85% of CFOs Say Automation Cuts Payments Friction

Security controls are designed to stop bad payments, but new data suggested the strongest systems may be the ones customers barely notice. The PYMNTS Intelligence report “ When Controls Slow Commerce: The Data Behind Middle-Market Payment Friction ,” the latest installment of the 2026 Certainty Project , found that many firms still struggle to protect transactions without delaying them. The report was based on a survey of 60 chief financial officers at companies in the United States with annual