Tech update: Sage and Microsoft in fresh integration for SMEs

At the end of every month, Accountancy Age unpacks the newest developments from the world of accounting and audit technology, to help your practice make informed purchasing decisions. This month, we cover the latest from Microsoft, Sage, Xero, and more.

Sage unveils Microsoft integration to ‘enhance’ SME offerings (October 12)

Small business tech provider Sage has announced the fresh integration of its Intacct and Active products with Microsoft Azure.

In practice, this means that customers will now be able to submit and approve accounting and people processes directly through Microsoft Teams, rather than in the Sage Intacct or Sage Active apps.

This kind of multi-cloud access to Sage products is a “cornerstone” of the firm’s strategy, said Chief Product Office Walid Abdu-Hadba.

“Meeting customers where they work is key to providing SMBs with new and innovative ways to be more productive.”

Open banking platform Fumopay brings Xero integration (October 28)

Bank-to-bank transfer provider Fumopay has announced that its offering can now be integrated directly into Xero.

The move means that Fumopay will now be available in the Xero app store, and can be used by the suppliers of small businesses to pay invoices directly.

Payments of invoices through the Fumopay app will then be visible in Xero and ready to be reconciled, tagged, or set against invoices to be marked as paid.

“A pure-play open banking service without an alternative agenda is difficult to find,” said Kevin Ludford, founder and CEO of Fumopay.

“Fumopay’s only aim is to democratise payment and make it as affordable and quick as open banking was conceived to be.”

Sage bolsters its MTD offering for sole traders and landlords (October 18)

In its second major update of the month, Sage has announced that it has enhanced its end-to-end solution for accountants to support sole traders and landlords through Making Tax Digital (MTD).

The update includes a series of new tools, including Sage Accounting Individual (a solution tailored to the tax requirements of sole traders), and a strategic partnership with landlord accounting platform Hammock.

The firm has also unveiled a new volume purchase agreement, which will allow accountants to benefit from discounts.

“There’s a need for an end-to-end solution that caters to all client types to ensure practices are not approaching this in a fragmented way,” said Andrew Dick, owner and partner at G W Dick & Co.

“[The update] now gives accountancy and bookkeeping practices the support and motivation to embark on their MTD ITSA journey.”

BlueSnap and BitPay partner to offer crypto acceptance and payout (October 13)

Payment orchestration platform BlueSnap has partnered with leading Bitcoin provider BitPay to offer businesses the ability to accept cryptocurrency payments.

The partnership will allow BlueSnap users to get paid out in and accept up to 15 different cryptocurrencies and seven fiat currencies globally.

BlueSnap has described the new deal as a part of its mission to help businesses increase revenue and reduce costs.

“Our partnership with BitPay comes at a perfect time,” said EU MD Nihkhita Hyett.

“Consumers across Europe […] are growing more ‘crypto curios’. By working with one of the most well-respected crypto companies in the industry, we’ll be able to make the new payment experience as frictionless as possible.”

If you’re in accounting or audit tech and have a recent update the market should know about, email [email protected].