Stay informed with the latest accounting tech news and fintech news in this episode of Digi-Tools in Accrual World - this episode sponsored by Advancetrack.

Indi Tatla and John Toon are joined by Robbie from Forvis Mazars to discuss the rapid shift in the UK software landscape as MTD for ITSA approaches.

The team breaks down the recent QuickBooks update for sole traders and the strategic move by Sage and Barclays to provide an integrated banking and accounting experience. We also look at the rise of AI assistants within banking apps like Starling and how Dext is using AI to codify firm-level judgment for better automation.

A major highlight of this episode is the news from Briefcase regarding their AI-native MTD platform, Briefcase One, which aims to handle complex areas like fixed assets and depreciation. We also discuss Revolut finally securing its UK banking license and what their expansion means for the SME market. Finally, we look at recent data regarding AI adoption in accounting firms and whether security concerns are still acting as a blocker for core workflows.

00:00 Introduction to Digi-Tools in Accrual World 03:02 QuickBooks and the New Sole Trader Experience 05:46 Barclays and Sage announce strategic partnership 07:09 Starling launches integrated accounting and MTD tool 09:42 Dext launches AI Assist tool to enhance supplier rule automation 13:27 Briefcase's Disruptive Innovations in Pre-Accounting 21:25 Revolut's Banking License and Market Expansion 26:15 Digits expands payroll connectivity 27:14 AI in Accounting: Current State and Future Prospects 31:11 Outro

This episode is sponsored by Advancetrack.

Advancetrack provides modern accounting and tax outsourcing solutions, helping practices access top-tier talent and robust security measures to scale their business and focus on client relationships.

Visit their website: https://www.advancetrack.com/

In this episode of Digi-Tools in Accrual World, Ryan Pearcy is joined by Eriona Bajrakurtaj and Kevin Fitzgerald to break down the most significant developments in accounting tech news and fintech news. The team explores how major platforms are moving beyond simple automation to embed artificial intelligence directly into the core of the accounting workflow.

The conversation covers the recent Intuit Get Connected event, where the global platform announced a massive shift toward AI-driven compliance. We examine what the partnership with Anthropic means for the rollout of custom AI agents and how the new business tax beta aims to proactively identify tax savings. The panel also reviews the latest product roadmap from FreeAgent and how they are positioning themselves to compete with larger players through rapid development and MTD readiness.

Beyond the software updates, we look at the broader economic landscape affecting the profession. Drawing on the latest data from Xero and Employment Hero, we discuss the 8.8 per cent rise in SME wages, persistent late payment challenges, and why the era of the Frankenstack—disjointed software collections—is rapidly coming to an end in favour of unified systems.

We also highlight new innovations in compliance and portfolio management, including the MTD Command Centre from Bots for That, the integration between FYI and AMLCC, and Starling Bank's expansion into integrated tax software.

• 00:00 Intro and Welcome

• 02:40 Employment Hero

• 03:21 Intuit scales up AI capabilities as MTD deadline approaches

• 07:38 Intuit partners with Anthropic to bring custom AI agents

• 11:33 Intuit launches business tax AI beta to simplify filings

• 14:06 FreeAgent product spotlight 2026

• 18:37 Latest Xero data reveals small businesses are still facing persistent late payment challenges

• 21:18 Latest Xero data reveals small businesses are still facing persistent late payment challenges

• 23:33 UK SME wages rise by 8.8 per cent sparking concerns over potential price increases

• 27:28 Innovations in Fintech and Compliance Tools

• 27:37 Bots for That unveils a new MTD control centre for centralised client portfolio management

• 29:51 FYI and AMLCC integrate to automate anti-money laundering compliance for accountancy firms

• 31:09 Starling Bank expands business features with integrated HMRC-recognised software for digital tax

• 33:08 Xenon Connect releases a process tool to replace manual checklists for compliance reviews

• 35:19 Outro

This episode is sponsored by Employment Hero. Visit their website: https://employmenthero.co.uk

This week on Digi-Tools in Accrual World, Indi Tatla and John Toon are joined by new co-host Billie Mcloughlin for a packed episode of accounting tech news and fintech news covering some of the biggest raises, most practical product updates, and one very contentious claim from Microsoft's AI chief.

The show kicks off with Allica Bank's $155 million Series D raise, which pushes the UK-focused business bank to a $1.2 billion valuation and into unicorn territory. The hosts unpack what the funding means for expansion into Northern Europe and whether an IPO or acquisition is the more likely exit.

From there, the team covers Stacks, which has raised $23 million to push further into financial close automation and has launched an AI Flux Analysis tool to identify transaction variances, before moving on to Basis, an AI agent platform that has hit a $1.15 billion valuation after raising $100 million to build long-horizon agentic workflows across tax, audit and advisory functions inside accounting firms.

On the more practical side, John runs through a substantial update from Active Workpapers, including the launch of Group Overview for managing portfolios of connected clients and a new integration with FreeAgent. Billie covers Xama AML's new client portal, which simplifies ID verification and multi-director onboarding, reducing the back-and-forth that has long made AML compliance a drag on practice time.

John also looks at Briefcase's new accruals automation tool, which detects recurring expenses and suggests journal postings at month-end before automatically reversing them when the invoice arrives. The hosts discuss how Briefcase's iterative, practice-led approach to development has helped them release features that genuinely land.

The episode also touches on the Crezco and iplicit partnership, which brings embedded payment functionality into iplicit's mid-market platform under the name iplicit Pay, and on Dytto, a new AI startup promising to free accountants from manual tasks, which receives a sceptical reception from all three hosts.

The episode closes with a proper debate on the Microsoft AI chief Mustafa Suleyman's claim that accountants could be fully automated within two years. Billie, John and Indi push back on the timeline, drawing on adoption curves from cloud accounting and e-commerce, and make the case that professional judgment, regulatory accountability and client trust will slow the transition considerably.

This episode is brought to you by Xledger, the mid-market accounting platform.

Find out more at: https://www.xledger.com