Ep. 158. Insights: Perfect storm for change and digitisation

Jason Bates talks to a crack team of experts to find out about the pressures facing small businesses and the solutions that rapid technological change can provide

This week Jason is joined by Edward Berks, Director of Banking, Fintech & Ecosystem at Xero; Clare Sheehan, Deputy Director of Making Tax Digital for Business at HMRC; Mags Laidlaw, accountant and Partner at Mazars; and Charlie Wood from Capco, representing the fintech angle.

We discuss the changes that are coming for small businesses (SMBs), including the digitisation of tax. So how can SMBs keep up, and how can we raise the profile of the changes that are coming?

We hear why the traditional role of accountants might be changing, and why we're still going to need them in future!

Are professional services business models changing as a result of technology? And among all the change and progress, what will be the role of people and where can they really add value?

How far are we really from a set of workable tax APIs? Clare explains what HMRC are doing to streamline the process of filing returns.

And finally, what do SMBs have to look forward to in the coming years? We talk about the impact of PSD2, relationship management and where to find support.

We hope you enjoy the show - don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode, and we'd also love it if you could leave us a review on iTunes! Get in touch at podcasts@11fs.com or on Twitter @FintechInsiders and follow us on Facebook.

Special Guests: Charlie Wood, Clare Sheehan, Edward Berks, and Margaret Laidlaw.