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READ OF THE WEEK

ERPs are being rebuilt with AI at the core. Billing and FP&A tools are becoming key topics for many finance teams right now. And AI is no longer a pilot – it's landing in real workflows. Here's what's moving.

Honest disclaimer: The pace of change in finance tools and AI makes it nearly impossible to give long-term recommendations right now. But here's what we're seeing – and what we think is worth paying attention to.

1. ERP – New Generation, Plus the Data Pipeline That Matters

ERPs remain the center of the finance stack – how much depends on industry and size. Odoo has established itself as a serious player in Europe, particularly for production and manufacturing. Faster to implement, more cost-effective, and teams can learn the system and self-configure – which keeps costs down long-term.

The bigger story: AI-native ERPs like Rillet, Campfire, and DualEntry are rethinking the ERP from scratch. Not legacy systems with AI bolted on – built natively with AI at the core. All three are particularly strong for multi-entity setups.

Rillet and Campfire offer buyout programs: locked into a long-term contract with NetSuite or SAP? They'll refund the remaining contract length so you can switch right away.

Light (Copenhagen) takes a different approach. A unified finance platform covering AR, AP, expenses, bookkeeping, and reporting with integrated multi-currency cards and payments. Built in the EU – notable since most next-gen ERP players are still US-based.

Still early days. Primary focus is SaaS, with e-commerce and production on the roadmap. Rillet, Campfire, and DualEntry all plan EU expansion this year and already have first European customers on the platform. Local GAAP coverage is building fast.

And yes – SAP is building AI too (Joule). But early feedback has been mixed on maturity and cost. How well does AI integrate with decades-old architecture? SAP's stock is down ~17% since early 2026, partly driven by these concerns. (More on this in our CFO Watchlist below).

The real unlock isn't just the ERP – it's getting data out. German DATEV makes that painful: data goes in, but limited APIs block the way out. Modern systems (Workday, the AI-native ERPs etc.) make this easier – clean APIs let you pull GL data into a Data Warehouse, and from there let AI like Claude analyze and flag issues.

2. Revenue & Billing Tools – The Hidden Margin Problem

Established billing players like Stripe and Chargebee have become less attractive for many SaaS companies. Their pricing models charge a percentage of revenue – which eats directly into gross margin as you scale. The more you grow, the more they take.

With SaaS pricing getting increasingly complex – especially usage-based models – more companies are looking at newer platforms. e.g. TABS, Solvimon, Sequence, and Hyperline offer pricing that doesn't scale with your revenue. Modern systems, purpose-built for complex billing. (Stripe acquired usage-based billing specialist Metronome in early 2026 for ~$1B – a sign the incumbents see the gap too.) Primarily SaaS-focused – outside SaaS, billing is usually bundled with ERP or vertical software.

3. FP&A Tools – Essential at Scale (For Now)

We typically see FP&A tools become relevant from Series B onwards, or when multi-entity and multi-currency complexity kicks in. At that point, Excel hits its limits fast.

Pigment, Abacum, Drivetrain, and Runway centralize budgeting, forecasting, and scenario modeling into one source of truth. The real value: scenario planning for board discussions, modeling hiring or expansion, tracking runway under different assumptions. Less time fighting spreadsheet versions.

The open question: how much of this can you build yourself with AI tools like Claude long-term? We're not there yet – but the gap is closing fast.

4) Spend Management – Core Layer, Shake-Up Coming?

Spend management has become commodity infrastructure. What started as corporate credit card solutions has evolved into platforms covering accounting automation, AP management, expenses, indirect procurement etc. Moss, Pleo, Pliant, Spendesk, Payhawk – established across European finance teams.

But the landscape might be about to shift. A major new US player is entering Europe: Ramp ($32B valuation) just acquired Stockholm-based Billhop, gaining UK and EU regulatory licenses. Market entry is planned for summer 2026. Meanwhile, Capital One is acquiring Brex for $5.15B. The US market is consolidating fast – and the wave is likely heading to Europe.

5. AI in Finance: How to Start and What Tools to Use

The question isn't whether AI will change finance – it's how fast. And the answer: faster than most teams realize.

The tool landscape: Copilot, Gemini, ChatGPT – all useful. But for finance teams, Claude has been a game changer in our view, especially with the 2026 releases. Just some of the use cases we're seeing right now:

Here's what's available:

Claude.ai – Where everyone starts. Brainstorming, drafting, analysis.

Claude for Excel – Add-in for all paid plans. Reads full workbooks, explains formulas, supports pivot tables and charts. Connects to external data sources (S&P Global, FactSet, Moody's) via MCP. Save workflows as reusable "Skills" for the team. Build month-end commentary automatically – no more manual write-ups across 12 entities.

Claude for PowerPoint – Shares context with Excel in one session. Pull data, build a deck. No re-explaining.

Claude Code – Build real automation without being a developer. Describe the problem; Claude writes the code.

Once your finance data sits in a Data Warehouse, connect Claude via MCP for dashboards, flux analysis, commentary, anomaly detection, and reconciliation.

5. Compliance, Data Privacy & Governance

📬 Next Edition

Every AI conversation in EU eventually hits the same wall: privacy, compliance, governance. In our next edition, we'll talk to Dr. Benedikt Flöter – AI & Emerging Technologies lawyer and Partner at YPOG – about what's actually required, what's realistic, and where to start.

🔎 CFO Watchlist

Mastercard Builds an AI-Powered Virtual CFO An agentic AI platform giving SMEs executive-level financial intelligence – cash flow analysis, risk alerts, action recommendations. Virtual CFO market projected to hit $10B+ by 2035. If Mastercard is betting on AI replacing finance roles for SMEs, what does that mean for enterprise finance teams? 👉 Fortune | Mastercard

SAP's AI Tool Joule Under Pressure Clients and investors raising doubts about maturity and cost. Stock down ~17% since early 2026. The question for every CFO on SAP: wait for Joule to mature – or look at alternatives now? 👉 Bloomberg (paywall)

Ramp Enters Europe $32B-valued Ramp acquired Stockholm's Billhop for EU/UK licenses. Direct sign-up for European businesses starting summer 2026. Meanwhile, Capital One is absorbing Brex for $5.15B. The US spend market consolidates – Europe will most likely be next. 👉 Ramp Blog | CNBC

🌐 Finance Collective DACH

Your go-to CFO Network (by Simone)

CLOSING REMARKS

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CFO Playbook reflects our personal opinions, not professional advice.