Your supplier says the payment has not arrived.
At this point, the question is no longer whether the payment was sent.The question is what proof your bank can produce, what that proof actually shows, and whether the funds are still moving through the chain or already waiting at the receiving side.
When a supplier says the money has not arrived, most businesses ask the wrong first question. They ask whether the bank sent it. The real question is whether there is a usable proof document, whether the transaction can be traced, and whether the supplier or their bank can act on the reference details you provide.
What proof document you are actually asking for
Many businesses still ask for an MT103 because that is the language suppliers and banks have used for years. Today, banks may instead provide an ISO 20022 payment record or PACS.008-style proof, depending on how the payment was processed. What matters is not the label. What matters is whether the document shows the transaction reference, sender, beneficiary, amount, date, and route clearly enough to trace the payment.
What the proof does and does not prove
A proof document usually shows that the payment was instructed into the chain. It does not automatically prove that the supplier has already been credited. It can, however, give the receiving bank or supplier enough information to locate the payment, confirm whether it is still in transit, or identify whether the hold is now sitting at the beneficiary side.
What to request from your bank now
Ask for the payment proof document, the transaction reference, and any end-to-end tracking reference available. Then ask whether the bank can confirm if the payment is still in transit, under review, or already delivered into the receiving side.Do not rely on a vague “payment sent successfully” message if the supplier is still chasing.
When proof becomes an escalation
If you already have the proof and the supplier still has not been credited, the issue becomes a trace or investigation case.At that point the payment needs to be followed through the chain, not merely re-explained. A second payment is usually the wrong fix until the first one has been located properly.
The right proof document does not end the problem by itself. It gives you the evidence needed to move the argument forward.