Aqilla launches AI invoice tool to speed accounts payable

Aqilla has launched E2D, an AI-enhanced invoice automation tool for its accounting platform that brings invoice capture and accounts payable into one system.

The feature is designed to reduce reliance on separate optical character recognition software and manual invoice entry. Invoice details are captured and fed directly into the accounts payable workflow, with line-item data and account coding handled within the same platform.

Tests found invoices could be processed twice as quickly with E2D. Aqilla presented the launch as a response to a long-standing problem for finance teams, which still often spend substantial time entering invoice information by hand or moving data between separate systems.

Single System

The software is built to give finance teams control over how much automation they use. It scores its confidence in extracted invoice data and highlights fields that may need attention, allowing users to decide which items proceed automatically and which are reviewed.

That approach reflects the uneven pace of AI adoption in finance departments. Some organisations are ready to automate routine processing quickly, while others want tighter controls and a clearer audit trail before relying on machine-led decisions.

E2D provides a traceable view of invoice data and its source, with lower-confidence items flagged for review. The goal is to help teams spend less time on repetitive data entry and more on overseeing exceptions and approvals.

Cristina Grecu, Finance Manager at Konditor, said: “As a long-standing Aqilla customer, we already had our processes well established with a third-party OCR tool. But after trialling E2D and seeing the flexibility it offered, it became clear that consolidating all our document processing into one system just makes sense.”

AI Rollout

The launch comes as accounting software suppliers add more AI-based features to products used by finance teams. Invoice processing has become an early target because it remains one of the most repetitive tasks in finance operations and often relies on disconnected tools.

For vendors, bringing invoice capture into a broader accounting system can reduce the number of integrations customers need to manage. That can simplify data flows between invoice receipt, coding, approval and payment, while keeping supporting records in one place.

Hugh Scantlebury, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Aqilla, said: “We’ve always believed that accounting and finance teams should not have to rely on a patchwork of third-party tools to manage their core processes. Too often, that approach creates unnecessary complexity, fragments data and makes it harder to maintain a single source of truth.”

He added: “With E2D, we’re extending that philosophy by bringing invoice capture and processing fully into the Aqilla platform. In addition, because Aqilla is cloud native, we’re able to develop and deliver E2D in a way that keeps accounting and finance processes connected, consistent and easy to manage.”

Aqilla positions the tool as part of a broader effort to embed AI into finance workflows in a controlled way, rather than treating automation as an all-or-nothing shift. Users can set confidence thresholds, allowing organisations to align invoice handling rules with internal policies and their tolerance for automated processing.

That may appeal to finance leaders under pressure to improve efficiency without weakening controls. Accounts payable teams often face competing demands to process invoices faster, maintain accurate coding, and preserve visibility over who reviewed what and when.

Charis Thomas, Chief Product Officer at Aqilla, said: “Many finance and accounting software providers are scrambling right now to introduce AI into their platforms, often without a clear strategy or end goal. However, we have been clear from the outset that AI must deliver meaningful user benefits. In the context of E2D, this means using the technology to automate repetitive, time-consuming invoice data entry-a significant, widely acknowledged pain point for finance and accounting teams. In doing so, we are helping to improve productivity and enabling them to deliver even more value.”