With our technology editor, Tom Herbert, off on holiday, we have parachuted in Rebecca Benneyworth, an upcoming speaker at FAB to offer her thoughts in the run up to the event.

Ahead of her first session, MTD Accountability Club Live, Benneyworth reflects on her hands-on experience of MTD testing. She outlines what she has learned, how the process has worked in practice, and the growing pressure as deadlines approach. She also encourages firms to sign up at least one client now to understand the year-end filing process and what it will really involve.

Staying with MTD, she sets out what the final weeks before 6 April 2026 should look like for practices – what needs to be actioned, what should already be in place, and where firms cannot afford to fall behind.

Turning to her second session, Rebecca Benneyworth: Live At FAB, she highlights the tax and technical changes on the horizon. In particular, she focuses on the new tax agent registration requirements, explaining what is changing, why it matters, and how firms should prepare.

In this special episode, Sam Gooding, Nikki Adams and James Bennett - all of whom are speaking at the Finance, Accounting and Bookkeeping Show (FAB) - discuss some of the lessons learned on their growth journeys.

In the latest episode of our Inside the Numbers podcast – which pulls back the curtain on the KPIs of finance leaders – Alton Nutile of GeoAcoustics reveals the three main metrics that help him navigate his work, as well as how the role is evolving and why being able to explain the facts and figures is so important.

Tom Herbert opens the podcast by looking at accounting firm consolidators and the difficulty of integrating acquired practices. Following news that the sale of Xeinadin has collapsed after its private equity owners failed to land a £1bn-plus price tag, he explores Xeinadin’s background and the challenges of knitting together different tech stacks, workflows and data. Drawing on his conversation with M&A specialist David Boyd, he asks whether AI can genuinely speed up this change or whether old mistakes are being repeated.

In other news, it was announced that the timeline for small companies and micro entities to file their profit and loss (P&L) accounts with Companies House has been paused following stakeholder concerns. Richard Hattersley outlines what happened and whether this was expected. He reveals that many have welcomed the delay with 2027 already shaping up to be a busy year.

And lastly, Matthew Ord shares his chat with Bob Horgan, FD at Central Technology who believes there’s a push towards AI and automation to cut costs and free finance for more strategic work. The team questions whether these organisations have the culture, data quality and system fit to turn that promise into real value.

The new series of the show sees Emma Reid of Cottons and Paul Attridge of Gerald Edelman look at how to keep client relationships strong during the sometimes difficult-to-navigate self assessment season.

At the end of last year, Matthew Ord may or may not have made a glowing prediction about the positive direction audit reform will take in 2026… Anyway, this week he discusses the Audit Reform Bill being scrapped, almost eight years since Carillion entered compulsory liquidation. The team unpacks the reasons behind the decision, what it means for firms and whether there’s still a will for change.

Found on Any Answers, Tom Herbert shares an issue with payroll software underpaying pension contributions for women on maternity leave. He covers what’s happening, the attention it’s getting, the scale of the problem, who’s responsible and how it can be fixed.

Richard Hattersley also shares conversations he’s had with firms accepting consolidation offers because they’re unsure the opportunity will still be there in five years. He questions, have we hit the peak in the M&A market? The team reflects on valuations, market activity, regulatory changes and whether large private equity firms may shift their focus from small practices to larger targets.

In the latest episode of Inside the Numbers – which pulls back the curtain on the KPIs of finance leaders – Kay Chaplin of Mantle Space reveals the three main metrics that help her navigate her work, as well as discussing skills, software and spreadsheets.

January means one thing for accountants: self assessment season. Richard Hattersley opens the podcast with the latest filing statistics. He compares these to the figures from previous years and reveals the statistics from the festive period. Every year, AccountingWEB checks in with the community and Hattersley highlights a few member responses. The team then explores what’s changed with the rise of artificial intelligence to how Making Tax Digital might change future Januarys.

ACCA has revealed that it can no longer police online exams due to AI-fuelled cheating and, as a result, is going back to in-person exams from March this year. Tom Herbert walks us through what happened, how students were cheating, the reaction that followed and whether it was the right move.

The Carillion saga continues with the FCA imposing fines on two former FDs. The team provides a refresh of the Carillion story and Matthew Ord explains the latest development of the penalties that have officially been given to Richard Adam and Zafar Khan.

It’s that time again as the team reunites for their final podcast of the year, reviewing the biggest stories of 2025 and finishing with some juicy predictions.

As the dust settles on the accounting tech landscape for another year, guests Billie Mcloughlin and John Toon join AccountingWEB technology editor Tom Herbert to discuss the impact of AI, run the rule over the major players in the profession, and analyse the upcoming introduction of Making Tax Digital and e-invoicing. For show notes and full details of all the stories discussed, visit: https://www.accountingweb.co.uk/content/accounting-technology-year-in-review-2025-ai-apis-and-mtd