business through these documents. A tax filing or income statement just doesn’t show the rhythms and day-to-day life of a small business. 

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But PDPs have real-time access to invoicing data like payment histories, invoice amounts, and customer behavior, unlocking two key opportunities:

• For PDPs: Real-time invoicing data—including payment histories, invoice amounts, and customer behavior—enables more accurate credit assessments than traditional lenders can offer. These assessments can be more thorough yet also faster, since all the information is already in house.
  
  
• For customers: Rich data ensures PDPs know their clients better than any third-party lender could. You can help businesses make informed choices about suppliers and payments, and choose the right short-term credit for a given moment.

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Leveraging platform data allows for faster and fairer lending decisions, particularly for SMEs that often lack collateral or credit history. 

Embedded distribution is a picture-perfect fit for small business lending

Regulatory changes have often been a catalyst for innovation in financial services. The implementation of PSD2 in Europe revolutionized web banking, while France’s e-invoicing mandate is now paving the way for a more digital and interconnected financial ecosystem. 

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The market leaders will be those that go beyond compliance or invoice processing to position themselves as full financial hubs. As BCG Partner Albane de Vauplane puts it, “tomorrow’s leading PDPs won’t just process invoices—they will power real-time cash flow, financing, and business intelligence.”

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For those with this ambition, embedded lending is a unique opportunity. Credit finance is a known quagmire for small business owners—slow, inflexible, and ultimately unfair for most. But PDPs have the data, the distribution, and the trust to provide better services, faster. 

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Pennylane, for example, has already integrated instant invoice financing within its e-invoicing flow. Clients can instantly fund their payables directly from the platform, without the need for third parties. 

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The same principle works for virtually any PDP—ERPs, AP and AR tools, FinOps platforms, and even small business banks. 

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Find out how to embed lending into your PDP with our API, low-code, and no-code connections.