Innovative, easily deployable and scalable solution will meet requirements of 2024-2026 Finance Law

Esker, a global cloud platform and leader in AI-driven process automation solutions for finance and customer service functions, and Quadient, a leader in helping businesses create meaningful customer connections through digital and physical channels, today announced that their years-long collaboration will take on a new dimension by partnering with the French government’s upcoming Partner Dematerialization Platform (PDP).

Quadient and Esker have been working together for more than seven years through their joint subsidiary NCS, a strategic partnership that allows Quadient to leverage Esker's technology expertise for automating and digitizing customer and supplier invoices. The new direction NCS is taking strengthens this collaboration and ensures that businesses of all sizes experience a smooth and secure transition to compliance with upcoming French tax regulations according to the defined timetable, whether invoices are received or transmitted by mail, email in PDF format, portal, EDI or another channel.

The finance law requires that invoices exchanged between VAT taxpayers must be transmitted in a structured data format (UBL, UNCEFACT CII) or hybrid format (Factur-X):

• As of July 1, 2024 for all VAT taxable entities receiving invoices
• As of July 1, 2024 for large companies issuing invoices
• As of January 1, 2025 this applies to medium-sized businesses issuing invoices
• As of January 1, 2026 this applies to all micro and small businesses issuing invoices

The PDP, which will be approved by the government, will send and receive electronic invoices between entities while simultaneously transmitting the required invoicing data to the Public Portal (PPF), and electronically reports all necessary transaction data.

“The widespread implementation of electronic invoicing over the next three years is a major challenge for the four million companies in France. As a major player in the electronic document management market for small and medium-sized businesses, we look forward to our continued partnership with Esker, in which we join forces and expertise to offer businesses straightforward and efficient invoicing process automation,” said Nicolas de Beco, Chief Strategy and Product Officer for Intelligent Document Automation at Quadient. “The government’s timetable calls for a long and gradual transition, and we know that for many companies, compliance can be a source of anxiety because it brings about profound changes. By offering flexible and adapted solutions, we want to help them anticipate the implementation of new management methods that are connected and automated, so that they are able to meet regulatory deadlines with confidence.”

As members of the National e-Invoice Forum and active participants in workshops organized by the General Administration of Public Finances (DGFiP) and the Agency for Financial Information Technology of the State (AIFE), Esker and Quadient are currently in the process of preparing for the registration process beginning in September 2023, with governmental accreditation expected in accordance to the officially defined timeframes.

In addition to being in compliance with regulatory guidelines, businesses will also be able to take advantage of complementary services, such as centralized management of all workflows, business process automation, complete visibility over and tracking of communications, invoice archiving, processing of associated documents, payment reconciliation and reporting capabilities. These services are facilitated by easy interconnectability with other business solutions and interoperability with other platforms, which enables them to simplify and optimize management processes, accelerate their digital transformation and improve their cash management.

“Esker is proud to support Quadient in this project. As long-standing partners, our two companies have demonstrated their ability to work together to deliver innovative solutions that benefit thousands of businesses in France today,” said Emmanuel Olivier, COO at Esker. “We are committed to helping our customers today and in the future in turning these regulatory developments into opportunity for growth and acceleration of the digital transformation.”

About Esker

Esker is a global cloud platform built to unlock strategic value for finance and customer service professionals, and strengthen collaboration between companies by automating the cash conversion cycle. Esker’s solutions incorporate technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) to drive increased productivity, enhanced visibility, reduced fraud risk, and improved collaboration with customers, suppliers and internally. Esker operates in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific with global headquarters in Lyon, France, and U.S. headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin. For more information on Esker and its solutions, visit www.esker.com. Follow Esker on LinkedIn and join the conversation on the Esker blog at blog.esker.com.

About Quadient^®

Quadient is the driving force behind the world’s most meaningful customer experiences. By focusing on three key solution areas, Intelligent Communication Automation, Parcel Locker Solutions and Mail-Related Solutions, Quadient helps simplify the connection between people and what matters. Quadient supports hundreds of thousands of customers worldwide in their quest to create relevant, personalized connections and achieve customer experience excellence. Quadient is listed in compartment B of Euronext Paris (QDT) and is part of the SBF 120^®, CAC^® Mid 60 and EnterNext^® Tech 40 indices. For more information about Quadient, visit www.quadient.com.

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