Welcome to the Digi-Tools in Accrual World Podcast, your essential update on UK Accounting Tech News and Fintech News!

This week, Ryan Pearcy and John Toon discuss the strategies shaking up the software world and the latest app updates you need to know about.

First, Ryan speaks with Ben Carter, Product Director for the Small Business Division at Access. Ben shares the vision behind integrating products like Unleashed, MintSoft, and Tradify. He explains their mission to deliver "value in seven minutes" and how they're using AI to revolutionise data onboarding for new trial users.

Then, it's a packed App News segment:

Sumday (Xero): An AI bot has been added to the carbon tracking platform to help analyse data and build sustainability business cases.

AI-Native Payments: Ryan questions if AI-driven automatic payment runs are a genuine innovation or just a buzzword.

Adfin Autopilot: The platform has launched an AI agent to intelligently and automatically chase customer debts.

Karbon & Spotlight: A new integration allows firms to automate the scheduling and generation of Spotlight reports directly from Karbon tasks.

Katana: The inventory tool for manufacturers has introduced a free plan, limited to 30 SKUs and 3 locations.

WorkGuru: The project management tool adds project document templates and an OCR integration with Easy Bills.

Employment Hero: The system now automates the complex calculation of leave entitlement for offboarding employees.

Cyber Attacks: John covers startling research from FreeAgent showing 6 in 10 UK small businesses were hit by a cyber attack last year.

Finally, Kevin Fitzgerald, MD of UK for Employment Hero, returns. He explains the strategic decision to pause and relaunch their bureau program , moving away from a "race to the bottom" on price to a new model focused on integrating HR and payroll services for accounting firms.

This episode is sponsored by Unleashed and Employment Hero.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Welcome to Digi-Tools in Accrual World

03:44 Unleashing Success: Inside the Small Business Division at Access

14:18 App News

14:22 Xero adds Sumday AI sustainability analysis

17:06 AI-native payments promise faster cashflow for firms

20:58 Adfin launches Autopilot automation

23:40 Karbon integrates with Spotlight for automated reporting

25:52 Katana introduces free plan for small manufacturers

27:52 WorkGuru adds templates and purchase orders

30:36 Employment Hero automates leave entitlement on offboarding

32:10 FreeAgent: Three in five small businesses hit by a cyber attack

38:00 Transforming Bureaus: Employment Hero's Approach to Payroll and HR

Subscribe to our newsletter for more news, and reach out if you're interested in attending the Digital Disruption Awards next year!

This week on the Digi-Tools in Accrual World we share the latest updates in accounting and fintech news.

We kick off with insights on the recent Digital Disruptor Awards and plans for next year’s event.

App News segment covers big names like Iris Software, Telleroo, Xero, and Monzo, with notable updates on faster payments, MTD tools, and AI-driven solutions.

We explore evolving payroll systems, the impact of AI on product development, and integrating multi-functional solutions to streamline business processes and data security.

Don’t miss our discussion on recent AWS outages and their impact on firms, plus the ongoing debate between Xero and QuickBooks users over bank reconciliation. Stay ahead in the world of accounting tech with this comprehensive and engaging episode.

Learn how to harness EVO in Unleashed pre client meetings. Join our Partner Product Webinar on the 17th November at 9pm GTM - https://hubs.la/Q03Q2dcL0

00:00 Introduction

04:44 AI's Role in Rapid Evolution: A Discussion with Ben Carter / Unleashed

App News 15:03 AWS outage slows down multiple SaaS platforms 16:48 Debate: Cloud Dependency and Resilience 20:50 Xero vs QBO: accountants debate the best bank rec tool 27:11 Sage powers Monzo’s new Making Tax Digital tool 28:44 IRIS partners with Telleroo for faster payments 30:31 Modulr's Confirmation of Payee for Batch Payments 32:14 Pleo launches embedded finance solution for SMEs 35:05 Apron's Accounts Receivable Tool 38:06 Appventory’s New Onboarding Methods 41:25 Joiin's Live Data Integration with Excel 45:27 From Fragmentation to Integration: The Evolution of Employment Tools - Employment Hero

55:06 Like and Subscribe!

Get your weekly fix of accounting tech news and fintech news with Digi-Tools in Accrual World. This week, we uncover a shocking new trend: over half of taxpayers are now using AI to prepare their tax returns, but are they ignoring the risks? We debate whether this is an opportunity or a threat for accounting professionals.

Next, we explore a critical topic for accountants: Making Tax Digital for Income Tax. Stu from FreeAgent joins us to explain their unique approach of segregating landlord and sole trader income, and how creating separate ledgers can simplify bookkeeping and boost automation for your clients.

Finally, we reveal the hidden impacts of payroll errors. With a staggering 84% of SMEs having experienced a payroll mistake, we discuss how these errors can erode employee trust and create significant compliance headaches.

Plus, don't miss our roundup of the biggest stories in the accounting tech space:

ICAEW has launched the biggest overhaul of the ACA qualification in 30 years.

TRIVER secures £114m to expand its SME invoice finance platform.

Caseware unveils 'Validate', an AI tool for last-mile audit review tasks.

Thomson Reuters acquires AI startup Additive to boost tax automation.

Episode Chapters:

00:00 Welcome to the  Digi-Tools in Accrual World Podcast! 04:06 Segregating Landlord and Sole Trader Income for MTD - FreeAgent

13:49 App News 13:55 ICAEW launches future proofed qualification 17:20 Majority of taxpayers now using AI for tax returns 20:24 TRIVER secures £114m to expand SME lending platform 23:30 Caseware unveils AI audit tool for ‘last-mile’ review tasks 24:41 Light raises $30m to grow AI-powered finance platform 27:01 Thomson Reuters acquires Additive, boosting AI tax automation

28:32 The hidden impacts of payroll errors - Employment Hero 36:57 Come and join us on the pod!