CFOs Shift From Layering On AI to Fixing Underlying Payment Workflows

Corporate finance departments have typically layered OCR, machine learning and large language models onto legacy accounts-payable and accounts-receivable systems. While these tools have improved invoice capture and anomaly detection, data, approvals and exception handling remain fragmented. PYMNTS Intelligence says even companies with at least $1 billion in annual revenue are constrained by organizational readiness, prompting CFOs to shift their focus toward redesigning end-to-end processes.

PYMNTS reported on April 9, 2026, that among companies with at least $1 billion in annual revenue, 71% of executives saw organizational readiness as the primary constraint on AI effectiveness, while only 11% blamed the technology. Separate research found that 66% of accounts-payable teams experienced year-over-year growth in manual workloads. Billtrust said API and data-quality problems in the accounts-receivable functions of legacy ERP systems are pushing companies toward “touchless finance,” in which invoicing, approvals, payments and collections are connected and automated.