AI tools are getting smarter and easier to use, which opens up exciting possibilities for small businesses. Unfortunately, scammers have noticed too. The good news? The habits that keep you safe haven’t changed much, and most of them won’t cost you a cent. Here’s how to stay a step ahead, not only with your Xero organisation but across all your online tools.

1. Start with the basics

Use a different password for every account. If one password is exposed in a breach, unique passwords help stop attackers from using it to access your other accounts. A password manager can generate and remember them for you.

Turn on Multi Factor Authentication (MFA) wherever it’s available. Start with your email, online banking, your accounting software, and any other crucial online services. MFA is the safety net that protects your accounts, even if your password has been compromised. MFA is mandatory for all Xero users, keeping your data secure. Xero Verify is the only authenticator app that sends push notifications when you log into Xero. You can also use Google Authenticator or FreeOTP, but you’ll need to enter a code instead.

Give everyone their own login. Shared accounts make it harder to see who accessed information or made a change. Give your teams the access they need for their role, review it regularly and revoke it when they leave your business. When using Xero, ensure each user has their own account – this is particularly important to make sure there is an audit trail of access and data changes. 

2. Phishing has had a makeover

Phishing can now reach you almost anywhere: messaging apps, social media, or even an invoice from a supplier you’ve paid for years. And AI has stripped out the signs we were all taught to look for – clumsy spelling, odd phrasing or a generic greeting. 

The bigger change is how precisely scammers can now target a small business. Scraping your website, social media and your team’s public profiles to work out who you trust can now be automated, and run against thousands of businesses at once. What reaches you uses the right names, the right tone, and refers to work you’re actually doing.

This means two checks are no longer as effective as they used to be:

• Replying isn’t checking. AI can hold a convincing conversation. 
• Documents can be copied. An invoice can be reproduced with the right logo, layout and reference numbers and only the bank details changed.

So it’s important to focus less on the message, and more on what it’s asking you to do. Here are some new and surprising ways phishing can present itself in an email or message: 

• A level of urgency in the message
• Pressure from someone senior in your business or network
• A request that’s outside your normal process, or 
• A conversation that suddenly jumps channels. 

Spot any of those and the rule is simple: anything involving money or access should be confirmed somewhere else before you act using a phone number you already have, never the one in the message. A change of bank details is the most obvious red flag. A quick check costs a minute. The wrong payment costs a lot more.

Remember, here at Xero, our team will only ever send you genuine emails ending in a xero.com address such as: @xero.com, @post.xero.com, @identity.post.xero.com or @support.xero.com.

3. Beware the masters of disguise 

Deepfake tools can clone someone’s voice or likeness from a short clip, like a voicemail greeting, a podcast interview or a video on your business page. So hearing a familiar voice, or seeing a familiar face on a video call, isn’t the proof it used to be.

Picture this: you recognise the person, they answer your questions naturally, and the request comes with just enough urgency or authority that double-checking feels awkward.

They’ll often have an excuse that stops you asking too many questions. They’re about to get on a flight, or it’s confidential, or the deal falls over if you wait. That push to skip a step is worth noticing, even when it seems to be coming from someone you’trust.

Fortunately, some good habits can help:

• Agree on a code word. Use a word or phrase only your team knows to confirm who you’re talking to whenever money or logins come up.
• Call back on a number you already have. Not the one they’ve just given you.
• Set a payment threshold. Anything above it always needs a second person to approve it.
• Think about what’s public. Any video or audio of you online can be copied, which is worth remembering for whoever approves payments.
• Know the glitches, but don’t count on them. Lip-sync that drifts, odd blinking, strange shadows, audio that sounds a bit flat. Handy if you spot them, but the technology is moving fast.

4. Be careful what you share with AI tools

Not every risk comes from scammers. Some come from everyday habits that feel completely harmless.

AI tools make it quick to summarise a client email, tidy up a set of figures or polish a proposal, and most of us have been tempted to paste something in to save time. But depending on the tool and its settings, that information may be stored or used to train the model. Without clear guidelines in place, sensitive information can end up in places you didn’t intend, and once it’s out of your hands, it’s hard to get back.

• Agree which AI tools your business uses. Choose tools you’re comfortable with, check their privacy settings, and switch off data sharing or training where you can.
• Keep sensitive information out of free public tools. That includes customer details, financial data and anything confidential.

If something goes wrong

If you think you’ve been the target of a phishing scam, act quickly even if you’re not completely sure what has happened.

• Contact your bank or payment provider straight away. The sooner you report it, the better your chance of recovering funds.
• Change the passwords for any affected accounts, starting with your email.
• Report the incident to your national cyber security agency or the relevant local authority.
• Let your team know what happened. A scam that works once is likely to be tried again.

Stay a step ahead – protect your business and Xero organisation

The habit that matters most: when money moves or account details change, pause and check the request through a channel you already trust.

Check out our Xero Central article on how to keep your Xero account safe and bookmark the Xero Security Noticeboard for updates about scams using Xero branding. If you receive a suspicious message using Xero branding, forward it to phishing@xero.com.

For more ways to protect your business, read Xero’s guide to keeping your business data secure.

The post Tips to protect your business from modern cybercrime appeared first on Xero Blog.

The question I keep coming back to is how quickly small businesses will benefit from this change. The answer will depend not only on the legislation and technology, but on whether accountants and bookkeepers are ready to explain open banking, answer questions and help clients see what more reliable financial data could make possible.

That matters because most small business owners still have no idea what open banking means. In Xero research conducted with Angus Reid in August, 82% of 508 small business owners said they had not heard of the Consumer-Driven Banking Act. Nearly half of surveyed owners trust their accountant or bookkeeper most to help manage access to their financial data. That puts practices in a strong position: clients will want someone they trust to explain the change and help them make informed choices.

The Act and where it stands

The Act gives business owners control over their banking data and a regulated way to share it with chosen people and tools. Today, access often depends on connections software providers build with individual banks, and some owners still share online banking logins to make it work.

Under the new framework, banks will share data with an owner’s permission through secure connections, without a password. The rollout will happen in two phases: read access first, followed later by write access and payments.

The Act received Royal Assent in March, and draft regulations were published in June. Read access is expected to start sometime between late 2026 and 2027, although the timing could change. Prepare for the direction of travel rather than a specific date.

Why practices should care

Canada is following markets such as the UK and Australia, where similar rules helped accelerate cloud adoption. In the UK, cloud accounting subscriptions grew from about 0.9 million in FY18 to 2.4 million in FY22—roughly a 2.5x increase. Open banking was a critical enabler of that growth, alongside Making Tax Digital and COVID, as reliable bank data helped demonstrate the value of cloud. Once reliable bank data became available, small businesses asked their advisors what it meant for them, and cloud-ready practices were best placed to answer.

Open banking should reduce routine work caused by unreliable feeds, including reconnecting accounts, tracking missing transactions and re-entering statements. Practices can use that capacity to take on more clients or focus on higher-value services.

With more current data, practices can offer monthly cash flow reviews, forecasting and mid-month check-ins instead of waiting weeks for statements. For practices building an advisory offering, reliable data removes two major barriers: time and visibility.

Business owners will also need help deciding which apps and services should access their bank data. Guidance on security and data access can become part of onboarding, build trust and give clients another reason to stay.

Why clients need to hear it from you

Owners who knew about the Act were about twice as likely to say they would use open banking in its first year. Often, the difference was that someone had explained it to them.

If you do not start the conversation, a bank or software vendor may do it first. Explaining the change is a natural extension of the relationship and can help clients move away from risky practices such as sharing a banking password.

How to start the conversation

You do not need a major campaign. Start with a short explanation for newsletters, onboarding emails or client meetings. Be ready for questions about privacy, security and accountability, and clear about what is confirmed.

Prioritise clients who share banking passwords or manage significant manual data. Bring the topic into year-end and onboarding conversations, because most owners need repeated reminders.

Getting your practice ready

If your practice still relies on desktop software or spreadsheets, moving to the cloud is the first step. Identify tasks caused by unreliable feeds, then decide where that time could create more value. Cash flow reviews and forecasting are practical places to start.

Canada has taken years to reach this point, and there is still work ahead. How quickly small businesses benefit will depend in part on whether their bookkeepers and accountants are ready to explain the change. Start the conversation now, and your practice will be better prepared when open banking arrives.

The post What open banking means for Canadian practices and their clients appeared first on Xero Blog.

Very soon, accounting and bookkeeping professionals from across Asia will come together to connect, learn and address that very question. 

Our Asia Roadshows, taking place in Malaysia and Singapore on 20 and 27 October respectively, are anchored in the theme Elevate today, own tomorrow. From modernising workflows with AI to having more meaningful conversations with clients, our programme will map out what modern practices can do now to come out ahead.

Stay curious about what comes next with Tan Kheng Hua

In volatile times, staying open and adaptable becomes more important than ever.

Award-winning actor and producer Tan Kheng Hua, known for her roles in Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd, Crazy Rich Asians and Netflix’s Marco Polo, joins us for a special guest session exploring the value of remaining curious, embracing the unfamiliar and continuing to learn. 

In her session, Staying curious: Adapting to a future that feels like magic, Kheng Hua draws on a career shaped by reinvention to share how an open mindset has helped her navigate change with greater confidence, even when the path ahead wasn’t clear. It’s a perspective that transcends industries and can inspire accountants and bookkeepers to stay inquisitive and continue innovating, even as things constantly evolve. 

Discover what leading firms are doing differently with the Modern Practice Playbook

At Roadshow, we’ll unpack the Modern Practice Playbook, a research-based guide examining how top-performing firms are redesigning their operations, from doubling down on AI to optimising their service portfolios.

In Malaysia, the Playbook has already revealed concrete insights; for instance, top-performing practices that deeply embed AI into daily workflows save an average of 8.5 hours a week and RM205,000 annually. At our Singapore Roadshow, we’ll unveil new findings for the first time, exploring how else leading practices are evolving and experimenting for the future.

Together, these insights offer a broader look at what it takes to build a future-ready practice. Whether you’re operating in an established or fast-growing market, you’ll walk away with answers to a universal question: what are firms doing today to put themselves in a stronger position tomorrow? 

Put the ideas into action with practical sessions

Across the day, you’ll also learn about the latest Xero innovations and practical applications of AI, along with smarter approaches to bookkeeping and client advisory. You’ll hear from industry experts, connect with peers navigating many of the same changes and discover ideas you can take back to your practice.

You’ll also have the opportunity to explore solutions from across the Xero ecosystem and meet exhibitors who can help you solve real challenges for your firm and clients.

Whether you want to work more efficiently, unlock more value for your clients or simply get a clearer view of where the profession is heading, Roadshow is designed to help turn the possibilities of tomorrow into practical action today.

Explore the full Roadshow agenda and find out more about our exhibitors here.

Register to join us in Malaysia or Singapore!

The future of accounting is already being shaped by the decisions firms make today: what they adopt, what they change, what they learn and where they choose to invest their time.

Xero Asia Roadshow 2026 is your opportunity to step away from the day-to-day and look ahead, alongside the people, ideas and technology shaping the profession across Asia.

Join us in Malaysia on 20 October or Singapore on 27 October to discover fresh perspectives, practical ideas and new possibilities for your practice.

• Register for Malaysia
• Register for Singapore

The post Asia Roadshow 2026: The future of your practice awaits appeared first on Xero Blog.

This is why this award means so much. Canstar’s 2026 Most Satisfied Customers Award for Small Business Accounting Software isn’t decided by a panel – it’s voted for by the small business owners actually running things on Xero. 

For the eighth year running, you’ve named us your top choice. It’s a vote of confidence we don’t take for granted, from the people who know best what it takes to run a business in Aotearoa New Zealand – you, and the advisors that back you. 

What you told us matters to you

When Canstar asked what sets Xero apart, small businesses rated us highest across the market for ease of integration, reporting, ease of use, and functionality. The things valued most are exactly where we continue to invest. Here’s a snapshot of what some of our customers said:

• “Very intuitive layout, seamless bank integration, and excellent invoicing features”
• “Xero is an absolute powerhouse. It saves a lot of time and complex thinking for me. Absolutely brilliant”
• “Very easy to use, intuitive, has all the features you want”
• “It makes linking to my accountant easier”
• “Xero is easy to use day to day. Bank feeds payroll and reporting work well. It gives a clear view of cash flow.”

Ease of integration and reporting topped the list of what matters most, and they’re areas we’re focused on for Kiwi small businesses. Whether it’s connecting bank feeds, payment tools and apps in one place, or turning transactions into reports you can actually use to make decisions, these are the everyday tasks Xero handles so you can spend less time on admin and more time doing what you love.

We’re not done yet

An award like this is a reflection of a moment in time. What’s more important is that Xero keeps improving and making your lives easier. That’s our continued promise.

We’re continuing to enhance our platform in the areas that matter most to you, helping you run smarter, not harder.

• Smart Document Capture, now in beta, reads bills, receipts and invoices the moment they’re uploaded, forwarded or photographed, and turns them into a transaction ready for you to check.
• Industry Benchmarks in Xero Analytics compares your numbers against other businesses in your industry to help you make better informed decisions about your business.
• Auto Bank Reconciliation, also in beta, matches transactions to your bank feed as they come through, rather than leaving you a list to work through at the end of the month. It will soon handle more complex cases, like splitting a single payment across sales and fees.
• Pay by Bank, now in beta for eligible customers powered by Akahu, Aotearoa New Zealand’s open banking network, lets your customers pay an invoice straight from their own banking app – with the payment matched and reconciled automatically.

At the heart of this, is a principle we call Accountable Intelligence. It’s all about letting Xero take the routine heavy lifting off your plate and show it’s working, so you’re always in complete control. AI supports the work, but human judgement and accountability stay firmly with you. 

Whether these features are live today or being built right now, every single innovation comes back to one simple question before released: does this genuinely make life easier for small business owners and their advisors?

To our small business community and the advisors who support them day in and day out – thank you for trusting us. We’re in your corner, working to build a more connected, digitally enabled, and resilient small business economy for Aotearoa New Zealand. Watch this space – there’s so much more to come.

The post Xero wins Canstar’s 2026 Most Satisfied Customers Award for Small Business Accounting Software in New Zealand appeared first on Xero Blog.

At Xero we call late payment what it really is: unapproved debt. For too long, small businesses have been used as a source of free credit by the companies they supply. It’s one of the biggest issues we hear about from customers and from the accountants and bookkeepers who support them. It’s entirely within everyone’s control to fix, which is why we’ve campaigned on this issue for so long.

What’s really refreshing is that we’re hearing from businesses of all shapes and sizes who want to do better when it comes to tracking their payment times and share this openly through the Fair Payment Code. We want to help businesses and their advisors do that. 

Making it easier to do the right thing

To apply for the Fair Payment Code, businesses have to show how quickly they pay their suppliers. Until now, many businesses have been working that out by hand, exporting data into spreadsheets and building their own calculations which takes hours of work. One Xero bookkeeper and Fair Payment Code Gold Awardee told us she had built her own spreadsheets from scratch, then shared them to help friends in the profession.

That’s the kind of generosity the accounting and small business communities are known for. But when this Bookkeeper told us she wished this was easier to do in Xero, we saw an opportunity.

That’s why today we’re launching the Supplier Days to Pay Detail report in Xero, which will be fully rolled out by the end of this week.

In a single view, the report shows how long it took you to pay every bill, from every supplier, over a period you choose. Each bill is categorised by payment time (0–30 days, 31–60 days, 61–90 days and over 90), and you can export the full data. That gives you the payment evidence you need for a Fair Payment Code application, straight from your data in Xero. 

We’ve worked closely with the Office of the Small Business Commissioner while building it, and the Supplier Days to Pay Detail report gives applicants what they need to evidence their payment performance. 

Visibility over payment times is a highly requested feature from our community, for both money going out and money coming in. So the Supplier Days to Pay Detail report is the first of four reports we’re building. Coming soon: a Customer Days to Pay Detail report for the payments coming in from your customers, plus two summary reports giving you average days to pay across both customers and suppliers.

We heard you, and we hope these changes make a real difference.

Libby Walklett, founder of The Ethical Bookkeeper and Fair Payment Code Gold Awardee: “Applying for the Fair Payment Code was a no brainer for me, especially as I see the impact late payments have on my clients every day. I couldn’t find anything to support my application to the Fair Payment Code, so I built my own spreadsheets and manually verified the figures. But it shouldn’t take that much effort to prove you’re doing the right thing, which is why I spoke to the Xero team. I hope the new report means many more businesses, and their advisors, put themselves forward for the Code.”

Why the Fair Payment Code matters

Emma Jones CBE, Small Business Commissioner, said: “Late payment costs small businesses time and money which they could be using to thrive and grow. Xero have been supporters of the Fair Payment Code from day one and now they have taken their commitment to fair payment a step further. We are delighted that as well as being a Fair Payment Code Gold Awardee Xero are supporting their customers to join the Code with new tools to make it as easy as possible. Through the Fair Payment Code you can get the recognition you deserve. Apply today!”

Our latest Xero Small Business Insights data shows that in the June quarter, UK small businesses waited an average of 29.1 days to be paid. On average, they were paid 8.3 days late. Eight days might not sound like much. But when you’re a small business, eight days can decide whether you can pay your staff on time or not. 

The Government’s new Fair Payment Code is one of the biggest steps forward we’ve seen on late payments in a long time. It alone won’t fix the issue, but it helps to create more accountability. 

It recognises businesses that commit to paying their suppliers promptly, and it gives small firms a way to see who they can count on and show that they are great payers too. We believe 30 days should be the standard payment term, no excuses. We’d love to see every business in the UK aiming to be on the Fair Payment Code list. 

We don’t just say this, we are a Gold Awardee on the Code ourselves. We see it as a benchmark to hold ourselves to, and as an invitation to other businesses to look hard at how they treat their suppliers too.

Let’s make paying on time the norm

Better payment culture won’t come from rules alone. It needs every business in the UK  to decide that paying their suppliers promptly is simply how they operate.

So my ask is simple. If you pay your suppliers on time, get the recognition you deserve and apply for the Fair Payment Code. If you’re not there yet, use this report to see where you stand and start closing the gap. 

And if you’re an accountant or bookkeeper, talk to your clients about it. If there’s one group that can move the dial on prompt payment, it’s the accounting and bookkeeping community. You see your clients’ cash flow up close and you know who’s paying on time and who isn’t. You’re the person small businesses trust and listen to, so can help nudge them towards better habits.

Find out how to use the Xero Supplier Days to Pay Detail report for your Fair Payment Code application here.

The post You asked, we listened: making the Fair Payment Code easier for every business appeared first on Xero Blog.

September

• CNBC Fortt Knox | Sukhinder Singh Cassidy, Xero CEO: A Fortt Knox Conversation
• Wall Street Journal | Making the AI Math Work
• BusinessDesk | Why Xero’s US boss wants to end America’s love affair with cheques (paywalled)
• Salesforce Earnings Call Featuring Xero | This Month at Salesforce — Xero, Legora and Replit
• Thomson Reuters | Payroll compliance and cash flow pressures
• Intersekt | Taking Global Risks: Sukhinder Singh Cassidy on Scaling Xero & AI Bets
• Forbes | AI and the New Speed of Finance
• The Post | The sniff test for small business policy: does it give owners more time? (paywalled)
• Accountants Daily | Xero’s ANZ head on where accountants should spend their energy with AI adoption
• Business Leaders | How to Drive AI Adoption in the Workplace
• Elite Business | From curious to confidence: making AI work for small businesses 
• Business News | Malaysian accounting firms turn to AI and advisory services to lift profitability, Xero finds
• Digicon Asia | Agentic AI for SMEs: Understanding benefits, risks, and cyber/regulatory responsibilities

August

• Bloomberg Intelligence | Xero CEO on AI as a Massive Growth Driver for Small Businesses and the Competitive AI Landscape
• The Wall Street Journal | The Leadership Lesson Xero’s CEO Learned From a Tennis Legend
• Australian Financial Review | I’m Xero’s CEO. Here’s what Australia’s next tech giant must do (paywalled)
• The Peak | Sukhinder Singh Cassidy Isn’t Worried About a SaaSpocalypse
• Forbes Council, Kate Hayward | Building Financial Confidence Is Key To Unlocking Small Business Potential
• Run The Numbers podcast | Xero’s CFO: Why Finance Is Taking On More of the Business
• BusinessDesk | Xero doesn’t need to beat Intuit to win in US, Singh Cassidy says (paywalled)
• ABC News | National taskforce launches to improve financial literacy rates for small business owners
• The Guardian | ‘It’s not taught to us in school’: how small business owners are taking charge of their financial fitness
• Courier Mail | Financial literacy crisis leaves a third of small business owners unsure of profit (paywalled)
• ITBrief Australia | Xero wins Canstar award for small business software
• interest.co.nz | How to adopt AI in the workplace and how lack of AI confidence is holding businesses back
• Tech Times | Xero Payroll Launches as QuickBooks Desktop Leaves 3.4M Workers Unpaid
• SME Web | Xero UK managing director Kate Hayward on Making Tax Digital, late payment, AI, financial literacy and cash flow tips for small businesses
• Beyond the Balance Sheet | Kate Hayward on Xero, AI and why good advice still matters
• Classic Business | Entrepreneurship Provisional tax deadline approaching: five habits to make tax time easier for SA SMEs
• Fintech Finance News | Xero Research: AI Adoption Doubles Profitability for Top UK Accounting Firms
• Radio New Zealand | Many businesses using AI to save time, but do they know what they’re doing?
• The Citizen | SA’s tax deadline approaching: 4 habits to make tax time easier for SMEs

July

• SMB Tech, Angad Soin | FY27 Is The Year Aussie Small Businesses Make AI Work For Them
• CNBC Squawk Box Europe | AI is a macro tailwind for small businesses, says Xero CEO 
• AccountingWeb | Xero CEO on AI, the builder class and Xero at 20
• Australian Financial Review | Xero CEO shrugs off $14b rout with new Microsoft AI pact (paywalled)
• Entrepreneur | UK Small Firms Face Third Straight Quarter of Decline
• Dynamic Business | Australian small business sales cool off in the June quarter
• Radio New Zealand | Small firm sales up, but jobs and pay are not
• Irish Times | Ireland’s small businesses are ready for their next chapter, but they need the tools to unlock it
• Newstalk ZB | Bridget Snelling: Xero Country Manager on small business sales growing 8.6% year on year, led by agriculture
• New Zealand Herald | Small business sales surge 8.6% in June quarter, Xero data shows (paywalled)
• News24 | Australian small businesses suffer sales growth decline in the June quarter as economic shocks rattle industries
• My Duvet Flip | UK Managing Director at Xero: How to Build a Network When You Know Nobody
• Giti-Tools in Accrual World | Xerocon London special: Are accountants and the ecosystem still important to Xero?
• Dynamic Business | Which admin tasks should your small business automate first? Our experts weigh in
• Accountancy Today | Xerocon 2026: the AI revolution and the human accountant
• News 24 | South African small businesses are thriving, but playing it safe
• New Zealand Herald| Bay of Plenty trails national average in small business productivity – report (paywalled)
• Tech Radar | “It’s never been a more exciting time to imagine what’s possible with software’: Xero CEO outlines how AI could transform the finance industry as we know it
• Smart Company | Xero launches Ultra, its ERP alternative for growing Australian businesses
• Acuity Mag | The rise of Accountable Intelligence

June

• BNN Bloomberg | Canadian small business growth weakest among peers: Xero
• LBC, Kate Hayward | We need to help young people create their own opportunities, not just find jobs
• Wall Street Journal | Xero CFO on Navigating Investors’ AI Concerns
• The Australian | AI CEOs being cloned to front investor calls in any language (paywalled)
• Radio New Zealand | Small business productivity continues to lag
• New Zealand Herald | NZ small businesses lag Australia and UK in Xero productivity report (paywalled)
• Australian Associated Press | Small business, payments system brace for payday super
• New Zealand Herald | The SME AI opportunity is real, but so is the confidence gap – Bridget Snelling (paywalled)
• Forbes Australia | New ‘payday super’ changes come into effect today. Here’s what you need to know
• Fortune | How to run a company when the AI agents vastly outnumber the humans (paywalled)
• Business Insider | The AI boom is giving these execs more power — and headaches — than ever (paywalled)
• Dynamic Business | LogiWork 2026: How can our work tools do more for us?
• ABC News | Small business owners concerned for personal savings amid payday super changes
• AI Impact | Xero unveils new AI-powered tools to help South African accountants move from paperwork to proactive action
• Fintech Times | The TikTok Treasury: Why the UK’s Next Generation of Founders is Turning to Social Media and AI for Financial Literacy
• Forbes Council, Kate Hayward | How To Prepare For A Future Where Tax Is Digital
• Courier Mail| Australian businesses face $6 billion cash crunch due to new Payday Super rules (paywalled)
• The West Australian | WA small businesses top nation for productivity, Xero data shows (paywalled)
• Yahoo Finance | Australian economy slows as exports, government spending drag on growth
• Capital Brief | Small business productivity rises for second consecutive quarter: Xero

May

• The diginomica network podcast | Xero CP&TO reveals the accountants lessons for agentic AI success
• TechAisle, Anurag Agrawal | Xero’s AI Evolution: Architecting the Autonomous Financial OS
• Intelligent Investor | Xero: AI an Opportunity, Not a Threat (paywalled)
• Switzer Podcast | Xero CEO Sukhinder Singh Cassidy on Claude, Melio and the US challenger play
• CNBC Changemakers| Standout Lessons in Leadership
• The Bear and The Bull | Building the AI financial engine for small business growth in today’s economy
• Elite Business, Kate Hayward | Making Tax Digital is here – what small businesses need to know now
• Dynamic Business | The emotional cost of running a small business has never been higher
• The Straits Times | Saving lives, protecting families, enabling companies in need: How home-grown SMEs are creating impact beyond profits
• TechEDT| Xero Lite brings lower-cost finance tools to Malaysian small businesses
• New Zealand Herald | AI seen as biggest opportunity since internet for small businesses – but fear holds many back, Xero research finds (paywalled)
• The Straits Times | Saving lives, protecting families, enabling companies in need: How home-grown SMEs are creating impact beyond profits
• Dynamic Business| Federal Budget 2026: Who wins, who loses?
• ITBrief Australia | Xero launches XeroForce AI agent builder for finance
• Corporate Competitor Podcast | Sukhinder Singh Cassidy: Why FOMO Beats Fear
• Wall Street Journal | Xero Lifts Annual Earnings 18%, Flags More Growth Ahead
• SBS On the Money | Xero CEO on the SaaSpocolypse, AI integration and impact on the economy
• Fear & Greed Podcast | Afternoon Report | ASX up as miners, banks climb
• ITBrief Australia| Xero launches live Claude integration for customers
• Forbes | Free AI Training Available And Other SMB Technology News This Week
• The West Australian | Federal Budget 2026: Bigger write-offs and fuel support is what small business wants from Jim Chalmers
• The West Australian | New analysis finds WA workers were short-changed $2.8b in unpaid super (paywalled)
• Dynamic Business | Australian small businesses outperformed the US, UK, Canada and New Zealand in Q1

April

• LinkedIn News Australia | LinkedIn Top Companies 2026: The 25 best employers to grow your career in Australia
• LBC, Kate Hayward | Digital tax shake-up hits small firms, MTD for IT is a mindset shift, not just more admin
• Fast Company | Entrepreneurship was never easy, but it doesn’t need to be relentless
• Forbes | The $100 Billion Bet On Modernizing Your Finance Team
• First Round Capital podcast | AI killed the product roadmap | Diya Jolly
• Radio New Zealand | Small business sales continue upward momentum, but Iran war uncertainty lingers
• news.com.au | ‘Solid start’: Australian small businesses coping with Middle East crisis despite warning worst is yet to come
• NewstalkZB | Middle East conflict expected to dampen small business sales’ momentum
• Smart Company | Stressed about payday super? ATO says the underlying tech is ready (paywalled)
• Techcouver | Xero Opens a Technology Hub in Vancouver to Accelerate AI Roadmap
• Fintech Times | Accounting Moves to the Age of the Agent with Xero & Anthropic partnership
• CTV News | Haven’t filed your taxes? These last-minute tips are for you
• ITBrief New Zealand | Xero launches AI-native operating system for small firms
• Yahoo Finance | How Xero is using AI to stay ahead of the SAAS-pocalypse
• Human In The Loop, James Bergin | A Positive & Practical Take on AI with James Bergin from Xero – Human In The Loop 
• CNBC Africa | How South African SMEs are adapting in volatile conditions
• Forbes Council, Kate Hayward | How To Use AI To Amplify Your Entrepreneurial Spark
• Business Brief, Colin Timmis | SME stress burden – the real cost of global turbulence
• Smart Company | From ambition to strategy: How the founders of Love Tea and Bread Beauty Supply are building legacy brands

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That’s why I’m really excited that for two weeks from 28th September, four of our amazing small business customers from across London will be rubbing shoulders with these big brands in the lights of Piccadilly. 

At Xero we’re so proud to support over one million small businesses and their advisors in the UK. We picked these four businesses to showcase not just their importance, but the importance of every single business like them and how thankful we are to play a small part in their story.

Small businesses are at the heart of every high street and every neighbourhood. But they rarely get recognised at the scale of big business. I’m married to a small business owner – my husband has run one for 6 years – so I know what this means. It can mean late nights, juggling multiple jobs, missing family events, chasing invoices, and so on. I’ve also seen first-hand how much difference an accountant makes to easing some of that pressure.

Most small business owners started for a reason that had nothing to do with spreadsheets. They started because they love what they do. We wanted to put that on arguably the most famous screen in the world, and give them the recognition they deserve.

Meet the London businesses 

N5 Kitchen, Finsbury Park

What began with Millie’s private cheffing, with Suzie coming in to help with dinner parties and odd jobs, has grown over eight years into a much-loved cafe and catering business. For them, it’s always been about people, their team, their regulars, and the small glimpses into customers’ lives they get every day.

Grace & Thorn, East London

An independent East London florist bringing colour, craft and personality to the city, one arrangement at a time. Founded by Nik Southern in 2011 and based near London Fields, they’ve spent over 15 years helping people see flowers differently. Alongside their nationwide bouquets and London flower delivery service, they create wedding flowers, event installations, and corporate flowers.

Deptford Boxing, Deptford

After eight years of coaching, and around the time his first son was born, the founder John Dang took a leap of faith. A crowdfunder raised enough to get the gym off the ground, and two and a half years later it’s a grassroots fixture in the community he grew up in. Coaching is the passion. The business side took some learning, and he’s the first to say that the team and community around him make all the difference.

De Nadas, across London

De Nadas opened its first empanada shop on Golborne Road in Notting Hill in 2022. It now has shops in Shoreditch, Stoke Newington, Kew Gardens and Bethnal Green, plus a central kitchen. The founders love being part of the neighbourhood, getting to know the people around them, and converting plenty of first-timers into empanada fans.

A huge thank you to the founders behind these small businesses; Millie, Suzie, Nik, John, Annabel, Ñako and Nico, for sharing your stories with us and making my dream of running a campaign in Piccadilly Lights come true. What better way to do it than with small businesses. 

Love is why so many businesses started

You’ll see this message loud and clear in the Piccadilly billboards, the love these four business owners have for what they do and the communities they support. Small business owners start out of a love for what they do, but running the business, especially the financial side, can get in the way of that.

Our job at Xero is to be the helping hand that takes care of some of the admin, so owners can spend more time on the things they started their business for. And, to support the most important people behind these businesses, accountants and bookkeepers. They’re the ones who make sense of the numbers when the owner is, in the words of one of our featured founders, “not a numbers person”. They’re there for every step – spotting problems early, celebrating the wins and giving small businesses the confidence to focus on their passion.

This campaign is for small business owners, and for the accountants and bookkeepers who support them.

Support your local businesses 

As we head into autumn, it won’t be long before everyone starts thinking about the festive season. So I’d ask one thing. When you’re buying gifts, booking the work Christmas lunch or getting coffee, think about the independent businesses on your doorstep. Every pound spent locally goes further than you think. It pays wages, keeps high streets alive and helps someone keep doing what they love.

If you’re passing through Piccadilly Circus this week, look up and then go and support a small business near you.

The post For two weeks, the biggest screen in London belongs to small business appeared first on Xero Blog.

The Employment Leave Bill received Royal Assent on 6 August 2026, becoming the Employment Leave Act 2026. The new Act will replace the Holidays Act 2003 from 6 August 2028.

For now, the current Holidays Act continues to apply. But the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has recommended that employers, accountants and bookkeepers start preparing for the transition today. That includes checking payroll data and employee records, and making sure you’re using the current leave setup available in their payroll software.

Changes to payroll legislation can create a lot of questions for small businesses and their advisors. Xero has closely followed the Employment Leave reforms and, now that the legislation is confirmed, is preparing Xero Payroll for the changes and helping customers transition smoothly when they take effect.

What’s changing?

The Employment Leave Act is intended to simplify how leave is earned, taken and paid in New Zealand.

Among the changes, the new system will introduce:

• Hours-based accrual for annual and sick leave from day one
• Sick leave that is proportionate to an employee’s contracted hours
• New rules for classifying hours worked into standard, casual and additional hours which impact leave accruals / payment
• Simpler leave payment calculations
• New requirements for leave records and pay statements

Employment New Zealand has published detailed guidance on what the changes mean and how employers can prepare, as well as a suggested preparation timeline. For more detail on the reform itself, MBIE has also published an overview of the Holidays Act reform and Employment Leave Act 2026.

What is Xero doing?

Now that the legislation is confirmed, we’re putting our response into practice.

We’re already working through the changes needed in Xero Payroll to help our customers get ready for the 6 August 2028 commencement date. We’ll share more detail as that work progresses, including what will change in Xero Payroll and any steps customers, accountants and bookkeepers will need to take.

In the meantime, the current Holidays Act continues to apply, and there are useful things businesses can start doing now to make the transition easier.

Start with accurate, up-to-date payroll data

Good payroll data will make the eventual transition easier.

Employment New Zealand recommends reviewing payroll and employment data during the preparation period to identify gaps or entitlements that may affect implementation and leave conversion.

That means making sure employee information is current and addressing known issues in payroll or leave records rather than carrying them forward into the transition.

For accountants and bookkeepers running payroll on behalf of clients, it’s also worth identifying which client organisations may need attention well before 2028.

Using Xero Payroll? Check whether you need to update your leave setup

Organisations that started using Xero Payroll from 5 August 2024 already use our current employment types and leave setup.

Some organisations that started using Xero Payroll before then still need to move from the older leave setup to the current experience.

If that’s you, Xero has a conversion tool to guide you through the change. It helps you:

• Check whether any employee settings need updating
• Review and confirm employment types
• Review how existing leave balances will be converted
• Complete the move with step-by-step guidance in Xero

Most organisations complete the conversion in around three minutes.

Completing the conversion now means your organisation is using Xero’s current approach to employment types and leave under the Holidays Act, putting you in a better position as preparation for the Employment Leave Act progresses.

How the current conversion prepares you for future changes

Customers still using Xero’s older leave setup will need to move to the current leave units and employment types experience before transitioning to the future Employment Leave Act requirements. 

Moving leave records from hours to weeks and days may seem unnecessary when the Employment Leave Act will introduce a new hours-based framework from 6 August 2028. 

However, the current Holidays Act and the incoming Employment Leave Act work differently. The new Act introduces different rules for how leave is earned, taken, paid and recorded, so the older setup cannot simply carry over to the new model.

Making the move now allows you to review your employee settings and leave balances well before 2028, putting your payroll records in a better position for the future transition. Waiting will not remove the need to complete the current conversion. 

Xero Payroll will continue supporting customers under the current Holidays Act while we prepare for the new legislation.

What happens next?

We’ll keep employers, accountants and bookkeepers updated as that work progresses, with clear guidance well ahead of the new rules taking effect.

For now, continue following the current Holidays Act, keep your payroll and employee information up to date and, if you’re still using Xero’s older leave setup, complete the move to the current experience.

Using Xero Payroll and still need to convert?

Complete your leave units and employment types conversion now.

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Context makes capability useful

I describe our collective task as taking the raw AI capability on offer, including from foundation model providers like Anthropic, and refining it into genuine business utility. That refinement is driven by context – the workflows and processes behind the business, the financial data that courses through them, and the human judgement that sits on top of the numbers. Accountants and bookkeepers have always been experts in capturing and refining this context, which is just one of the reasons why the profession matters more now than ever.

Sure, AI can assemble and analyse data at speed, but it still needs a reliable foundation. For twenty years, Xero has built a platform where advisors and small businesses collaborate on financial context, permissions and workflows. Now, this gives AI capabilities a reliable system of agreed truth, grounded in real human collaboration and rich financial context, so models can execute routine work accurately while advisors and business owners remain in complete control of the decisions that follow. Capability → Utility. As an example of this in action, since launching our integration with Claude, thousands of customers have put this to work in their business context, daily.

The harness and keeping humans in the lead

In AI terminology, a ‘harness’ is everything surrounding the model that controls how it interacts with its environment: the context it accesses, the permissions it inherits, the boundaries it holds, and the deliberate pause points where it requests human validation. Those conditions become increasingly important as we ask AI to help with more tasks. For example: there are AI capabilities that can help reconcile, forecast, rank and draft, but they must stop before committing consequential actions, keeping people in control of the outcomes.

Research into cognitive offloading led me to a shorthand principle that I keep coming back to: “brain first, AI second.” People need to supply the intent, context and the purpose up front, while AI capabilities need to be deployed within those parameters and specified guardrails, making human judgement the starting point.

Because the reality is that accountability doesn’t move. For accountants and bookkeepers, this isn’t news: reviewing and standing behind the work product has always been the professional standard. So, having a reliable harness to help with focusing AI capability into utility has to be in aid of enhancing and supporting that core accountability.

Scaling governance so small businesses don’t have to

Broader AI adoption can’t depend on every small business owner figuring out how to set guardrails, build governance and manage model safety on their own. Nobody started a (non-AI consultancy) small business to become an AI governance expert – well, not any that I’ve met yet!

That’s why the harness matters, and matters at scale. For our part, the five million small businesses and advisors who trust Xero with their financial records today – and the many more we aim to support as we grow – are relying on us to build and maintain the best possible harness. As model capabilities continue to expand, we know that the ability to manage permissions, context, safety research and workflow integration have to scale with them. And alignment between the organisations building these foundations is one of the things that makes that possible.

Shaping the trajectory together

AI capabilities are already being embedded in how people work, and creating opportunities larger than any single model, product, platform or company. We think that reliably capturing and leveraging those opportunities requires the ecosystem to align around the needs of small businesses and their advisors; our partnership with Anthropic is one step in that direction.

By focusing on the context, keeping the harness in place and holding to a system of agreed truth, we’re working to shape a future where human judgement leads and AI serves people, their advisors and their communities in realising the business future they prefer.

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