Tech news: Xero adds tools for bill pay, work papers

May 2, 2025 12:14 PM

Xero introduces solutions for bill pay, work papers; Aiwyn rolls out comprehensive platform with payments, practice, client experience, tax; Fathom launches new solutions for insights, advisory; and other accounting tech news.

Xero introduces solutions for bill pay, work papers

Business accounting platform Xero announced that, through a strategic partnership with billing solutions provider Bill, U.S. customers can now pay their bills from within Xero. Customers can pay multiple bills without leaving the platform; find vendors on Bill's network; track the status of all bill payments made from Xero; get a digital record of which vendors have been paid and when; and pay their bills with two-step verification. A demo can be viewed here. Xero also announced the release of a new workpapers solution exclusively for accounting and bookkeeping partners, developed via a partnership with BGL Corporate Solutions, a compliance management and AI-powered software provider. The solution will allow the direct import of client bookkeeping data from Xero, reducing manual entry when preparing tax returns and financial statements. Xero accounting and bookkeeping partners in Australia will have the opportunity to gain early access to the new workpapers solution in the coming months for feedback.

Aiwyn rolls out comprehensive platform with payments, practice, client experience, tax

Aiwyn CEO Justin Adams

Accounting practice management solutions provider Aiwyn has acquired Taxa, an AI-driven tax solution, which has been rebranded as Aiwyn Tax. The addition of Aiwyn Tax positions the company to deliver tax capabilities within the Aiwyn ecosystem, including automated preparation, AI-enabled review and real-time collaboration. In parallel, Aiwyn acquired Digilence, an automation technology provider. The Digilence technology is now embedded in the Aiwyn platform. At this point, the Aiwyn platform now sports separate solutions for various practice management needs. Aiwyn Payments helps cash flow with invoicing, digital payments and reconciliation; Aiwyn Practice modernizes operations with time tracking, billing, reporting and resource management; Aiwyn Experience elevates digital client experience with secure portals, e-signatures, and document exchanges; and Aiwyn Tax sports AI-powered preparation, review and workflows.

Fathom launches new solutions for insights, advisory

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Financial analysis and reporting software company Fathom announced its Insights Dashboard and Fathom Portfolio solutions. The Insights Dashboard aggregates key metrics from different software sources. With the dashboard, firms can monitor key financial metrics across all clients regardless of their accounting software; sort and filter clients based on performance trends, industry or accountant; set financial thresholds to flag businesses that need attention; and generate summary reports to give a snapshot of financial performance such as revenue, expenses and cash flow. The Fathom Portfolio plan is a way for firms to add more clients to the Insights Dashboard without requiring a full Fathom Pro subscription. For more information, visit www.fathom.com/portfolio.

Insightsoftware touts new lease lifecycle management tool

Accounting solutions provider Insightsoftware launched EZLease Lessor, a lease lifecycle management solution. The software lets users generate audit-ready reports with built-in compliance to International Financial Reporting Standard 16 and Accounting Standards Codification Topic 842. Its tools handle tasks like creating journal entries and syncing records with enterprise resource planning systems; and scale lease management to adapt to higher lease volumes and complex agreements. The software supports a variety of lease types, from operating and sales-type, to direct financing.

Foxit announces upgrade AI assistant for PDF Editor

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Documents and e-signature solutions provider Foxit upgraded its AI Assistant within Foxit PDF Editor. Users can now upload images to extract the text in the image, translate the text, or even describe the image; extract key details and compare content across multiple PDFs simultaneously. Users can automatically generate bookmarks based on document structure or specific page ranges; and have documents be read aloud with voice options for hands-free review and improved accessibility. Many of the tools can be accessed through a dedicated ribbon toolbar. A dedicated ribbon tab means Foxit has created a new, standalone tab specifically for its AI Assistant, placing AI-related tools — like AI Chat, Document Translation and AI Bookmark — in one accessible spot.

Cetrom announces nationwide availability of on-site IT services

Accounting-focused MSP/MSSP Cetrom has expanded its Cetrom On-site IT services to clients across the 50 states, including Alaska and Hawaii. Cetrom's On-Site IT services are designed to provide personalized assistance. Cetrom's On-Site IT services include on-site troubleshooting, equipment deployment and relocation, network connectivity, project work, server room cleanup, wireless survey and more. This is in addition to its existing expertise in hosting and maintaining tax and audit applications, 24/7 IT support, managed security solutions, virtual CIO services, business intelligence solutions and more.

Adaptive launches solution specifically for construction industry accounting

Adaptive, an automation platform for construction accounting, has partnered with firms like CliftonLarsonAllen and Pinion to release a solution designed for accounting firms to grow their construction verticals. It allows for AI-powered invoice processing and job costing; payments processing for vendors and subcontractors; AR draw management for payment applications and improved cash flow; expense tracking with automated categorization and allocation; job costing labor across projects and cost codes; compliance management for tracking insurance certificates, lien waivers, and permits; and real-time financial reporting including WIP reports and cash flow forecasting. Rather than requiring construction companies to replace their current tech stack, Adaptive works with QuickBooks, banking systems, email platforms and project management software to create a unified financial hub. QuickBooks Integration imports existing data, including job codes, classes and vendors. There are also project management system connections with platforms like Procore and others, training calls with dedicated onboarding specialists, ongoing support via live chat, video, daily webinars, and white-label options to promote under a firm's brand.

Extend rolls out AI toolkit

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Expense management platform Extend debuted its open-source AI toolkit. The toolkit supports several frameworks including seamless integration with Anthropic Model Context Protocol; OpenAI; native support for LangChain; and compatibility with CrewAI for complex multi-agent workflows. These integrations allow Extend's users to query their financial data using natural language, perform advanced analytics and generate custom reports, and automate workflows such as expense categorization and budget tracking. Businesses can use the AI agents to analyze spending patterns, identify cost-saving opportunities, and gain insights into cash flow, budget allocations, team spending and other payment trends.

LeaseCrunch announces conference appearances

Lease accounting software provider LeaseCrunch announced its participation in a series of accounting industry conferences this spring. LeaseCrunch will be at:

BDO Alliance USA Evolve 2025, May 5–7, Las Vegas, Nevada, exhibiting as a silver sponsor in booth 200;
Aprio Firm Alliance Annual Summit, May 27–30, Orlando, Florida, supporting sponsor and proud partner of the Aprio Firm Alliance Affiliate Relationship Program;
Moore North America 2025 Conference, May 28–30, Austin, Texas, attending as a strategic partner;
AGN North America Regional Conference, June 1–4, Toronto, Ontario, Gold sponsor, exhibiting in booth 307;
LEA Global 2025 North American Regional, June 1–4, Nashville, Tennessee, supporting sponsor; and
AICPA Engage 2025, June 9–12, Las Vegas, Nevada, exhibiting in booth 703.

Partnerships and integrations and M&A

Accounting platform Digits announced a new partnership with HR and payroll platform Gusto, enabling small business owners to have all their critical financial metrics like headcount and payroll data in one connected ecosystem. All Gusto payroll data is aggregated into a single view for in-depth analysis. Business owners can keep track of their biggest expenses, identify headcount trends and analyze spending in context with the rest of their financial picture in Digits. … Indirect tax solutions provider Vertex has completed a strategic investment in Kintsugi, a San Francisco-based, AI-native startup focused on automating sales tax compliance for small and mid-size businesses. Terms of the agreement include a $15 million minority investment representing a 10% ownership interest, as well as IP sharing and a commercial arrangement. Additionally, Vertex will join the Kintsugi board of directors.

New hires, appointments or promotions

Tax automation solutions provider Avalara has named Sydney Carey as its chief financial officer and Karyn Smith as its chief legal officer. Both of them will be members of Avalara's executive leadership team and report to the company's president. As CFO, Carey will be responsible for leading Avalara's worldwide finance and accounting team while modernizing finance and accounting processes. Carey brings more than 20 years of experience working at and with fast-growing technology companies, most recently as CFO at Talkdesk. Smith brings more than 30 years of experience working at and with high-growth companies, both private and publicly traded. She spent more than seven years at Twilio, beginning in 2014 as its first lawyer.