Sage & Yooz expand finance automation to UK, Ireland

Sage and Yooz have expanded their purchase-to-pay automation partnership to the UK and Ireland, with the rollout also covering Africa and the Middle East.

The move extends access to Yooz's software through selected Sage products following an earlier rollout in France. The arrangement targets mid-market and enterprise organisations looking to automate invoice processing, approvals and related finance workflows.

Finance teams have been increasing spending on automation and artificial intelligence, yet many still rely on manual accounts payable processes. Research cited by the companies found that 84% of finance organisations have implemented or plan to implement AI, while only 7% said it had delivered a high level of business impact.

Separate research cited in the announcement found that 50% of finance leaders are planning significant increases in generative AI investment. Another referenced study found that nearly two-thirds of accounts payable leaders expect AI and automation to reshape invoice processing.

Manual burden

The expansion comes against a backdrop of continued reliance on manual invoice handling, fragmented approval workflows and disconnected systems. These issues can slow decision-making, reduce visibility across finance operations and increase the risk of errors.

Sage said its research found that 79% of chief financial officers see process automation as a top priority for improving operational efficiency. The company has been broadening its ecosystem of software partners as finance departments seek tighter links between accounting systems and specialist tools.

Yooz is an independent software vendor in the Sage ecosystem. Its cloud-based software is designed to automate the purchase-to-pay cycle, from invoice capture through approvals and payment-related controls.

The combined offering includes AI-assisted invoice processing, three-way matching, fraud detection, audit compliance functions, budget tracking, reporting and approval workflows. The software also connects with Sage systems through application programming interfaces, allowing data to move between systems without manual re-entry.

UK relevance

For organisations in the UK and Ireland, the expansion provides wider access to a combined finance software offering within the Sage environment. It is intended to help finance teams improve control while managing limited resources and rising compliance demands.

One UK user cited by the companies is Five Guys UK, which uses Sage X3 with Yooz to automate finance processes. No financial terms of the partnership expansion were disclosed.

Juha Harkonen, VP Commercial Partner, Sage, said: "Finance leaders are looking for connected solutions that simplify operations, strengthen financial control and give their teams more time to focus on higher-value work. By expanding access to Yooz's Purchase-to-Pay automation capabilities through Sage, we're giving customers access to an integrated solution that helps reduce manual effort, improve visibility across financial workflows and build more efficient finance operations."

The rollout covers selected Sage products and markets rather than the company's full portfolio. In addition to the UK, Ireland, Africa, the Middle East and France, the companies said further expansion is planned in other markets, including North America.

Partner strategy

Sage said the agreement does not replace another partner. Instead, it broadens the availability of a finance automation product first introduced in one European market and now being extended across a wider geographic base.

Purchase-to-pay software has become a focal point for finance departments because accounts payable remains one of the most paper-heavy and labour-intensive functions in many organisations. Suppliers have increasingly combined automation tools with AI features such as document recognition, exception handling and controls monitoring.

Laurent Charpentier, Chief Executive Officer, Yooz, said: "For more than fifteen years, Yooz has helped organisations simplify and automate complex Purchase-to-Pay processes across multi-entity and multi-ERP environments. By expanding our partnership with Sage, we're bringing together trusted finance technology and intelligent automation to help even more organisations improve efficiency, strengthen control and accelerate digital transformation."