François Dupont is in charge of Sage in Belgium and Luxembourg. Working hand-in-hand with our network of seasoned partners, he ensures that clients maximise the benefits of their digital transformation processes, streamlining their operations and fostering easy innovation. François has been with Sage since 2018, bringing a wealth of industry experience to the table. He is dedicated to personally overseeing each project, prioritising attentive listening, human connection and open-mindedness. He also keeps a close eye on the latest legislation, translating it into practical, actionable recommendations. This approach helps the entire Sage community maintain its unique edge – as a group of trailblazers ready to tackle any new challenge.

Mandatory e-invoicing in Europe: a quick overview…

The European ViDA (VAT in the Digital Age) initiative has mandated that all countries transition to electronic invoicing (e-invoicing) between businesses. To keep you properly informed, we’re providing a rundown of the current state of affairs in the member states. We’ll start with the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, then move on to neighbouring countries and key trading partners, before wrapping up with notable developments across the rest of Europe. In addition to this snapshot of the current landscape, we’ll offer some practical tips on how to best prepare for accurate invoicing regardless of the country, and how to make the most of this regulation. Harmonising invoicing rules across Europe will simplify your management and reporting processes, ease compliance requirements and facilitate e-commerce and VAT practices within the EU. These are welcome measures for an open economy like that of the Grand Duchy.

Open banking in practice

Soon, all your payment information will be available to you in real time, and you’ll be able to make payments much faster than before. No matter how many banks you work with, the types of online payment systems you use or the number of countries you operate in, this administrative relief is a direct result of the European Payment Services Directive (PSD), which paves the way for open banking operations. We’ll explain where we currently stand, what you can start doing now and what to expect in the near future to continue simplifying your operations. You can look forward to easier payment tracking, improved cash flow predictability and reduced costs for transactions, processing and credit.