What Accountex 2025 taught us about real Finance Transformation
(Hint: It’s Not About Buzzwords — It’s About Making Tools Work Together)
At this year’s Accountex London, one word was everywhere: AI.
But for all the flashy demos and talk of automation, what we kept hearing from the people who matter; finance directors, business owners, operational leads, was they wanted something simpler:
“We just want tools that work — tools that talk to each other, give us clarity, and help us move faster.”
That’s what real finance transformation is about. Not a big bang or a shiny app, but quiet, sustainable improvements that give businesses more control, better insights, and time back.
So here’s what stood out at Accountex, and how we think businesses (and their accountants) can cut through the noise.
1. Forget “Finance Transformation” — Let’s Talk About Control
The phrase “finance transformation” sounds like it needs a roadmap, a task force, and a six-figure budget. In reality, most businesses are just looking for clarity:
- One version of the truth across finance and sales
- Real-time visibility on cash and forecasting
- Fewer logins, fewer spreadsheets, fewer workarounds
And that’s the real conversation at Accountex: How do we get better control over our operations, without increasing complexity?
This is where Zoho quietly excels.
When Zoho Books is used on its own, it’s a capable cloud accounting package. But when used within the Zoho ecosystem — integrated with CRM, inventory, and sales tools — it becomes something far more powerful: a single, connected platform that acts as your operational core.
🧩 For businesses already using Zoho CRM, moving finance onto the same platform creates true alignment — no more siloed systems.
2. Automation Shouldn’t Mean Chaos
Yes, automation is everywhere — but too often, it’s misused or misunderstood. At Accountex, we heard both enthusiasm and fatigue. People want smart automation — not generic, firehose-style triggers.
Here’s where Zoho offers a quiet advantage. Inside Zoho Books:
- Sales orders can trigger invoices, mark them as paid, and update customer records — automatically
- Workflows can be fully customised to match your process, not someone else’s template
- Automation connects with CRM, not just accounting
⚠️ But a word of caution: throwing automation at messy processes won’t fix them. You need structure first, then automation.
And here’s the clincher: Zoho’s automation works best when used as part of the suite. If you’re just using Books without the wider tools, your mileage may vary.
3. AI is (Almost) Everywhere — But It’s Not Magic
Zoho was relatively quiet on the AI front compared to others at Accountex — but behind the scenes, it’s building and evolving Zia, its own AI assistant, into finance products.
That means:
- AI-powered search to find invoices, customers, or transactions faster
- Predictive insights based on cash flow and expense trends
- Intelligent reminders and suggestions based on user behaviour
It’s promising — but it’s not the main selling point right now. The real benefit comes from having clean, well-structured data across your tools — and that’s what Zoho’s integration enables.
AI only works when your foundation is solid. Zoho’s strength isn’t just the AI — it’s the platform that powers it.
4. One Source of Truth Is the Endgame
This came up again and again: businesses are overwhelmed by apps. Every department has its favourites. Finance wants accuracy. Sales wants speed. Ops wants visibility.
The answer? One source of truth.
That’s the role Zoho is built to play — not just as accounting software, but as an operational suite. And for the right business, that’s a huge advantage:
- CRM talks to Finance
- Inventory syncs with orders
- Customer data is shared, not duplicated
✅ When set up correctly, Zoho becomes the system that keeps everyone aligned — and that’s transformational.
5. Compliance Is Getting Complicated
Compliance was a big talking point at Accountex — particularly Making Tax Digital for Income Tax Self Assessment (MTD ITSA), due April 2026.
Right now, Zoho hasn’t launched ITSA support, and that’s a concern for firms who rely on them for personal tax clients. If compliance is your main focus as a practice, this is something to watch closely.
But for businesses using Zoho Books for internal finance, the platform already handles:
- VAT returns
- Audit trails
- Multi-currency transactions
- GDPR-aligned controls
👀 Zoho’s silence on ITSA is notable — and something we’re monitoring carefully with our clients.
So, who is Zoho Books right for?
💼 Finance teams in growing businesses
That want connected data across sales and finance.
🤝 Businesses already using Zoho CRM or Zoho One
The value multiplies the moment you integrate.
⚠️ Less ideal for standalone users
If you’re only looking for accounting and not using the broader Zoho ecosystem, other tools may feel more polished.
Final Thought: It’s Not Just About What the Tool Does — It’s About What It Connects
You don’t need another dashboard. You need confidence that your systems work together, your team can trust the data, and your business can move faster because of it.
That’s why, when it comes to finance transformation, we recommend tools that:
- Integrate natively across your business
- Can scale with you as you grow
- Don’t make you choose between automation and control
📬 Want More?
✅ Download our Zoho Books Migration Checklist – a no-nonsense guide to doing it right
🔗 Download it here
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Or just drop us a message — and we’ll help you figure out where the real opportunities are.
Let’s make your finance stack work harder — and smarter.