How Faster Cross-Border Settlement Changes an SME's Cash Flow: Mastercard
By Ali Paterson · 7 October 2026
Quick Summary
Pratik Khowala, Executive Vice President, Global Head of Transfer Solutions at Mastercard, explains what faster cross-border settlement really changes for an SME: freed-up liquidity, goods that can start moving sooner, and a virtuous cycle that lets a small business manage its supply chain, sell more and grow volume faster.
What does faster settlement free up for an SME?
If a cross-border payment takes four or five days, Khowala says that money is trapped liquidity, and SMEs are "always running short of cash." It is not about the cost of that liquidity, he stresses, but access to it: SMEs cannot get a credit line as easily as a large corporate can, so every dollar stuck mid-transfer matters far more to them.
How does that ripple through an SME's business?
When money moves faster, goods can start moving faster too. Khowala describes it as a virtuous cycle: freed-up liquidity lets an SME manage its supply chain better, sell more, order more, and increase both the velocity and the volume of its business.
FF NEWS TAKE:
It is easy to treat settlement speed as a convenience metric; Khowala's answer makes the case it is closer to a growth lever. For a business without easy access to credit, every day shaved off settlement is working capital returned, which compounds into faster restocking, faster sales, and faster growth, exactly the argument SME-focused providers will want to lead with.