Three market trends to track this quarter – straight from the AccountingWEB newsroom
By Richard Hattersley, Managing Editor, AccountingWEB
For more than a decade I’ve filed stories on everything from “Making Tax Digital” false starts to late-night audit scandals. But when you file news stories every day, patterns start to repeat in the inbox. Here are the three themes I am seeing most often right now – and why they’ll frame so many conversations between now and FAB 2026.
1. M&A: The “consolidators of consolidators” moment
Hardly a week passes without another merger bulletin. Private-equity platforms remain the driving force, but there’s only so much low-hanging fruit. All the PE houses are fishing in the same pond – sooner or later they bump into each other.
Why we’re watching this closely
- Valuations will keep edging up while multiple PE groups compete for the same £3–10m fee banks.
- The logical next step is consolidation between those PE roll-ups – a shake-out that will reset price expectations and technology standards.
- Any vendor selling workflow, practice management or analytics should be ready for bulk data migrations as those larger super-groups standardise systems.
2. AI: From first-wave chat to agentic action
Generative AI went mainstream at startling speed, but 2025’s buzzword is “agentic”. In plain English, agentic AI means software that can decide and execute a task end-to-end – not just draft an email, but send it, file it and schedule a nudge.
I’ve noticed two clear threads in firm interviews:
- Early adopters get buy-in first. Partners who involve their teams in small AI pilots see faster gains.
- Everyone is still working out governance. New automation is exciting, but audit trails and ethical sign-off move just as quickly.
Accounting vendors are already introducing agentic AI into a new wave of AI tools that will be hitting the profession.
3. MTD for Income Tax: The long wait is (nearly) over
It’s ten years since former Chancellor George Osborne promised the end of the annual tax return, and Making Tax Digital has stumbled more than once. But we’re finally close: from April 2026 around 795,000 landlords and sole traders (those with income between £50k and £100k) fall into phase one, with another million due in 2027.
What firms are doing now
- Mapping quarterly-update workflows so staff peaks don’t collide with VAT or payroll.
- Reviewing software readiness – many are switching rather than stitching together work-arounds.
- Re-pricing compliance packages so MTD isn’t a hidden cost.
Where FAB fits in
We can see these three storylines running right through the build-up to FAB 2026 (11-12 March, NEC Birmingham). Think:
- Vendor-led case studies on post-merger tech consolidation.
- Hands-on demos of the first “agentic” finance apps.
- Workshops on the final MTD push – practical pricing, client education and submission workflows.
Stay on the pulse
As AccountingWEB tracks the profession’s pulse daily, those insights feed straight into the sessions and speakers curated for FAB – making sure the agenda always meets you where you are. Have a tip or a trend you’d like probed? Drop me a note on AccountingWEB.
Want to see these trends unpacked live? Secure your free ticket for FAB 2026 and turn two days of insight into next-quarter plans.
