Inside Payhawk’s “AI Office of the CFO” launch

Payhawk, the London-based spend management platform, has introduced a new suite of artificial intelligence agents intended to assist corporate finance teams with administrative burdens.

Branded the “AI Office of the CFO,” the offering is designed to handle time-consuming tasks such as chasing receipts, processing purchase requests, and answering payment inquiries—functions typically overseen by staff within finance departments.

The launch underscores the broader trend of integrating AI tools into finance operations to enhance productivity, though it also raises familiar questions about oversight, compliance, and control.

According to Payhawk, its AI agents are built on the company’s existing enterprise-grade infrastructure and are governed by the same permissions and approval workflows already used by clients. That structure, the company says, is what enables the agents to take on real operational responsibilities without compromising internal controls.

“Finance leaders know AI will have an impact on their operations, but until now, there hasn’t been a clear and practical path forward,” said Hristo Borisov, CEO of Payhawk. “We’re not just adding AI features — we’re creating a new category of purpose-built agents that transform finance operations.”

Among the new tools is a Financial Controller Agent, designed to reduce the manual work of tracking down missing receipts and reviewing expense documents. It also flags transactions that deviate from policy or expected norms.

Other tools in the suite include:

• A Procurement Agent, which guides employees through purchase requests and approval steps via a conversational interface;
• A Travel Agent, which books policy-compliant travel and captures related expenses;
• And a Payments Agent, which responds to routine payment queries from staff.

While AI integrations have become more common across enterprise software, Payhawk’s approach aims to give these agents defined roles within established finance processes, rather than layering AI atop existing interfaces.

“Our platform already handles global spend management through licensed payments, established approval workflows, granular spend controls, and system integrations — the exact foundation needed for secure, effective AI implementation,” said Boyko Karadzov, CTO of Payhawk.

The announcement follows the release of Payhawk’s own CFO tech gap study, which found that 87% of finance leaders trust AI to take on part of their responsibilities.

Still, industry experts have cautioned that successful deployment of finance AI will depend less on enthusiasm and more on robust internal governance, particularly when handling sensitive payments data and compliance workflows.

The rollout of the “AI Office of the CFO” comes as finance leaders increasingly seek tools to free up teams from manual tasks—though many remain wary of automation that could compromise oversight.

Payhawk’s model appears focused on delivering AI within tight control frameworks, a nod to the compliance-first culture that defines modern finance.

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