Accountex 2025 Day One: MTD, AI, and the end of business as usual

Accountex 2025 opened with urgency in the air. From Making Tax Digital to the evolving expectations of clients and staff, accountants face a year defined not by marginal changes, but by full-scale operational rewiring.

The conversation across sessions, booths and boardrooms didn’t centre on whether change is coming but on who is ready for it.

Between the Deadlines and the Data

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (MTD ITSA) dominated the agenda on day one, with back-to-back sessions and vendor booths echoing the same message: the deadline is fixed, and complacency is no longer an option.

In the MTD Q&A Panel with HMRC, Craig Ogilvie (HMRC), Chris Downing and Hannah Taylor (Sage), and practitioner Carianne Pope explored both preparation pitfalls and practical tactics.

Across the floor, IRIS’s session on sole traders revealed survey findings that underscore the stakes: only 10% of sole traders feel “very prepared,” and almost half say they’re still unsure of what MTD means for them.

The consensus? Segmentation is essential. Early engagement with clients—especially those least digitally mature—must begin now.

The pilot programme, while not yet widely adopted, is beginning to calm nerves. “People feel overwhelmed until they see it in action,” as one panellist noted. Time remains, but not much.

IRIS: From Software Vendor to Strategic Partner

We sat down with Gus Malezis, interim CEO of IRIS, and Mark Chambers, Managing Director for IRIS Accountancy, to explore the firm’s evolving role in the market. In a profession under pressure from regulation, resourcing gaps, and client demands, both leaders were clear: the old approach to product delivery won’t cut it.

“Complexity is increasing. Tax rules are not getting simpler,” Malezis told us. “We’re building for that reality—not hoping it slows down.”

Chambers highlighted the twin challenges of MTD and talent shortages. “With fewer accountants qualifying, firms are expected to do more with less. Our job is to help them grow anyway—through productivity, integration, and smarter tech.”

AI is already embedded across IRIS’s product suite, especially via its Dext acquisition. But more notable is IRIS’s shift in mindset.

“We’re not just a vendor anymore,” Malezis said. “We’re a partner, embedded in workflows, spotting friction and solving it before firms even notice.”

QuickBooks: The Four-Layer Strategy for MTD Readiness

MTD was also front and centre at the QuickBooks stand as well, where we spoke with Nick Williams, Director of UK Product Management. He described the coming wave of MTD demand as both a challenge and a moment to redefine the role of accounting platforms.

QuickBooks’ “four-layered MTD stack” aims to absorb that impact: from foundational compliance tools to AI categorisation, automated admin, and—most ambitiously—emerging agentic AI functions that can act proactively on behalf of users.

But the strategy goes beyond tax. With Mailchimp, payments, and reporting in one ecosystem, QuickBooks is positioning itself not just as compliance support, but as an infrastructure layer for the next-gen practice.

“Accountants need tools that attract talent and scale with growth,” Williams said. “We’re building for that.”

Silverfin: Streamlining, Not Just Selling

Another interesting conversation we had was with Cameron Ford, UK General Manager at Silverfin, who explained how the company is staying focused in a hype-heavy landscape.

“This isn’t the year for vanity metrics,” Ford told us. “We’re here to help firms simplify and scale their operations.”

Silverfin’s platform continues to evolve, with embedded AI and deeper integrations designed to eliminate manual inefficiencies—particularly across working papers, accounts production, and tax.

Ford also pointed to the benefits of being part of the wider Visma Group, particularly in sharing innovation across markets. The booth reflected that ethos: no hard sells, just conversations focused on practical outcomes.

Thomson Reuters: Building MTD Confidence Before It’s Too Late

In a sit-down conversation, Max Thomas, Brian Wilson, and Sai Charan Anaparthy from Thomson Reuters gave a candid view of the MTD landscape and the gaps still facing firms.

“People now believe MTD is happening,” said Anaparthy. “But that doesn’t mean they’re ready.”

Thomson Reuters is doubling down on education and support—hosting fortnightly webinars, providing pilot access, and maintaining tight communication with HMRC to resolve issues in real time.

The flexibility of their platform allows firms to import quarterly submissions from clients using different software, or manage it themselves—“we’re not telling firms how to run their practice,” Anaparthy stressed.

Crucially, Thomson Reuters is one of the few vendors with its own internal tax engine—a major advantage as HMRC steps back from providing full tax calculations.

Their approach to AI is also measured: used to suggest, not decide. “Accuracy still belongs to the accountant,” as Thomas put it.

Three Use Cases, One Message

Three standout sessions made one thing clear: integration is no longer optional.

Silverfin’s Phil Hobden challenged firms to stop chasing outdated cloud tools. Comparing legacy tech to iPods and CD players, he called for unified platforms that eliminate duplication and data silos. The Silverfin platform connects ledgers, accounts production, tax, and reporting—all in real time.

Over in the marketing stream, Dan Marshall (Moneypenny) and Ian Leadbetter (Ruler Analytics) shared performance benchmarks for accountants. Search marketing drives most traffic, but it’s phone calls—not form fills—that convert best.

Leadbetter urged firms to connect their data to actual revenue outcomes. “If you’re not tracking revenue, you’re just optimising for noise,” he said.

Meanwhile, Joe Lines from Modulr took aim at fragmented AP workflows. He outlined the hours wasted switching between systems and spreadsheets, and showed how Modulr’s solution consolidates purchase orders, payments, and reconciliation into one seamless process—now supporting payments in 35 currencies and integrated with major accounting platforms.

Across all three sessions, the message was the same: eliminate admin. Invest in flow. Free up teams for the work that matters.

Payhawk Bets Big on AI to Redefine Finance Operations

UK Country Director Guy Sear laid out how the company, founded in Bulgaria and now operating across seven countries, is positioning itself in what he described as a “clear inflection point” for the finance function. “It’s not just cloud adoption anymore,” he said. “It’s AI that’s setting the pace—and expectations.”

Payhawk has been building for that shift. Its platform already automates tasks like receipt chasing, expense classification and even business travel bookings. Internally, Sear said, their own AI assistant routinely reminds staff to submit expenses. “It works,” he noted, “and it’s not disruptive. That’s key.”

What the company is aiming for, though, goes beyond workflow shortcuts. By embedding AI into reconciliation, transaction analysis and even predictive spend insights, Payhawk wants to reorient how finance teams operate—less reporting, more forward-looking decision support.

“Visibility is the thread that runs through all of it,” Sear said. “The CFO’s role is expanding. You can’t rely on last month’s spreadsheet to keep up.”

Vinyl: AI That Actually Saves Time

At the sidelines of the event, we also spoke with Jordan Vickery, co-founder of the new AI note-taking tool built specifically for accountants.

Vinyl records client meetings and turns them into structured tasks, actions, and insights. For firms who typically spend nearly an hour on post-meeting admin, the potential time savings are immediate.

“Our goal is to bring that number down to zero,” Vickery told us. “If you’ve promised something in a meeting, Vinyl makes sure it gets assigned—instantly.”

The tool integrates with FYI and Carbon, supports SOP 2-compliant hosting, and is already in beta with 250 firms. The roadmap is ambitious: a hands-free CRM, real-time coaching for junior staff, and firm-wide insights based on advisory conversations.

“We’re not trying to replace people,” said Vickery. “We’re helping firms use their time more meaningfully—whether that’s growing, advising, or training the next generation.”

Final Thoughts

If Accountex 2024 was about anticipation, 2025 is about execution. The firms leading the conversation aren’t just talking about future readiness, they’re actually shipping tools, refining processes, and urging their peers to act now.

Whether the focus is MTD, marketing attribution, AI note-taking, or integrated AP, one theme binds the most relevant conversations together: actionable integration.

Not buzzwords. Not noise. Just technology that works—quietly, intelligently, and in service of a profession under pressure.

As day one came to a close, one thing was clear: transformation is no longer theoretical. It’s in progress.

See you tomorrow!