Zoho expands finance suite into full ERP solution

The software giant bets on AI, digital payments, and cross-border tools for SMEs.

Zoho is positioning itself as the “operating system for business,” expanding its finance and operations suite into a full ERP platform to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) streamline operations and scale internationally.

“Zoho is the operating system for business. So what I mean by that is businesses with any software requirements should be able to address their needs with Zoho,” said Sivaramakrishnan Iswaran, Global Head, Zoho Finance and Operations. “They should be able to do all this end to end using Zoho.”

Iswaran highlighted that Zoho’s suite covers everything from payroll, accounting, and tax management to inventory, commerce, and point-of-sale systems. It has played a key role in supporting Southeast Asian businesses expanding overseas.

He mentioned that initially, firms had to configure tax systems manually, but Zoho has now launched tools that work out of the box for customers in Singapore. “Most of the requirements should be met over the weeks,” he added.

Looking ahead, digital payments and artificial intelligence will shape Zoho’s strategy. Iswaran noted that Southeast Asia leads the way in adoption. “These markets are much more advanced when it comes to digital payments. A lot of enhancements are happening there,” he said. On AI, he added: “A lot of mundane tasks in the product… could be outsourced to the agents and spend time on a lot of valuable tasks.”