The fintech trends accelerating AP/AR evolution in 2025

Cash flow. A clear line of sight into payables and receivables. A reduction in days sales outstanding (DSO). Increased efficiencies in financial operations.

These are evergreen goals for AR teams—and with the rapid-fire evolution of advanced AI, analytics and other fintech capabilities, they’re more achievable than ever.

Here are five trends we’re seeing in technology for finance teams—and how getting ahead of them could transform your company’s business outcomes.

“Though treasurers face volatile financial markets and an increasingly unstable geopolitical landscape, there are opportunities to leverage efficiency by using technology to streamline working capital processes and enhance visibility over cash.”

Association for Financial Professionals (AFP), AFP Treasury in Practice Guide: Adding Certainty to Working Capital Management

In 2024, we saw technology developments that address accounts receivable (AR) and accounts payable (AP) pain points-and that solid foundation will serve as a building block in 2025.

You can expect upgrades to the technology stack that will allow your finance team to operate more effectively and efficiently.

In 2025, we predict that finance professionals will require:

Trend #1: AI agents that function at a higher level

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) will give way to next-generation solutions, known as AI agents, that will create more intelligent data engagement.

By design, generative AI is deterministic: If a question is posed, it scours the data at its disposal and comes back with a response. While that's efficient, it doesn't take the next step of identifying information that can make the answer stronger or better; it stops at the point of response. Next-generation technology will be more thoughtful, with the support of AI agents.

As defined by Capgemini, an AI agent is "a technology designed to function independently, plan, reflect, pursue higher-level goals, and execute complex workflows with minimal or limited direct human oversight." These tools will enhance what AI can do and create a new path to efficiencies for finance teams.

In fact, Capgemini found that 71% of organizations anticipate that AI agents will facilitate automation, and 64% think they will allow teams to focus on more value-added activities.

With this existing emphasis on the next level of AI, AR and AP teams can expect to see advanced order-to-cash (O2C) systems using AI agents to:

• Provide predictive and prescriptive analytics
• Free up staff to focus on the strategic implications of those very analytics
• Support better data security and fraud protection when deployed in internal systems

Read report → Discover how AI is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible for order-to-cash automation

Trend #2: Actionable insights from unified AR platforms

A unified AR platform will create additional transparency that gives you better control over the O2C cycle and more strategic cash application. Why is this important? In a tight economy, clear line of sight into finances is key for your operations and strategic investments.

According to the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP), finance teams should "look for opportunities to improve visibility over cash flows, positions and risk exposures" to reduce the cost of working capital. Having an AR platform that offers line of sight into the full scope of receivables will:

• Help you streamline processes
• Enable tools like machine learning, AI and optical character recognition to increase the efficiency of your AR functions
• Provide opportunities for automation

Trend #3: Real-time data interoperability

As cash flow grows in importance, DSO and other metrics will drive shifts in how information transfers in AR and AP systems.

A decade ago, overnight data refreshes sufficed, but in today's instant environment, you want details in real time. Because of this, real-time data interoperability will become an integral part of your technology stack.

Technology has advanced via application programming interfaces (APIs) and other connections to allow for real-time transparency between disparate systems. This instant data will become the new norm, and, via unified systems, individual areas of finance will communicate with one another in immediate terms.

As AFP notes, “The general shift from manual to automated data processing, not just in finance but across the organization, enables all departments to gain real-time access to more data points.”

Trend #4: Optimized data usability

Faster data availability will bring with it new demand for ways to glean insights from that valuable information. In the coming year, technology solutions will rise to that challenge, delivering detailed information in a simplified user experience. By 2026, 90% of data and analytics governance will be enabled via active, semiautonomous technologies, according to Gartner predictions.

Those shifts stem from the fact that data needs to be accessible and easily digestible to have any value. As such, usability will transform into a chief driver when you evaluate technology partners for AP/AR products.

Finance teams will be seeking solutions that can review different data tables across all applications to provide a full analysis of the current financial situation, not just a segmented answer.

By partnering with a leading technology provider, such as those listed as leaders by G2, one of the world's largest and most trusted software marketplaces, you can ensure you connect with a provider who not only offers that stronger technology solution but also creates a better user experience for your entire team.

“Accounts receivable professionals who are actively using Billtrust products are the best judges of how we help them move finance forward in their companies. That’s why we take so much pride in the continued and unparallelled validation from Billtrust customers through G2 reviews.”

Sunil Rajasekar, Billtrust CEO

Trend #5: Tools that ease regulatory compliance

The global financial regulatory environment continues to pose challenges for finance teams. For instance, across Europe and numerous countries globally, significant advancements in e-invoicing mandates are unfolding.

Complying with these and other emerging mandates takes a significant amount of focus for a staff that’s already taxed: 85% of businesses believe the size of their team affects their ability to proactively manage compliance issues. Those limitations result in compliance issues, with 64% of businesses reporting an increase in financial accounting and tax compliance violations in 2024.

Read report → Learn more about global compliance in our Global E-Invoicing Report 2024

With so much at stake, finance teams will turn to new technological solutions, including AI agents, to support them in balancing increased regulatory requirements with limited staff resources.

As you explore what’s next for your business in 2025, make sure you’re working with partners that are ready to level up their technology offerings.

The trends we’ve talked about point to what’s next for finance, so as you form your 2025 goals and key performance indicators (KPIs), be sure to identify partners who can best support you with:

• Cloud-based solutions, which allow for agility to manage changing business dynamics
• Scalability and flexibility, which enable the provider to evolve its technology in line with market best practices
• Data security, which ensures the safety of all information in various delivery channels
• Innovation, which creates new opportunities for using advanced solutions

Globally, finance teams are demanding more from their providers. According to consulting group IDC, “Vendor expectations are shifting in the [O2C] space, and users expect vendors to integrate the latest advanced technology and to help them find ways to maximize its impact.”

As technology scales, so should the solutions your partner offers. Make sure you have a partner that can provide a best-in-class product suite that allows you to meet and exceed your KPIs today and in the future.

“Finance transformation is no longer an option but a necessity for organizations seeking to thrive in today’s dynamic business environment. By embracing advanced technologies, optimizing processes, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, organizations can transform their finance functions into strategic enablers of business success.”

The Institute of Financial Operations and Leadership (IFOL), Finance Transformation Projects

What do AI’s advanced capabilities mean for you? In short, they will empower you to better understand your business, make strategic decisions, and engage customers more effectively.

Take Billtrust’s AI-powered solutions, for example:

• Finance Co-Pilot offers unparalleled, deep analysis of a customer’s data, allowing users to input queries in plain language and obtain instant insights and recommendations
• Payments Analytics supports strategic decision-making and empowers users to evangelize broader business tactics like payment acceptance and surcharging strategies—all while offering a clearer understanding of buyer behavior and trends such as timeliness, payment preferences and variability
• Cash Application Analytics enables a refined and targeted customer engagement strategy by helping users understand data on overall matching performance, match volume and payment volume at a buyer and payer level while recognizing trends at multiple levels of detail across flexible date ranges and intervals (customer, match type, job type, job name)

In 2025, your AR team can expect the evolution of these solutions and the introduction of new, complementary offerings to support your B2B order-to-cash software and digital payments needs.

“Billtrust has made significant investments to build a robust, long-term AI and analytics strategy to help its customers truly harness the enormous potential in AI, with the goal of helping users achieve positive business outcomes.”

Kevin Permenter, Senior Research Director, Enterprise Applications at IDC