What does financial automation look like in 2025?
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Exploring the future of finance and automation
The financial sector is experiencing continued ripple effects stemming from digitisation. Many of the most complex and difficult business challenges – operations, costs, risk, growth, competitive edge and, more specifically, technology – continue to grow and evolve, presenting a wealth of obstacles for any business.
Digitisation and technological automation have indeed presented untold opportunities for business owners when it comes to their finances. Automation has unlocked tremendous time-saving, resource-light, and productivity benefits while freeing up teams to focus more on strategic tasks. However, is that all that automation has to offer financial businesses?
The outlook looks promising and exciting. The Deloitte Digital Banking Maturity Report suggests that customer experience is the largest driving factor for financial institutions when upgrading or refining existing functionalities, as more obsolete features are discontinued. This suggests that continued investment in automation could shape not just how businesses record, manage and track important data and metrics, but also reimagine how financial services are delivered.
The current state of financial automation
Nowadays, financial system automation isn’t purely confined to the handling of basic, repetitive and administrative tasks. Innovative and new financial systems and technology now incorporate artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and blockchain to create comprehensive solutions that add value to financial operations.
When discussing how financial automation solutions add value, it’s important to look beyond the bottom line and view them as investments rather than regular costs. They can save time on projects, preserve resources, eliminate bottlenecks, process data much more quickly and accurately, among a wealth of other benefits.
Financial automation solutions can manifest in different ways for a spectrum of businesses, from small accountancy firms to large banks and fintechs, with automation now encompassing processes such as customer onboarding, regulatory checks, data aggregation, and much more. Given the scale and complexities associated with global finance, these tasks would require far more human processing power and numbers.
Take PFM Associates, for example, a growing firm of chartered financial planners and advisors. They have demonstrated how automation helps their clients achieve benefits beyond cost savings; small to medium enterprises can now implement automation strategies that were once only accessible to and afforded by corporations and big industry names.
Financial processes to automate in 2025
1. Document Management, Storage and Processing
Manually printing, signing, scanning, and emailing are relics of a time that has passed us all by. Digitised document workflows, powered by Advanced Electronic Signatures (AES) like those offered by Signable, have become synonymous with modern and efficient business operations. Financial institutions can realise this by automating almost every part of the client journey, with secure eSignatures providing legally binding verification while eliminating the delays and friction of physical paper documents.
2. Compliance and Risk Management
Financial businesses are held accountable to numerous global standards and regulations, many of which are incredibly complex. Automation tools can now handle the monitoring and reporting aspects of compliance, saving time and effort in auditing processes, systems and software. Automated systems can continuously scan for potential misalignments, generate compliant reports, and maintain visible, transparent paper trails that satisfy even the most stringent of red tape. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has highlighted – in its most recent AI Update whitepaper – how automation technology is helping firms meet regulatory obligations more efficiently, particularly in areas like know-your-customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML) compliance.
3. Everyday Accounting and Bookkeeping Tasks
The automation of financial tasks like transaction processing, invoice management, accounts balancing, and reconciliation has become a game changer for businesses. Many automation platforms can not only handle these processes, but can now integrate directly with existing open-source systems, portals, and software to make workflows more seamless, error-free, and augmented.
The ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales) recently published research that suggested 85% of accounting professionals are willing to use automation technologies like AI if given the opportunity, though security risks were highlighted as a problem area for 53% of surveyed C-suite executives.
4. Reporting and Analytics
Financial reports don’t need manual data compilation anymore. Automated reporting tools now pull vast amounts of data from numerous sources, not to mention apply predetermined analysis rules and generate comprehensive reports with minimal human intervention. These give real-time financial insights that enable businesses to make more informed, strategic decisions.
Benefits of financial automation
The adoption of automation in financial services has delivered measurable benefits that extend beyond efficiency and productivity.
- Financial automation reduces the risk of human error in reporting and calculations, improving overall reliability and accuracy.
- Automated tracking and documentation lowers the risk of compliance-related penalties or actions.
- Automation has reduced processing times for financial transactions, approvals, and validation.
- Financial professionals can dedicate more of their time and resources to advisory services and relationship building, rather than being burdened by administration heavy workloads.
- Automation solutions and software are equipped with advanced security measures built in, including encryption, Two-factor authentication (2FA) and single sign-on (SSO) facilities, to safeguard financial and personal information.
How does signable facilitate financial automation?
Almost every financial automation strategy relies on secure digital document management and eSignature solutions. Signable’s ISO 27001-certified platform provides financial services companies with the essential tools they need to automate document workflows while maintaining compliance with industry regulations.
Businesses can integrate Signable’s eSignature platform into their existing ecosystem with ease, where the entire document lifecycle can be managed and overseen from start to finish. The platform’s plethora of features, including document tracking, password protection, and customisation options, ensures that automation doesn’t come at the expense of brand integrity, professionalism, or security.
For financial companies seeking to enhance their automation capabilities and harness them to propel them further toward their growth milestones and objectives, Signable’s API integration capabilities are designed to support, rather than obstruct, existing systems, CRMs and tools. This integrated approach eliminates silos and creates a more unified workspace across the organisation.
To experience for yourself how Signable can help with your automation goals, sign up for a free 14-day trial today.
Dakota Murphey
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