A.I. and New Rules for Accounting Are an Opportunity for Start-Ups

For years in France, accountants have been more than just number crunchers, instead serving as important advisers to businesses of all sizes.

But artificial intelligence and a wave of new regulations are forcing the profession to adapt to an evolving world where balancing companies’ ledgers isn’t enough.

It is a change that software start-ups are seeking to capitalize on.

Among them is Pennylane, a six-year-old upstart whose bookkeeping software is now used by roughly a third of France’s small or medium-size businesses. Its success has driven its ambitions of expanding across Europe and has drawn the attention of big investors, who valued the company this year at about $4.25 billion.

“We think we can build a 500 billion-euro company,” Arthur Waller, a founder of Pennylane and its chief executive, said in an interview.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/23/business/dealbook/pennylane-ai-accounting-france.html