As finance leaders grapple with mounting demands for efficiency, cost control, and resilience heading into the close of the financial year, a new study from global corporate payments leader Corpay highlights a persistent “automation deficit” that continues to undermine progress.
Corpay’s whitepaper, The Automation Deficit, based on independent research with 150 UK CFOs and senior finance executives, exposes a stark disconnect: while nearly all (99%) organisations plan to automate their finance functions in 2025 and beyond, fragmented systems, manual workflows, and legacy tools still dominate day-to-day operations. This gap between ambition and reality is slowing approvals, limiting real-time visibility, and introducing unnecessary risks at a time when accuracy is paramount.
The research identifies integration challenges as the top barrier to automation, cited by 47% of CFOs, followed by resistance to change (41%) and concerns over cybersecurity and data privacy (37%). Despite widespread intent to modernise, progress remains uneven, with manual processes in areas such as accounts payable, expense management, cross-border payments, and fraud detection proving particularly stubborn.
Real-time oversight emerges as a critical unmet need: 94% of surveyed CFOs rate it as important or very important for effective forecasting, cash flow management, and cost control. Yet, siloed systems prevent many teams from achieving it, exacerbating challenges during the high-stakes end-of-year period.
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The report also underscores the risks of this fragmentation. It references KPMG findings that 57% of executives encounter core system flaws weekly, alongside UK Finance’s Annual Fraud Report noting 3.31 million fraud cases recorded in the UK in 2024. These vulnerabilities highlight why CFOs prioritise automation in high-risk areas, even as manual work persists.
Piero Macari, Vice President of Products at Corpay, commented: “Finance leaders are clear about what they want to achieve, but the day-to-day reality inside many finance teams tells a different story. Fragmented systems slow down approvals, introduce unnecessary risk, and make real-time visibility difficult to achieve. This is the automation deficit in action. It prevents CFOs from moving at the speed they need, particularly as organisations head toward the end of the financial year when accuracy and control are non-negotiable.”
Macari added that Corpay Complete, launched in the UK in 2025, addresses this gap directly. The mobile-first, ERP-integrated platform unifies accounts payable, domestic and international payments, expenses, and supplier management into a single connected layer, replacing manual effort with enhanced clarity, control, and confidence.
The whitepaper positions closing the automation deficit as a major opportunity for CFOs to boost performance. By integrating ERP systems with automation tools, real-time data, and continuous governance, finance teams can reduce operational friction, minimise repetitive tasks, and shift focus to strategic priorities. When systems connect effectively, the report concludes, performance compounds—enabling greater agility and resilience in an increasingly complex financial landscape.
