How embedded BNPL optimizes cash flow for SMBs: Inside the Intuit-Affirm partnership - Tearsheet

"Intuit has been transforming itself from a bookkeeping and tax software company into a full-spectrum financial operating system for small and midsize businesses (SMBs). Through strategic acquisitions like GoCo, which adds HR and compliance capabilities, and Deserve, which brings mobile-first credit card infrastructure, Intuit has expanded its platform beyond ledgers and payroll into a broader ecosystem."

"By embedding Affirm's pay-over-time directly into QuickBooks invoices, the companies are transforming the accounting software into a decision layer, enabling financial actions directly within the workflow. Affirm allows QuickBooks customers to split an invoice into installments while the business gets paid upfront."

"The fintech solutions we've embedded in QuickBooks are a key part of this strategy, and adding Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) capabilities through our partnership with Affirm is a natural progression of the work we've done to provide businesses with a solution that allows them to view, manage, and take action on their finances in one central place."

Fintech competition has shifted from product quality to controlling decision-making moments within financial workflows. Intuit exemplifies this transformation by evolving from bookkeeping software into a comprehensive financial operating system for small and midsize businesses. Through acquisitions like GoCo and Deserve, Intuit expanded beyond traditional accounting into HR, compliance, and credit services. The Affirm partnership represents the culmination of this strategy, embedding buy-now-pay-later capabilities directly into QuickBooks invoices. This integration transforms QuickBooks into a decision layer where financial actions occur within existing workflows, creating a sticky, end-to-end platform that businesses rely on for comprehensive financial management.

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