Charles Robinson, CCO, shares insights on the future of eInvoicing, how digital adoption is being driven by regulation, and the efficiency, accuracy, and compliance benefits of moving away from manual processes.
Do you believe businesses without digital invoicing systems will struggle to keep up in the future?
Absolutely. eInvoicing is set to become the standard for B2B trading in the very near future. Global commerce is moving in this direction, driven either by mandatory regulations or by market expectations. Customers and suppliers will increasingly expect electronic transactions, reducing reliance on manual, labour-intensive processes.
In the UK, the Government has confirmed that all VAT invoices will need to be issued as eInvoices from 2029. From January 2026, a formal collaboration period with key stakeholders will help shape the UK’s eInvoicing regime—and Open ECX will be actively involved in this process.
The key takeaway is that there are now no significant barriers to adopting digital invoicing. The technology exists to enable fully electronic trading with 100% data accuracy, and Open ECX focuses on minimising disruption by converting documents into the format required by the recipient’s system (for example, ERP One) without forcing senders to change existing processes.
How does digitising invoices fit into wider digital transformation strategies?
Digitising invoices and other B2B transaction documents, such as sales orders, delivers tangible cost savings, especially for organisations still relying on manual processes.
The efficiency gains are significant, and if a business hasn’t started this journey, chances are competitors have. Customers and suppliers also increasingly expect clear digital strategies.
In medium and large organisations, digital transformation is often a core strategic objective. High-volume documents like invoices and sales orders are “low-hanging fruit” for automation, offering immediate efficiency improvements.
Automation also strengthens audit and compliance. For example, supplier statement reconciliation, historically a manual, time-consuming process, can now be fully automated, freeing resources, improving accuracy, and reducing fraud risk. For businesses seeking SOC 2 compliance, this level of control is increasingly mandatory.
What role do regulations play in driving digital adoption?
Regulations will play a large role going forward. Governments and tax authorities worldwide are mandating eInvoicing to combat tax avoidance and gain real-time visibility of transactions.
In the UK, from 2029, all VAT invoices will be digital. Starting January 2026, consultations with stakeholders—including software providers—will shape the UK framework. Open ECX is participating in these discussions, and our Founder, Matthew Jones, has been appointed Co-Chair of the PEPPOL UK Working Group to help deliver this mandate.
Globally, countries use systems like Continuous Transaction Controls (CTC) or PEPPOL to collect transaction data in near real-time, replacing retrospective audits with proactive, automated oversight. Belgium, for example, will require PEPPOL-compliant invoices for all domestic B2B and B2G transactions from January 2026. Open ECX is already helping clients navigate these requirements.
What benefits do businesses see from fully digital invoicing and ordering?
The primary internal benefit is efficiency through Straight Through Processing (STP), eliminating manual intervention when integrating information into systems. Technology today allows secure exchange of PDFs, CSV files, XML, and EDI documents with 100% data accuracy.
Digitisation accelerates processing and removes bottlenecks across both sales and purchase cycles. Faster, more accurate order processing benefits sales, while quicker invoice processing supports fair payment objectives for suppliers.
The UK Government’s 2025 eInvoicing consultation highlighted key benefits:
Some Open ECX clients have achieved over 80% efficiency improvements in sales order processing, freeing staff to focus on higher-value tasks. Accuracy improvements also ensure true STP, except where exceptions are identified.
How does the Partnership between Open ECX and Klipboard strengthen the offering to businesses that want to embark on this journey?
By bringing together two multi-award-winning organisations, the Open ECX and Klipboard partnership enables clients to realise their digital adoption strategies fully.
Open ECX is a leading B2B automated document exchange platform. It is actively assisting the UK Government in shaping its eInvoicing roadmap through Matthew Jones’s appointment as Co-Chair for the Peppol UK Working Group.
Klipboard complements this with deep expertise in operational and financial systems. Together, we have a proven track record of delivering these solutions quickly and effectively, accelerating time-to-value for our clients.
Both organisations have worked closely to fully integrate their capabilities, enabling real-time Straight Through Processing for the exchange of critical B2B documents. This partnership has already been successfully delivered to more than 20 joint clients, with continued expansion planned.
The technology can be deployed within weeks, minimising the time and resources required before benefits are realised. Looking ahead, both Open ECX and Klipboard are committed to further joint development to remove remaining bottlenecks, support automation journeys, and ensure clients remain compliant with upcoming regulatory mandates.
Contact us today to discover more about our Invoicing product.