5 orchestration capabilities that push approval rates past 97%

Key Takeaways

• Companies deploying all five core orchestration capabilities are 3x more likely to achieve approval rates above 97%
• Only 7% of surveyed firms currently maintain full control over their payment tokens
• Partial orchestration adoption adds complexity without proportional performance gains

A new PYMNTS Intelligence study done with Spreedly identifies five payments orchestration capabilities that separate high performers from the rest: automated routing, frequent routing updates, failover, token control, and fast payment rail integration. Companies that deploy all five are three times more likely to hit approval rates above 97%, and roughly 11 times more likely to report transaction completion gains exceeding 2%.

The finding reframes a debate that's largely settled. Most merchants already connect to multiple processors and acquiring partners. The question isn't whether to orchestrate. It's why so many companies that bought orchestration technology still face failed transactions, outages, and expensive integration cycles.

The answer, according to the research: buying orchestration is not the same as building operational flexibility.

Why does the full stack matter so much?

Partial deployment produces disappointing results. Companies with three or four of the five capabilities perform closer to organizations with one or two than to those running the complete stack. The data suggests incremental upgrades add complexity without proportional improvements in approvals or completed transactions.

That's a sharp contrast. Only 47% of companies currently achieve transaction approval rates above 97% in a typical month. The gap between partial and full adoption is larger than many expected.

Routing as a continuous process, not a static rule

Many organizations still make routing decisions manually, even after investing in orchestration technology. That leaves revenue exposed whenever issuer performance shifts or network conditions degrade. Top performers treat routing as a continuous operational process. Automated decisions and frequent updates let payment traffic adapt in real time instead of following rules written months earlier.

Static routing is the equivalent of setting your thermostat once a year. It works until conditions change.

Token ownership: the vendor lock-in problem

One of the study's most revealing findings concerns payment credentials. Only 7% of surveyed firms maintain full control over their payment tokens. That arrangement works fine until a business wants to replace a processor, negotiate pricing, or expand into a new payment relationship. Then implementation costs, data migration, and testing become significant projects.

“The biggest gaps are operational, with token ownership, onboarding speed and payment rail integration still slowing change.”

— PYMNTS Intelligence Report, June 2026

Token ownership affects more than security. It determines how quickly a business can switch partners without rebuilding large portions of its payments infrastructure. Discussion on r/fintech and Hacker News echoes this point, with engineers calling token portability the industry's "holy grail" while noting that implementation complexity remains a barrier for mid-sized merchants lacking dedicated infrastructure teams.

Adding new payment rails still takes months

Payments technology promises agility. Reality often delivers months of engineering work before adding a new payment rail or provider. That operational drag explains why businesses consolidate providers instead of expanding choice. When the cost of change outweighs the potential benefit, flexibility stays theoretical.

An orchestration platform may technically support multiple connections. But if onboarding takes months rather than days, competitive flexibility remains limited.

Where FinTechs can win

The data points to a clear opportunity for infrastructure providers. Enterprises don't need another gateway or processor connection. They need faster onboarding, portable payment credentials, simpler rail integration, and tools that let routing strategies change without lengthy engineering projects.

For FinTechs, solving the token ownership problem may prove more valuable than offering another payment connection. The bottleneck isn't connectivity. It's operational speed.

Payments orchestration has matured beyond the question of how many processors you can reach. Advantages now accrue to businesses that adapt quickly when networks fail, economics shift, or customer preferences change.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is payments orchestration?

Payments orchestration is the layer that connects merchants to multiple payment processors, gateways, and acquiring partners through a single integration. It enables automated routing, failover, and centralized management of payment credentials.

Why does token ownership matter for payment approval rates?

Token ownership determines whether a business can switch processors without costly data migration. Companies that control their tokens can negotiate pricing and add new payment partners faster, reducing friction that leads to failed transactions.

What approval rate should businesses target?

The PYMNTS study uses 97% as the benchmark for high performance. Currently, 47% of companies achieve this rate in a typical month. Firms with full orchestration capabilities are three times more likely to exceed it.

How long does it take to add a new payment rail?

For many companies, adding a new payment rail still requires months of engineering work. The study identifies onboarding speed as one of the key operational bottlenecks limiting competitive flexibility.

Does partial orchestration adoption help?

According to the research, companies with three or four of the five key capabilities perform closer to those with one or two than to those with a full stack. Partial adoption adds complexity without proportional performance gains.

Source: PYMNTS | / PYMNTS