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Digital skills

Technology has enabled automation of many elements of accountancy and this provides an opportunity for chartered accountants to utilise their professional skills but also the need to add to them.

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Software support

The five biggest software adoption pitfalls

At best, landing in one of these pitfalls will trigger teeth-gnashing frustration. At worst, it will lead you into regulatory hot water. From any angle, they are best avoided.
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Digital literacy

How to grow: digitally upskilling your workforce

With so many new technological solutions, it is easy to be overwhelmed on where to start to upgrade the skills gap in your workforce, but starting small and avoiding the hype is still a start.
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AI tips

Three use cases for AI

Love Your Accountants’ investment in AI set out to streamline admin tasks, but increasingly the firm is using it to enhance client services. Managing director Rob Young explains.
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Articles and features

View our features and articles covering the topic of digital skills.
Three areas to focus your skills development in 2026
  • Article
  • 04 Feb 2026
Learning how to overcome AI’s current shortcomings and enhancing people skills are two areas that the profession must focus on this year, says accountant-turned-coach Oliver Deacon.
ICAEW working with Microsoft on AI training
  • Article
  • 30 Jan 2026
As part of its work to ensure finance practitioners have the skills they need to thrive in an AI-enabled world, ICAEW is collaborating with Microsoft on its latest training.
How to practise difficult conversations with AI
  • Article
  • 14 Jan 2026
As well as helping streamline workflows, some teams are starting to use conversational AI to help them practice difficult conversations at work.
The five biggest software adoption pitfalls
  • Article
  • 08 Jan 2026
At best, landing in one of these pitfalls will trigger teeth-gnashing frustration. At worst, it will lead you into regulatory hot water. From any angle, they are best avoided.
Your membership: Training options to suit you
  • Article
  • 16 Dec 2025
ICAEW creates a range of training from online modules to six-month mentoring programmes. As a member you have free access to flagship e-learning resources on ethics, sustainability and AI, as well as exclusive discounts on other ICAEW training.
Three use cases for AI
  • Article
  • 08 Dec 2025
Love Your Accountants’ investment in AI set out to streamline admin tasks, but increasingly the firm is using it to enhance client services. Managing director Rob Young explains.
How to do the basics better in Excel
  • Article
  • 04 Dec 2025
These five Excel hacks will speed up the basics of building an Excel spreadsheet.
AI in deals: how to reap rewards and mitigate risks
  • Article
  • 19 Sep 2025
In M&A, the accessibility and rapid evolution of AI is bringing amazing functionality to the masses. But mitigating risks, devising new processes and honing new skills is key, explains Graham Dotchin.

Webinars

Lunch and learn: Getting to grips with crypto jargon
  • Webinar
  • 14 May 2025
The event will inform you of the jargon surrounding blockchain, decentralised ledgers and crypto.
Navigating core system change
  • Webinar
  • 28 Feb 2025
Explore how to successfully deliver changes to core systems, including Professional Services Automation (PSA) systems commonly used across Practice firms.
Don’t be manipulated – AI, fraud and what can my organisation do
  • Webinar
  • 09 Dec 2024
The fraud landscape is evolving rapidly with it being the most experienced act of crime, accounting for over 40% of all crime across the UK.
Lunch and Learn: getting to grips with AI jargon
  • Webinar
  • 22 Oct 2024
This webinar will provide accountants a foundation of understanding when being sold or described models, with some framing around the risks and opportunities presented by differing models, improving how they plan and mitigate the irresponsible use of the technology.

ICAEW's GenAI Accelerator

The ICAEW GenAI Accelerator e-learning programme is your gateway to mastering the future of finance.

Gain the skills to harness the power of GenAI, transforming the way you work and positioning yourself as a leader in the industry.

Introductory courses are free for members.

Find out more Enrol now

Reports

Digitalisation of tax: international perspectives
  • Thought leadership report
Digitalisation is transforming how tax is reported and paid, with significant innovation and investment occurring in countries of all kinds. There is no single pathway to digitalisation, as our case studies show, but there is something to be learned from all of them.
Automation in finance functions: lessons from India and the UK
  • Thought leadership report
Drawing on real-life experiences, this collaborative thought leadership report by ICAEW and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) considers how finance functions can harness automation to deliver greater value to business and the skills needed by accountants in the future.

eBooks

The Library & Information Service provides a hand-picked collection of eBooks as a benefit of membership. If you are unable to access an eBook, please see our Help and support or contact library@icaew.com
Exclusive Digitally curious: your guide to navigating the future of AI and all things tech
  • eBook
  • 23 Sep 2024
For anyone who has heard phrases such as blockchain, cryptocurrency, cloud computing, quantum computing, GenAI, or 5G and wondered what they mean and what they mean for your business.
Exclusive Future-proof accounting: data and technology strategies
  • eBook
  • 19 Jul 2024
Provides an understanding of the latest accounting technologies and their practical applications for the accountancy profession, including sections on artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, cloud computing, blockchain, and data visualisation.
Exclusive ChatGPT and AI for accountants: a practitioner's guide to harnessing the power of GenAI to revolutionise your accounting practice
  • eBook
  • 28 Jun 2024
Designed for finance professionals and accounting business educators, students, and enthusiasts interested in understanding and applying artificial intelligence in their work in their professional or personal lives.
Exclusive Financial metaverse: tokens, derivatives and other synthetic assets, The
  • eBook
  • 11 Jun 2024
Explains how financial derivatives really work and details the emerging digital innovations in this area.
Exclusive Accounting disrupted
  • eBook
  • 03 Mar 2021
This book delivers a powerful analysis of the new technological forces buffeting the accounting profession. Using case studies and practical examples, the author demonstrates how big data, blockchain, robotic process automation and artificial intelligence can help accountants adapt to new realities.
Exclusive Analytics and big data for accountants
  • eBook
  • 07 Dec 2020
This book will help accountants and financial managers better understand big data and analytics, including its history and current trends. It dives into the platforms and operating tools that will help you measure program impacts and ROI, visualize data and business processes, and uncover the relationship between key performance indicators.
Exclusive Artificial Intelligence for Audit, Forensic Accounting, and Valuation : A Strategic Perspective
  • eBook
  • 25 Aug 2020
An artificial intelligence revolution is sweeping through the world. Auditors and forensic accountants in firms of all sizes and types are trying to understand what it means for them. Many want to explore how to build plans for total intelligent automation to move their companies forward into the new AI economy.
Exclusive Digital finance: big data, start-ups, and the future of financial services
  • eBook
  • 25 Sep 2019
This book takes a thoughtful look at how the digital finance industry is evolving. It explains how to integrate digital finance concepts into existing traditional finance platforms and explores what successful companies are doing to maximize their opportunities in this context.
Terms of use

You are permitted to access, download, copy, or print out content from eBooks for your own research or study only, subject to the terms of use set by our suppliers and any restrictions imposed by individual publishers. Please see individual supplier pages for full terms of use.

Useful links

How to upskill accountants
  • Sep 2025
  • Thomson Reuters
This article explores how current technology can help accountants find the time they need to broaden their skillsets and further propel their career. Also links to a white paper: How tech-driven tax and accounting firms are combating the talent crisis
How Will Technology Change Accounting in the Future?
  • Feb 2025
  • London School of Business and Finance
As technology rapidly advances, industries must evolve and adapt to remain competitive. If you are currently working as an accountant or are interested in accountancy, you must be comfortable and confident utilising modern technology to shape the finance industry.
Digital skills for the accounting and finance profession: evidence from online job advertisements in Hong Kong and Singapore
  • Dec 2024
  • Taylor & Francis
Academic study of what digital skills are currently required by employers, from analysis of job adverts in the accountancy and finance profession
The Future Of Accounting: How Will Digital Transformation Impact Accountants?
  • May 2021
  • Forbes
Forbes article which looks at the future role of accountants and the skills they will require.
Building a successful upskilling strategy in the financial sector
  • Oct 2020
  • Universal Media
Article giving advice on how financial services firms can improve their teams skills during uncertain times.
Upskilling your practice for the new new normal in accountancy
  • Sep 2020
  • Wolters Kluwer
Article that outlines the importance of upskilling for accountancy practices
The upskilling imperative for financial services firms
  • Jul 2020
  • PwC
PwC report on the findings of the annual CEO survey that highlight the need for digital transformation ad upskilling of staff in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Auditors of the future — what are the skills needed in a digital age?
  • Feb 2020
  • European Court of Auditors
Article explaining how the changing audit environment, as influenced by technology, is shaping the audit profession and identifies which skills are needed for auditors to be future proof.
Disclaimer

ICAEW accepts no responsibility for the content on any site to which a hypertext link from this site exists. The links are provided ‘as is’ with no warranty, express or implied, for the information provided within them. Please see the full copyright and disclaimer notice.

Generative AI guide

ICAEW’s Tech Faculty has created the guide, which introduces key concepts, identifies use cases, provides suggestions on how to manage risks and get started in exploring its use.
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