Tech News: Expensify launches hybrid 'contextual' AI expense agent

Expensify launches hybrid 'Contextual' AI expense agent

Expensify CEO Dave Barrett at Nasdaq

Courtesy of Expensify

Travel and expense management solutions provider Expensify announced that its embedded Concierge support system has now been transformed into a full-service expense agent. The AI model lives everywhere in the Expensify app, so users can access help right within their expenses, reports and beyond. The agent understands natural language commands, letting users create, edit and delete expenses conversationally while the AI auto-corrects ambiguous or incomplete expense details based on past activity. It also flags suspicious receipts, including those potentially generated by AI tools or containing prohibited expenses, and continuously learns from user behavior to deliver more personalized support over time. David Barrett, founder and CEO of Expensify, stressed the AI's ability to understand context as a major differentiator, saying it is the difference between "Tag my Starbucks expense on Nov. 4 as Coffee" and "Tag this expense as coffee."

Forwardly announces AI bill pay system

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Payments and automation solutions provider Forwardly announced the release of a new AI-guided bill pay system that combines real-time payments, workflow automation and accounting integration into a single platform. The software features an AI-powered bill inbox that reads and categorizes invoices automatically for faster approvals; support for instant and automatic payments that send and receive funds in real time, even on weekends; multiple payment speed options for varying fee costs, with no monthly subscription fee; four-way sync facilitating up-to-date records across accounting software; and Forwardly Business Network integration that connects buyers and suppliers securely for collaboration.

Patriot Software introduces Auto Payroll

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Accounting and payroll solutions provider Patriot Software announced Auto Payroll, a new feature designed to eliminate repetitive administrative work for small business owners and accountants. Auto Payroll is engineered for companies with predictable payrolls, where employees and pay amounts remain consistent each run. Auto Payroll supports both salaried and hourly employees, with or without direct deposit. Employers receive an advance notification before each scheduled run is processed, providing a final window of time to stop the payroll if needed before the system executes the run. The feature is available to both Full Service Payroll and Basic Payroll customers.

Tax tech market could reach $54.3 billion by 2034

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Global Market Insights, Inc. estimates that the tax technology market is set to grow from its current market value of more than $17.5 billion to over $ 54.3 billion by 2034. This growth is being shaped by an accelerating shift toward faster, automated and more accurate solutions in tax compliance and reporting. As regulatory frameworks become more intricate and companies broaden their global footprint, traditional manual tax processes are falling short. Organizations are now under pressure to enhance speed, reduce compliance risk, and improve accuracy, prompting a move to technology-driven systems that can support a broader array of functions. As a result, enterprises are increasingly embracing cloud-based platforms that use artificial intelligence and machine learning to automate tax-related processes-from calculations to reporting to audits. In terms of market segmentation by component, the industry is categorized into solutions and services. In 2024, the solutions segment held the largest share, contributing approximately 65% of the global market. This segment is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 11% from 2025 to 2034. The increasing demand for smarter tax planning tools that offer real-time visibility, automated workflows and advanced analytics is fueling growth in this area. When segmented by the type of tax, the market includes direct tax management, indirect tax management, and international tax management. The direct tax management segment dominated the market with a 30% share in 2024 and is forecast to grow at a CAGR of over 11.3% during the forecast period. In North America, the U.S. accounted for the largest share of the regional tax technology market, representing nearly 80% with revenue of $6.2 billion in 2024. The demand in the country is being propelled by growing digitization across sectors, increasing adoption of automated tax software, and supportive federal regulations that promote e-filing and electronic tax processes. Additionally, a surge in low-code and no-code platforms is making it easier for companies to deploy tax technology without heavy IT involvement.

Coupa announces Coupa Card

Spend management platform Coupa announced the launch of its new virtual Coupa Card embedded natively within Coupa Pay. Coupa Card, powered by Brex, will be accepted across the global Mastercard payment network. Leveraging Mastercard's global acceptance network, Coupa Card lets people make payments anytime, anywhere using tap-to-pay virtual cards integrated into Apple Pay and Google Pay digital wallets while, at the same time, providing full visibility into transactions made with the card. Coupa Card will include custom controls such as spend limits, expiration dates, and approval workflows – enabling finance and procurement teams to configure cards by user, project, or department. Future updates will enforce policy at the point of spend by flagging or stopping transactions at the time of purchase. Coupa Card offers a seamless, end-to-end process for virtual card management, including application, underwriting, onboarding, card issuance, reconciliation, and statement management – all handled within the Coupa platform.

Partnerships and integrations

Big Four firm Deloitte announced an expansion of its ongoing strategic alliance with Snowflake, an AI data cloud company, to transform its tax data management solutions. Through the expanded alliance, Deloitte Tax and Snowflake will work together on developing tax data management accelerators to assist tax across all domains, including designing and implementing unified tax data models, introducing standard reporting outputs based on the data models, and creating structured datasets aligned with the firm's tax processes. … Cloud-based document management solutions provider SmartVault announced the launch of a fully integrated DMS, client portal and compliance solution for Intuit ProConnect. The integrated experience automatically creates clients in SmartVault and enables printing and auto-routing of tax returns from ProConnect to the correct client folder in SmartVault. … Bluevine, a small business banking platform, and Wave, a financial management solutions provider, announced a new partnership. The partnership includes a special offer giving Wave customers six free months of Wave Pro and three free months of Bluevine's upgraded checking plans, unlocking premium tools across both platforms. … Expense management solutions provider Emburse and American Express are expanding their strategic partnership with the launch of two new features—American Express Virtual Card issuance and Real-Time Transaction Data—in Emburse Enterprise Expense. Administrators can issue American Express Virtual Cards directly within the Emburse Enterprise Expense platform—each with a unique number that brings added security, greater control and more efficient management of both online and on-the-go spending. The Real Time Transaction Data feature has American Express send Corporate Card transaction data to Emburse as purchases happen, enabling the automatic creation and categorization of expense entries and giving administrators visibility into authorized transactions. Shortly after making a purchase, employees receive mobile notifications prompting them to capture their receipts in the Emburse app. Virtual Card issuance is now available to all U.S.-based American Express Corporate and Business customers who are enrolled in Emburse Enterprise. Real-Time Transaction Data is now available to select American Express Corporate Card customers in the U.S. who are enrolled in Emburse Enterprise… Thomson Reuters and audit solutions provider Fieldguide announced a partnership to embed the Guided Assurance audit methodology directly into the Fieldguide platform. Firms can leverage dynamic risk assessments and audit programs that adapt to engagement context and autonomously complete full workflows. Automated diagnostics and validation checks proactively identify inconsistencies or missing evidence; and there are continuous methodology updates as new titles and standards are published.

New hires and appointments

Accounting and payroll solutions provider IRIS announced the appointment of Marissa Carlson as chief marketing officer. Jonathan Priestley, who previously served as interim CMO, assumes a newly created role as general manager, global accountancy solutions and transformation. … Payment recovery platform Butter Payments announced the appointment of Sonali Sambhus as chief technology officer. Sambhus has extensive experience building and scaling AI- and ML-driven fintech platforms into successful, high-growth businesses. She most recently led the developer and machine learning platform at Block, Inc. (formerly known as Square), driving platform growth and transformative initiatives.

Other news

Lease accounting solutions provider Crunchafi announced its upcoming educational webinar "Automation & Audit: Building Consistency in Every Engagement" on Nov. 19, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. CST. This live session features Justin Pulgrano, Crunchafi's senior vice president of strategic growth, alongside Jess Vento, senior director of solution engineering. Together, they will offer accounting professionals a practical look into how automation is reshaping audit workflows. … Financial operations platform Certinia announced an expanded research and development team and the opening of a new office in Bengaluru, India. Bengaluru was chosen because of its reputation as a talent-rich technology hub. Growing a dedicated R&D team in this location gives Certinia direct access to this expertise and supports its commitment to investing in the region. The team will work in tandem with Certinia's Centers of Excellence in Harrogate, England, and Granada, Spain.