Sage adds AI fraud checks to Intacct finance tools

Sage has updated Sage Intacct with new artificial intelligence tools for financial controls and a range of industry-focused product changes. The release also adds reporting and payments features for finance teams.

The update centres on a new Anomaly Detection feature for accounts payable automation that flags unusual invoice activity earlier in the payment process. It can identify invoices from unrecognised vendor email addresses, allowing administrators to review and block suspicious senders before payment.

The changes come as finance software providers push further into artificial intelligence while customers weigh the risks around fraud, data protection and oversight. Sage cited research showing that 52% of small and mid-sized businesses rank cyber security and data protection among their top business priorities, while 81% are unprepared or only in the early stages of readiness for AI-related threats.

Jon Fasoli, SVP, Sage Intacct, Sage, said the release is intended to move artificial intelligence beyond simple automation in finance workflows.

"AI should do more than automate routine tasks. It should help finance leaders catch problems earlier and make decisions with more confidence. That's what this release is about: putting AI, automation and connected data to work in the tools finance teams already use every day," Fasoli said.

Broader update

Alongside the accounts payable controls, Sage has added enhanced billing groups in order entry, a customer payments portal and reporting tools for Microsoft Excel. It is also expanding functions for construction, lending and hospitality customers, sectors that often have more complex billing and operational requirements than general business users.

The enhanced billing groups feature is designed for organisations with more complex invoicing needs. It supports on-demand invoice generation, broader billing workflows and draft invoice reviews, with the aim of improving billing accuracy while preserving an audit trail.

The customer payments portal introduces a self-service payment experience within Sage Intacct. It supports multiple payment providers and payment methods, and includes payment links, scheduled payments and saved payment details.

For reporting, Smart Reporting for Excel allows finance teams to use Sage Intacct reporting structures directly in Excel rather than recreating reports or relying on manual exports. Data can be refreshed while existing permissions and access controls remain in place.

Industry focus

Several of the additions are aimed at vertical markets where finance software often needs to handle specialist processes.

In construction, Sage has introduced billing and retainage enhancements. The changes automate retainage calculations and add flexibility to contract billing workflows, areas that can create significant administrative work for finance teams managing long-running projects.

For lending organisations, Sage Intacct Lending Management is designed to support the full loan lifecycle within the finance platform, from origination to payoff. The software also automates interest calculations and borrower statements.

Hospitality customers are getting an integration with Craftable that synchronises purchasing, sales and inventory data with Sage Intacct. The connection is intended to reduce manual data entry and help restaurants, bars, hotels and hospitality groups complete month-end close more quickly.

Sage framed the release as part of a wider effort to deepen industry-specific functions in Sage Intacct rather than offer a single standard product to all users. The approach reflects a broader software market trend in which finance vendors build more specialised tools for sectors with distinct compliance, billing and operational demands.

Chris Price, Director, Digital Advisory, Baker Tilly, said finance leaders were looking for systems that go beyond process automation.

"As finance leaders face growing pressure to move faster and make better-informed decisions, they need more than automation. They need intelligent systems that transform data into actionable insights. Continued investment in Sage Intacct SaaS Intelligence helps organizations gain greater visibility, improve decision-making, and unlock efficiencies that drive sustainable growth. We're excited to support Sage in advancing innovation in ways that help customers extract more value from their financial and operational data," Price said.

Availability varies across the new functions. The anomaly detection tool for accounts payable automation and the enhanced billing groups feature are generally available globally, while some other additions are being rolled out through early adopter programmes or limited to selected markets. Lending Management is generally available in the United States, and the Craftable connection is also generally available there.

The mix of fraud checks, reporting links and vertical-market functions suggests Sage is trying to make Sage Intacct more central to finance operations, especially for mid-sized organisations dealing with rising transaction volumes and tighter scrutiny over controls. In particular, the new anomaly detection tool moves invoice review and vendor verification closer to the start of the payment workflow, where finance teams may have a better chance of stopping suspicious transactions before funds leave the business.