Accounting software provider FreeAgent has announced a new partnership with smart spend management platform Pleo, in a move to make it easier for UK small businesses to manage day-to-day expenses and cash flow.
The integration designates Pleo as FreeAgent’s preferred expense management partner. It will enable the seamless syncing of expenses, card transactions, receipts, and attachments from the Pleo platform directly into FreeAgent, complete with categories and VAT information.
This automation is designed to reduce the significant burden of manual data entry, eliminate the need for finance teams to chase employees for missing receipts, and ensure more accurate, up-to-date books.
Giving businesses a real-time view of spending
The partnership allows businesses to issue Pleo’s virtual or physical company cards to employees, while maintaining full control over spending limits and policies. Every transaction made with a Pleo card is automatically tracked, categorised, and matched with a receipt in the Pleo app.
Through the new integration, this data is then synced directly into the FreeAgent accounting software. This provides business owners and finance teams with a clear, real-time view of all company spending, from recurring subscriptions to one-off purchases, in one place.
The companies state that the result is less financial admin and more time for SME owners and teams to focus on running and growing their businesses, which is critical as cost pressures on small businesses remain high.
A shared vision to empower SMBs
FreeAgent, which was acquired by NatWest Group in 2018 but is run as an operationally independent entity, serves over 200,000 UK businesses. Pleo is one of Europe’s leading business spend solutions, trusted by over 40,000 businesses across 16 markets. Both companies highlighted their shared vision for supporting small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).
Roan Lavery, CEO and co-founder of FreeAgent, said: “We know how frustrating and time-consuming it can be for small businesses to keep track of spending, especially when lots of different people are making purchases.
“This partnership with Pleo takes a huge amount of that stress away. Expenses are recorded and sent straight into FreeAgent without the usual chasing around for receipts or spreadsheets. It just works in the background, so business owners can focus on running their business, not wrestling with their books.”
Haresh Bajaj, SVP at Pleo, added: “Pleo are thrilled to launch our integration with FreeAgent; two partners with a shared vision of empowering SMBs with seamless financial tools. This partnership is a step forward in simplifying workflows and unlocking greater value for our customers, and we’re excited about the impact we’ll achieve together.”
