We are excited to announce our partnership with Alibaba on “Pay Later for Business,” an embedded financing solution enabling U.S. business buyers to conveniently manage payments and cash flow directly at checkout.

Eligible U.S. business customers can defer payments for up to 90 days after placing their order, giving them more control over their cash flow when making large purchases directly inside Alibaba.com. With this embedded credit line, eligible buyers can access the working capital they need, right when they place their order.

 Learn more about Pay Later for Business

TL;DR: What’s new and why it matters

• Embedded financing at checkout: Eligible U.S. business buyers on Alibaba.com can now choose Pay Later for Business with flexible 60- or 90-day terms after ordering.
• Bigger orders, smoother cash flow: Eligible buyers can unlock working capital right when they need it, enabling larger purchase orders, fewer stock-outs, and stronger supplier relationships.
• Powered by Slope’s AI underwriting: Real-time credit decisions based on live transaction and financial data ensure fast approvals and broader access to capital, all fully embedded in the buyer’s workflow.

Why Flexibility Matters for Buyers in 2025

In B2B commerce, timing and access to capital can make or break a deal—and in 2025, tariffs didn’t just raise costs; they shattered predictability. Forecasting cycles imploded, POs got stuck in customs, and lead times ballooned. The old playbook of planning months ahead stopped working.

What Changed in 2025

• A 10% reciprocal baseline tariff now applies to most U.S. imports, with country-specific adjustments updated by executive orders (source).
• The U.S. suspended duty-free de minimis treatment for low-value shipments from China and Hong Kong (effective May 2, 2025, source).
• A volatile U.S.–China tariff environment with temporary suspensions, shifting timelines, and retaliatory rate spikes as high as 125% has fueled uncertainty for cross-border buyers.

Supply chains that took years to build are being rewritten in real time. In this environment, planning isn’t the hard part—committing is. Forecasting is brittle, while flexibility is resilient. That’s the advantage Pay Later for Business on Alibaba.com delivers: room to move when the plan breaks.

How It Plays Out in the Real World

Resellers stocking for seasonal windows
Tariff whiplash and supplier surcharges can kill timing. With 60-90 days after shipment to pay, resellers can place bigger orders when the opportunity is hot, without draining working capital upfront or missing a promo window.

D2C brands bridging uncertain cycles
Production is long; tariffs make it unpredictable. For consumer brands that wait 8–12 weeks between placing an order and receiving goods, cash can get tied up in transit. Pay Later for Business frees up that cash to keep fueling ad spend, payroll, and operations until the shipment arrives.

Distributors protecting contracts under pressure
Parts and equipment distributors live under SLA timelines. Embedded terms let them order ahead during volatile tariff windows, protecting delivery commitments and customer relationships even when policy shifts mid-cycle.

The Bigger Picture

Right now, short-term, flexible capital beats long-term debt. You don’t need to know exactly how the next 90 days will unfold, but you need to be ready when they do.

The real cost of uncertainty isn’t just higher prices. It’s missing the moment because your capital couldn’t keep up. Pay Later for Business gives operators the ability to move when opportunity appears, and the breathing room to absorb shocks when supply chains shift overnight.

What’s Live on Alibaba.com

With Pay Later for Business, financing is now built directly into the Alibaba.com checkout flow. Here’s what buyers can expect:

• Embedded at checkout: The financing option lives exactly where buyers already complete their orders.
• Flexible terms: 60 or 90 days after ordering: Buyers keep cash on hand while goods are in transit.
• Eligibility: U.S. business buyers: Qualified buyers can apply quickly and receive a decision in as little as minutes.
• Fast, in-flow approvals: Slope’s real-time AI underwriting evaluates live transaction and financial data to deliver quick decisions that expand access to capital.
• Ongoing credit access: Buyers who repay on time can continue using Pay Later as a flexible working capital tool for future orders.

How It Works

Using Pay Later for Business on Alibaba.com is simple and embedded directly into the checkout flow:

1. Shop as usual. Add items to your cart on Alibaba.com and proceed to checkout.
2. Select “Pay Later for Business.” At payment, choose the Pay Later option.
3. Apply once. Qualified U.S. business buyers can submit a quick application and receive a  decision in as little as minutes, powered by Slope’s AI underwriting.
4. Choose flexible terms. Eligible buyers select either 60 or 90 days after ordering to repay.
5. Receive your goods, manage cash flow. While goods are in transit, your working capital stays available for payroll, ads, and operations. Payments are managed through a simple, integrated dashboard.

Why Slope

Behind every smooth checkout experience is infrastructure that makes it possible. What sets Slope apart:

• Cash-flow intelligence, not blunt scores. Our underwriting technology analyzes live transaction and financial data, so decisions reflect the real health of a business, not just a static credit score.
• Fast decisions with real safeguards. Buyers get approvals in as little as minutes, while platforms gain confidence from built-in fraud checks, KYB/KYC, and ongoing monitoring.
• Infrastructure built for platforms. APIs and reliability standards that scale with the peaks of global commerce, so Pay Later works as seamlessly for 10,000 orders as it does for one.

Beyond This Launch

This launch with Alibaba.com is more than a single product update — it’s a signal of what’s next. By embedding financing directly where businesses already operate, Slope is proving how intelligent credit infrastructure can unlock growth at global scale.

Alibaba.com marks the first of several major merchant partnerships we’ll be announcing in the months ahead. As Slope expands, our mission remains the same: to power embedded financial services that help platforms deliver sophisticated, seamless tools to every business buyer they serve.

Get started with Pay Later for Business

‍Eligible U.S. buyers can apply directly at checkout on Alibaba.com and choose flexible 60- or 90-day payment terms after shipment.

Read the full press release

‍‍Disclosure: Slope is a financial technology company, not a bank. The Pay Later for Business program on Alibaba.com is powered by Slope’s real-time AI underwriting technology and Balance, another fintech provider. Credit products powered by Slope are originated by Lead Bank, Member FDIC.