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The new Archives Act is expected to take effect on January 1, 2027. This is a logical step, as documents are increasingly received and processed digitally. Examples include invoices sent via Peppol, contracts stored in a document management system, and approvals processed through digital workflows. The Archives Act primarily applies to government bodies, such as ministries, municipalities, and water boards. Other organizations may also be subject to the Act if they exercise public authority. It is therefore important for employees and managers in financial administration and procurement to take a critical look at the entire document workflow. Documents must not only be processed correctly, but also be reliable, legible, accessible, and easy to retrieve.

AI has become an indispensable part of administrative processes. Documents are automatically recognized, data is extracted, and posting suggestions are becoming increasingly sophisticated. But the next development is already on the horizon: agentic AI. Whereas AI has primarily helped with performing individual tasks up to now, an AI agent can independently combine multiple steps within a process. Think of recognizing an invoice, verifying data, detecting discrepancies, and then determining what the next step should be. Translated with DeepL.com (free version) For finance and procurement, this means that automation is shifting away from mere recognition and increasingly focusing on verification, assessment, and action. And that is precisely what is becoming important now that generative AI is making it easier to mimic convincing documents, messages, and even identities.

For CFOs, ESG reporting is increasingly shifting from a future concern to a concrete responsibility. New laws and regulations require organizations to provide insight not only into their own performance, but also into that of their suppliers and supply chain partners. This includes CO2 emissions, the origin of goods, transportation movements, and sustainability policies within the supply chain. The challenge? Much of that information isn’t stored in separate ESG systems, but in everyday procurement documents such as invoices, order confirmations, and packing slips. That’s precisely why the quality of financial and administrative data is playing an increasingly important role.