Mastering The Four Forces: An Interview with Basware’s Jason Kurtz
Driving AP's Next Chapter
Meet the Authors
Key Takeaways
Autonomous AP is revolutionizing accounts payable by enabling rapid, high-ROI outcomes through AI-driven automation, which enhances data quality and supports strategic financial management.
Global e-invoicing compliance is becoming essential as mandates expand globally; organizations are advised to turn compliance into opportunities for cash flow optimization and fraud prevention.
The adoption of open supplier networks fosters collaboration and visibility between buyers and suppliers, improving cash management and streamlining processes while maintaining security and a comprehensive transaction history.
Accounts Payable (AP) is entering a pivotal time. According to Basware CEO Jason Kurtz, success will hinge on mastering four forces: autonomous AP, global e‑invoicing compliance, open supplier networks, and composable technology stacks. In our personal SAPinsider interview, Kurtz explains why these forces are transforming AP from a back‑office cost center into a strategic lever for cash, compliance, and fraud prevention.
Watch the sneak peek of our 2026 SAPinsider Enterprise Live interview series with Kurtz where he shares how the Four Forces are creating a new chapter for AP and Basware uses its over 40 years of deep expertise and AI trained on 2.3 billion invoices to give finance leaders tools to drive “100% automation, 100% compliance, and 100% protection.”
Force 1: Autonomous AP
Why start with AP in a transformation? Kurtz emphasizes that autonomous AP delivers low‑risk, high‑ROI outcomes in weeks or months—not years. Basware research shows that 88% of organizations advanced in their AP practices exceeded their gross profit targets compared to 66% of organizations improving. AP’s repeatable workflows are a natural fit for AI, enabling faster invoice capture, touchless matching, and predictive exception handling. This automation unlocks cleaner data across multi‑ERP landscapes and gives CFOs confidence to accelerate the financial close while improving audit readiness.
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“Autonomous AP is central to autonomous finance. When AP data is clean and connected, organizations don’t just optimize processes they unlock working‑capital levers, reduce fraud risk, and turn compliance into a competitive advantage.”
Jason Kurtz
CEO
Basware
Force 2: Global E‑Invoicing Compliance
E‑invoicing mandates are accelerating worldwide, creating a patchwork of Continuous Transaction Controls (CTC). Over 70 countries have already adopted CTC frameworks, and over 100 are predicted to have mandates by 2030. Kurtz emphasizes, it isn’t enough to de-risk compliance, organizations need to turn it into opportunities – optimizing cashflow, strengthening supplier relationships, and preventing fraud before it even happens. Basware’s dedicated compliance team has over 40+ years of specialized expertise in invoice-centric automation. They track mandate timelines and embed rules directly into AP workflows. As a result, organizations avoid automation setbacks when new mandates go live and maintain a single source of truth for invoice data across countries.
Force 3: Open Supplier Networks
Kurtz shares that the value of AP networks grows with adoption. Buyers and suppliers benefit from shared, real‑time visibility, simpler onboarding, and stronger cash management. An “open network” according to Kurtz facilitates adoption by allowing “buyers and suppliers to work together in a collaborative, integrated data-sharing way.” A unified connection reduces portal sprawl, preserves enterprise‑grade security, and provides a complete digital trail for each transaction. This lowers friction in the AP process, improves supplier experiences, and helps companies become a “customer of choice” in tight supply markets.
Force 4: Composable Technology Stacks
Rather than customizing the core of SAP to meet every AP nuance, Kurtz points out that leading teams place purpose‑built invoice lifecycle management on top of SAP ERP and SAP S/4HANA. This specialized ILM layer reduces complexity by giving businesses the ability to keep up with accelerating real-time regulations and AI advancement without tying mandate update processes to typical 6–18-month ERP release cycles. Mandates can change in weeks. One global manufacturer eliminated 3,000 customizations by pairing Basware with S/4HANA, keeping a clean core while standardizing AP across business units. This decoupled approach delivers immediate AP value today and readies the enterprise for the future of their ERP and AP requirements.
Listen to the Podcast Series & Watch for the Feature Article in SAPinsider Magazine
Watch our sneak peek of our 2026 SAPinsider Enterprise Live interview series, listen to the five-part podcast series coming in early 2026, and read our expanded four‑page feature article in SAPinsider Magazine, debuting at SAPinsider North America in Las Vegas, March 16–19.
