SAP Concur article discusses the importance of automated fraud detection in expense management. Citing 2025 report: 77% of finance leaders know an AP fraud victim in past five years, only 35% consider their prevention measures very effective. It highlights AI/ML for real-time monitoring and anomaly detection, and introduces SAP Concur solutions.
A SAP Concur blog post argues corporate compliance has moved from a back-office function to a business imperative. 77% of business leaders say detecting and managing risk is at an all-time high and nearly three-quarters worry they are falling behind. It outlines compliance team roles (officers, auditors, legal advisors, analysts) and responsibilities spanning regulatory compliance, policy development, risk assessment, monitoring, training and incident response, citing ACFE data that organizations lose up to 5% of annual revenue to fraud.
A SAP Concur blog post discusses practical applications of AI in spend management, including auto-categorizing transactions, identifying duplicate submissions and potential fraud, matching receipts to credit card charges, and recommending policy-compliant alternatives. Citing McKinsey, it notes AI could create up to $4.4 trillion in annual global economic value, 92% of companies are increasing AI investment, but only 1% consider themselves mature in their AI approach.
A SAP Concur blog post argues that modern expense reporting and accounts payable (AP) management should start with AP automation, then build resilience through AI and cybersecurity investment and a rethink of ESG. Its research shows 71% of companies say integrated, AI-enhanced travel and expense (T&E) technology improves expense-related fraud detection, and that adding automated AP solutions to integrated T&E solutions yields 22% annual cost savings. It also recommends spend-request tools to approve and control spending before it occurs and AI-embedded invoice solutions to deter fake vendors, duplicate payments and other fraud, while stressing financial storytelling to win leadership suppor…
The annual AP trends and predictions report from Ardent Partners, sponsored by SAP Concur, shows that 74% of AP departments planned to use artificial intelligence in some way by the end of 2024, a record-high adoption rate. AI and AP automation are improving invoice processing, fraud detection, forecasting, and cash flow management while freeing AP staff to focus on exceptions. The report also notes that AI risks must be addressed through governance and security controls, and that geopolitical conflicts and tariffs could raise prices and inflation, increase global invoicing complexity, and disrupt supply chains. It predicts that 80% of routine tasks will be handled by AP automation within t…
SAP Concur published a blog on generative AI applications in travel and expense management. It cites survey data: 51% of CFOs are investing in AI technology, up from 15% in August 2023; 58% of CFOs have very little knowledge about AI and only 4% are confident they have a strong grasp of it. The post says 34% of travel managers feel constrained by expectations to implement AI tools without adequate training, and only 7% of AP teams currently use AI. SAP Concur says it has integrated AI and machine learning into its solutions for over a decade and lists four application areas: automation, compliance, fraud detection and spend analytics.
SAP Concur published a blog explaining financial reconciliation and the benefits of automation. It says reconciliation is a critical accounting function that uncovers errors, non-compliant spend and potential fraud while ensuring accurate financial reporting. Automated reconciliation can improve efficiency and accuracy, prevent fraud, and support strategic spend analysis and cash flow management. It cites SAP Concur user data: 32% less time approving expenses, up to 13 hours saved per week for accounting and finance teams, and an $18 reduction in the cost of expense report processing.
SAP Concur published a blog on November 25, 2024, offering best practices and checklists for expense audits. It cites data that 13% of misappropriation fraud comes from expense reimbursement schemes, with median losses of $50,000. It recommends auditing every expense or focusing on high-risk areas such as cash purchases and frequent travelers; auditing before approval; mandating corporate cards; and integrating AI for compliance checks. It also lists success stories from Uber, PETRONAS, Penn State University, and Chobani.
The SAP Concur Conversations podcast explores how AI is transforming financial functions and elevating the work of financial professionals. Guest Nathanael L'Heureux (Chief Solutions Ambassador at Oversight) notes that AI and machine learning can automate mundane tasks, enhance fraud detection, and work in tandem with human expertise. The podcast discusses how financial professionals can become 'AI champions' in their organizations and what skills will be crucial. The conversation emphasizes that AI is a tool requiring human guidance and suggests finance professionals learn AI tools, choose appropriate technologies, and become thought leaders.
This SAP Concur blog post explores the application of artificial intelligence in accounts payable (AP) processes. It notes that AI can automatically capture key invoice details, perform three-way matching, improve compliance and fraud detection, thereby enhancing efficiency and insight. Research shows that 63% of finance leaders plan to invest in cutting-edge technologies this year. AI cannot replace human expertise but can reduce manual work, allowing employees to focus on higher-value tasks.
SAP Concur blog and WSJ podcast discuss T&E compliance. T&E fraud is a human problem; when employees book and expense themselves, they can easily fall outside policy accidentally or purposely. Random audits are like looking for a needle in a haystack. AI and machine learning can help build a culture of compliance, automatically auditing every transaction and detecting fraud, errors, and misuse.
In a SAP Concur podcast, Oversight's Mike Eberhard and Chris Juneau discuss how AI and machine learning help finance teams identify spending patterns. SAP Concur's Jeanne Dion says SaaS lets finance professionals implement technology quickly with a lighter IT lift, positioning them as more strategic partners. Juneau notes humans aren't ideally suited for pattern matching across vast data, and AI could be liberating for finance professionals. Dion points out that without AI, identifying fraudulent behavior can take up to 14 months. Eberhard sees back-office processes like expenses or payables as a perfect spot to automate, ignored for 20 years.
SAP Concur says many aerospace, defense, and government contracting (ADG) organizations still use manual, paper-based travel and expense processes, which can frustrate employees, cause costly errors and noncompliance, and raise fraud risk. The sector also faces Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) audit requirements, government oversight, and red tape. SAP Concur offers mobile-friendly travel and expense management, using automation and integration to control employee spend and meet government audit and compliance checks, with ADG packages that include tools to detect fraud and support travelers in emergencies.
An SAP Concur blog post explains how invoice automation digitizes the vendor invoicing process to create faster, leaner, more cost-effective AP workflows. Data cited includes: 62% of organizations report financial losses from fraud in the last three years; invoice processing time decreased by 82% to 3.1 days per invoice; cost to process each invoice decreased by 80% to $2.78; invoice exceptions decreased by 59% to 9%. Only 51% of organizations say they can immediately recognize AP fraud, and 36% still report using no technologies to detect or prevent finance fraud. The article also lists capabilities to consider when evaluating automated AP solutions, including OCR capture, AI planning, das…
SAP Concur announced two new solution extensions delivered through its partner ecosystem: Concur Tax Assurance by VATBox and Concur Detect by Oversight. The former leverages AI and VAT/GST compliance knowledge to help organizations comply with global tax regulations and increase reclaim potential; the latter combines Oversight's spend management and risk mitigation expertise to analyze expenses before and after payment, spot suspicious spend patterns, and prioritize risk. The article cites the ACFE 2020 report stating the median loss from expense report fraud is $33,000.
SAP Concur published a podcast conversation between former SAP Concur executives Mike Eberhard and Chris Juneau, and Jeanne Dion, discussing the impact of technology on finance and accounting. The conversation covers the evolution from GUI to SaaS, smartphones, and now AI and machine learning. They note that AI is uniquely suited for pattern identification, helping finance professionals focus on strategic tasks and address challenges like compliance and fraud detection. The conversation also mentions that during the pandemic, cases of noncompliance or potential fraud increased by over 200%, and issues such as unused tickets, gift card purchases, and excessive mileage reimbursement.
SAP Concur blog highlights that employee T&E fraud can severely damage healthcare organizations' brand reputation. Nearly 20% of T&E expenses fall outside policy. Healthcare workers drive 1,700 miles annually on average, claim 20% more mileage than other industries, and over-estimate mileage by 15%. 58% of respondents are unsure if their company is at risk for global compliance. 33% still spend 76+ hours monthly auditing expense reports. Automation can reduce errors by up to 66% and cut auditing time by as much as 90%.
Part two of SAP Concur's blog series discusses how to prevent employee expense fraud by reviewing T&E policies, establishing prevention and detection processes, using reporting to monitor data, and comparing control benchmarks. ACFE's Global 2020 Study on Occupational Fraud shows companies with internal policy controls have lower fraud losses and quicker detection. The article recommends regularly updating T&E policies, clarifying acceptable expenses, and setting up automated audit rules.
The article outlines six applications of AI in back-office expense management: increasing expense report reliability (only 20% of expenses go through proper auditing), reducing fraud risk (ACFE reports average annual fraud loss equals 5% of an organization's revenue with average loss per case of $1.5M), gaining control of regulatory compliance, adapting to policy changes, boosting employee experience, and recovering tax (42% of employee spend submitted for VAT/GST reimbursement does not meet reclaim requirements due to incorrect data, and global market potential for VAT reclaim is almost $75 billion).
SAP Concur hosted multiple sessions at SAPPHIRE NOW focusing on machine learning, AI-driven fraud detection, and travel and expense management transformation. IBM will share how SAP Leonardo Machine Learning improves T&E app user experience; Shell will present consolidating multiple global expense management systems into one integrated system serving 90,000 users; EY will show how to use T&E data to reduce cross-border tax and immigration risk. Sessions also cover AI and machine learning driving intelligence, compliance and fraud detection best practices, employee spend visibility, and end-to-end integration with SAP ERP and S/4HANA.
A SAP Concur blog post discusses challenges facing city managers: they are stuck with paper receipts and Excel sheets, and manual spend processes lead to inefficiency and lack of visibility. It cites data: it takes an average of 26 minutes to manually complete one expense report; 31% of public sector managers say they still lack adequate visibility into expenses; a 2018 Kelton report found 73% of government financial decision-makers reported their organization struggled to remain compliant; a 2017 Mile IQ report found 34.5% of employees admitted to inflating mileage, with 76% saying they could do so because their organizations handled expenses manually; on average, 19% of expense reports an…
A SAP Concur blog post presents fraud detection strategies shared by Ford Motor Company and CenterPoint Energy in an ACFE webinar: combining p-card data with expense reports to analyze trends; reviewing employee spend in all investigations; and using systems to analyze 100% of transactions and flag risks. In the Ford case, reviewing two years of expense reports uncovered $3,000 in fraudulent spend.
SAP Concur released its "The Robots Are Here" whitepaper exploring how AI and machine learning are applied to back-office business processes, including reviewing all expenses and invoices, detecting fraud, and automatically checking GST, HST, and VAT rules to find reclaim opportunities.
SAP Concur blog highlights that increasing employee-initiated spend channels complicate compliance and fraud risks. ACFE data shows asset misappropriation occurs in over 86% of occupational fraud cases with a median loss of $100,000, while financial statement fraud accounts for 10% of cases but a median loss of $954,000. Travel and expense is a major fraud area, with schemes including mileage padding, fake expenses, and unused airline tickets. Proactive data monitoring can reduce fraud losses by 33%.
SAP Concur blog cites an Oversight-sponsored Spend Insight Report showing corporate spend risk has nearly tripled since the pandemic, with remote work becoming an open invitation to high-risk spending. T&E spend infractions shot up 292% between 2019 and 2020, while out-of-pocket and fraud violations climbed 32% and 12% respectively. With more remote and hybrid workers, it's harder to tell how much spending crosses the line. Finance leaders must re-examine spend management and strengthen controls and audits.