As B2B marketplaces rocket, do banks risk disintermediation?

A new white paper from global banking infrastructure innovators RS2 traces the rapid global rise of B2B marketplaces – and what it means for banks.

Originating in the dynamic, digital-first markets of Asia, B2B marketplaces have experienced rocketing growth across Asia and Latin America, followed by the Middle East and Africa – RS2’s new white paper says Europe and North America will be next.

A Global Phenomenon Coming to the West

FXC Intelligence project that just under half (49%) of all global B2B turnover will be conducted through online marketplaces by the end of this decade.[1]

For context, current predictions are that B2B e-commerce will reach $31 billion by 2031[2] – meaning that B2B marketplaces can expect to see more than $16 billion of business transacted every year from 2030 onwards, with future growth projected at around 19% per year out to 2035.

As multi-function banking and finance apps continue to evolve in North America and Europe, RS2’s new white paper predicts this will fuel growth for B2B platforms, driven by a preference for local, real-time payment rails.

Will Banks be Cut Out?

While there are huge opportunities within B2B marketplaces, RS2 say banks should recognize the disintermediation risk as B2B marketplaces become the central layer between buyer and seller, marginalizing traditional banking relationships.

The rise of B2B marketplaces – and what it means for banks, recommends that banks should expect much higher transaction volumes through B2B marketplaces compared to individual merchants – although merchants will want to retain individual acquiring relationships.

It’s probable that these higher volumes will be composed of multiple payment methods via a wide range of currencies and geographies.

In this context, optimizing transactions for lowest cost and highest efficiency will be key – especially as expectations of instant transaction and settlement grow.

The white paper also considers the implications from a banking systems perspective.

B2B marketplaces themselves will be looking for simple, cloud-native API integrations based on the emerging ISO20022 standard, plus the ability to harvest and interpret transaction data in real time, whether that’s for fraud management, managing inventory or interpreting purchasing trends to help marketplaces drive new products and services.

Harvesting rich data from transactions can help marketplaces – and their client businesses – to forecast cash flows, optimize foreign exchange rates, and determine credit scores for client businesses based on their sales figures.

For more on the rise of B2B marketplaces and what it means for banks, download the new white paper from RS2 now

[1] FXC Intelligence, 19 June 2025: “How Big Is The B2B Cross-Border Market?”  

[2] Straits Research, 28 August 2024, “The B2B e-commerce market: market sizing”