Esker and Quadient Partner on Electronic Invoicing in France

Automation solutions provider Esker and communication solutions supplier Quadient have partnered with the French government’s upcoming Partner Dematerialization Platform (PDP) to help businesses transition to compliance with upcoming French tax regulations.

The French finance law requires that invoices exchanged between value added tax (VAT) taxpayers must be transmitted in a structured data format or hybrid format. This requirement is being rolled out in stages from July 1, 2024, through Jan. 1, 2026, the companies said Monday (Nov. 21) in a press release.

Quadient and Esker have been working together for seven years through their joint subsidiary NCS. With the new collaboration, they will help businesses of all sizes comply with the regulations, whether invoices are received or transmitted by mail, email in PDF format, portal, electronic data interchange (EDI) or another channel, the release said.

“The widespread implementation of electronic invoicing over the next three years is a major challenge for the 4 million companies in France,” Nicolas de Beco, chief strategy and product officer for intelligent document automation at Quadient, said in the release. “As a major player in the electronic document management market for small and medium-sized businesses, we look forward to our continued partnership with Esker, in which we join forces and expertise to offer businesses straightforward and efficient invoicing process automation.”

The collaboration will also enable businesses to take advantage of complementary services that will help them optimize their management processes and improve their cash management, according to the press release.

“We are committed to helping our customers today and in the future in turning these regulatory developments into opportunity for growth and acceleration of the digital transformation,” Esker Chief Operating Officer Emmanuel Olivier said in the release.

eInvoicing is, or is in the process of being, mandated across hundreds of countries worldwide, Billtrust President Steve Pinado told PYMNTS’ Karen Webster in an interview posted in October.

Depending on where you look, different governments have different standards as they regulate taxes and customs, and as they seek to set up electronic, auditable document trails, Pinado said.