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Xerocon London, Xero UK’s annual tech conference is always a key date in our diaries. With 3,000 attendees at this year show and a huge number of different Xero app providers and partners on hand, it's our chance to really delve into the Xero community.
So we were excited to take the team along to this year's expanded event at ExCel London on 14-15 November to see what's new in the Xero product and ecosystem.
Compliance at the core – but human at heart
Gary Turner, Xero UK MD, kicked off two days of presentation and insights with his opening keynote speech on Day 1. And he was keen to underline how Xero's vision remains unchanged when it comes to helping small businesses and their advisers;
“We're united behind the vision of helping others and helping small businesses to grow – they're the backbone of the economy. It's about having a positive impact on people's lives. We're human at heart.”
Xero is very much a people business, but there were some important updates and announcements regarding the main software product too – keeping Xero ahead of the cloud herd and also providing your business with an even more seamless accounting experience.
Key announcements included:
- A new user interface (UI) – there's a brand new UI on the way for Xero, and having seen a preview we can assure you that it's just as beautiful, with some serious tweaks to make you and your team even more productive.
- Compatibility with Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT – Xero is officially ready for MTD for VAT, so you'll be ready for the April 2019 deadline and will have greater control and visibility of your VAT, with the assurance of being MTD-compliant and connected in real-time to HMRC.
- Corporation tax and statutory accounts filing – Xero has acquired Instafile to automate tax preparation, bringing accounts preparation and tax filing to the accounting platform (making it even easier for your adviser to file your returns).
- Dexter the Digital Tax Advisor – Xero has launched Dexter, their new MTD mascot, as the friendly face of Making Tax Digital for VAT – you can check out a teaser video of Dexter here.
An ever-growing Xero ecosystem and app marketplace
Walking around the giant two-level Exhibition Hall, we were struck by just how BIG the Xero app ecosystem now is – whether you're looking for a fintech solution, a project management tool or one of the ever-expanding vertical solutions that cater to your specific sector or business type.
There are a lot of new apps out there, but we were also glad to see lots of improvements and updates from the key apps we use as a practice too. So you'll continue to see us improving your efficiency and reporting with apps like Receipt Bank and Spotlight Reporting etc.
Other key highlights included:
- iwoca winning Financial Services App of the Year – we were really pleased to see our friends at lending provider iwoca receive an award. You can see just easy iwoca make it to access funding in our recent Xero and iwoca video case study.
- GoCardless winning App Partner of the Year awards – it was also great to see GoCardless winning for the second year running. Automating payment is so important for positive cashflow, and GoCardless is our go-to Direct Debit payment option.
- Xero’s new, full-featured API for bank feeds – with five brand new bank feeds for leading fintech integrations – including TransferWise, Revolut, Tide, Starling Bank and Soldo – and more bank and fintech integrations on the way.
One connected Xero community
We’re already huge advocates for Xero, here at Day Accountants, but we came away from Xerocon with a renewed sense of love for what Xero brings to small businesses.
As a platform, Xero is now the centre of a bigger, connected system. All your accounts, financial management, banking and payments are connected up in the most seamless, practical and efficient ways – and that means it’s even easier for us to help you improve your business performance, increase your profits and achieve your business goals.
Talk to us about expanding your Xero set-up.