EXPERT OPINION/ AP
nies mastering invoice and tax compli- ance can expand into new markets faster because compliance is no longer a bot- tleneck, pay suppliers faster and secure better terms, and scale operations with- out proportionally scaling headcount. From Back‑Office to Strategic Lever For Kurtz, the destination is clear: AP moves from a compliance‑driven cost center to a strategic lever at the heart of autonomous finance. “When you have autonomous AP,” he explains, “it really can be that advantage from a compli- ance perspective” by speeding the close, embedding compliance in every transac- tion, enabling real‑time fraud detection, and strengthening supplier relationships through predictable, visible payments. Customer stories underline the shift in AP roles. One French customer told Kurtz that with data from autonomous AP, “we can look at every step in our AP process and see where we have bot- tlenecks,” allowing AP teams to move from processing invoices to advising the business on where to eliminate manual touches and reduce cost. Advanced AP organizations are more likely to optimize working capital, achieve faster close cy- cles, and support more accurate FP&A forecasting using real‑time AP data. Kurtz’s guidance for SAP finance and AP leaders is to treat AP as a strategic starting point on the S/4HANA and AI journey, not as an afterthought. “If you need a low‑risk, high ROI, great bang for your buck project that delivers in a really fast time period, AP is a great place to start,” he says. By utilizing Invoice Life- cycle Management alongside SAP ERP and S/4HANA, centralizing e‑invoicing and tax compliance, leveraging open networks, and embracing composable architectures, finance teams can turn external pressures into a catalyst for performance, resilience, and competi- tive advantage. Explore more insights on ILM for SAP S/4HANA at basware.com/en/s/4hana- transformation
ogy. The strategic question is no longer whether to modernize AP, but whether to do so in a way that preserves a clean SAP core and avoids tying AP’s pace of change to 6‑ to 18‑month ERP release cycles. Turning Compliance And Fraud Into Strategic Advantage Invoice fraud and cross‑border tax schemes are growing as digital chan- nels and generative AI give bad actors more sophisticated tools, making AP a prime target. “In our view it’s not an if, but it’s a when organizations are go- ing to face fraud attempts,” Kurtz warns, noting that 35% of organizations in Bas- ware’s research admitted to experiencing invoice‑related fraud which is likely an understatement given the sensitivity of the topic. Basware’s fraud‑focused ILM controls are built to “see it early and stop it fast.” The platform reduces manual interven- tion, a known vulnerability point in fraud cases, by automating data entry and vali- dation; uses AI and pattern recognition to detect anomalies before invoices en- ter SAP; and runs continuous, AI‑based controls that flag risk in real time. In Basware’s maturity analyses, advanced organizations with modern AP and ILM were around 20% more likely to report that they rarely or never experienced fraud than their less mature peers. At the same time, ILM turns compli- ance from a cost to a competitive asset. When e‑invoicing mandates and tax rules are embedded into AP workflows, or- ganizations achieve faster, more accurate closes, audit‑ready documentation, and early‑payment capabilities that optimize cash and unlock working‑capital gains. Basware’s research shows that compa-
“Organizations that give suppliers visibility and certainty around payment positions become the customer of choice.”
Basware’s customer KION Group illus- trates the approach. KION, a global man- ufacturer running multiple ERPs across many countries, implemented Basware’s ILM platform across its landscape to cre- ate a single source of truth for invoice data, standardize AP processes across business units, and centralize visibil- ity—without first consolidating ERPs or completing an S/4HANA migration. That allowed KION to reduce processing costs, improve compliance and automa- tion, and be ready to move to S/4HANA on its own timetable, with AP already modernized. From an investment standpoint, Bas- ware’s From AI to ROI - CFOs and the Fast Track to Value Report highlights that finance leaders are already pri- oritizing AP and ILM within compos- able architectures: 89% are investing in AI‑based invoice data capture, 84% in AP automation software, and 90% plan to in- crease investment in e‑invoicing technol-
“Decoupling AP innovation from ERP release cycles lets finance keep pace with fast-moving mandates and AI advances.”
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