Tomorrow’s Transactions: 3 Payment Trends Software Companies Should Prepare For

Phillip Goericke, NMI‘s Chief Technology Officer of Engineering, outlines three payment trends shaping how software companies manage transactions. This article originally appeared in Insight Jam, an enterprise IT community that enables human conversation on AI.

When it comes to payments, we’re already living in the future. Not long ago, tapping a card felt cutting-edge—now we’re paying with smart watches, Face ID, or even our eyeballs. These are just a few examples of how quickly consumer payment behavior is changing. A whole wave of smart tech is transforming how businesses approach payments, and SaaS companies are at the forefront. They’re essential to building a future where payments are invisible, fast, secure, and frictionless.

However, to play this role effectively, SaaS companies must stay ahead of emerging payment trends that will reshape how products are built, delivered, and monetized.

One-Click Embedded Payments Are Here

This year, the payment industry will witness the rise of one-click embedded ecosystems. Payment platforms are evolving beyond standalone enablers and transforming into all-in-one environments where onboarding, integration, and scaling payments are simplified through a single interface.

Imagine clicking a button and instantly integrating your application with a payment system where no dev team is required. With AI making it exponentially faster to write and deploy code, the barrier to embedding payments into SaaS platforms has drastically lowered. Tools now exist that can generate production-ready payment code in minutes. A GitHub study even found that developers who used their generative AI tool coded up to 55 percent faster than those who didn’t.

Companies that optimize for AI-friendly integrations are already seeing speed and efficiency gains. But while AI reduces friction, it also demands caution. Faster development does not mean careless deployment. SaaS companies should still proceed cautiously and strike a meticulous balance between speed and security as they implement embedded payments. This will help companies avoid overlooking security risks and reap the rewards of embedded payments instead.

Decentralized Finance (DeFi) Moves Into The Mainstream

DeFi is moving from the fringes into the financial mainstream. Backed by growing government interest and investment, blockchain-based finance will become a serious alternative to legacy banking systems.

Traditionally, SaaS companies have relied on banks and payment processors for global transactions, often dealing with long certification times and outdated platforms. As AI accelerates product development, these older systems become the bottleneck. Here is where DeFi, blockchain-powered payment rails, and smart contracts can bypass the red tape. In a world where agility is key, SaaS companies will increasingly look to DeFi solutions to build cross-border capabilities and unlock new service models, particularly if regulatory environments become more favorable under this administration.

Increased Use of Micro-Payments and Nano-Transactions

The boldest transformation from mainstream DeFi is the rise of micro-payments and nano-transactions. Blockchain’s improved efficiency and scalability make it feasible to charge a few cents or less for individual interactions. This applies to pay-per-use software features, bite-sized subscription models, or real-time royalty payments for digital creators. These models were once impossible due to processing fees and inefficiencies, but that’s rapidly changing.

For example, a project management SaaS could let users pay a few cents to instantly generate a Gantt chart, generate and export a polished client report, or unlock an AI task estimator. These features provide real value but don’t require a full subscription plan, making them perfect candidates for micro-payment monetization.

Regulatory support will play a key role here. If policies become more favorable, particularly for cross-border transactions, SaaS companies could finally capitalize on usage-based pricing and unlock entirely new revenue streams.

Preparing for What’s Next in Payments

To stay ahead of the competition in this rapidly evolving landscape, SaaS companies need to strategically leverage AI now. If they’re not integrating AI into their payment infrastructure, they are falling behind, and automation will soon be table stakes. Additionally, companies should spend time anticipating what the next bottleneck will be for them. Identifying and removing one bottleneck can often reveal what the next will be. Companies must also stay close to their customers since expectations will evolve as the supply of new payment trends and features emerges. Agile feedback loops and customer obsession will be key to staying relevant.

SaaS companies who act now–by integrating AI, exploring blockchain rails, and preparing for micro-monetization–will be ready to own tomorrow’s transactions before the future becomes the new normal.