IDC positions SoftCo as a Leader in the 2026 MarketScape

Dublin, 8 October 2026

SoftCo, the the leading global provider of AI-native Financial Automation & Control software, has been positioned as Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide AI-Enabled Accounts Payable Automation Software for Large Enterprise 2026 Vendor Assessment. IDC placed SoftCo in the Leaders category for both capabilities and strategies, up from Major Player in the 2024 edition.

The IDC MarketScape covers AI-enabled AP automation software for large enterprise buyers, and IDC evaluated 22 vendors. IDC scored each vendor against weighted criteria for capabilities, which look at the product as it is today, and for strategies, which look at how well its plans for the next three to five years match what buyers need. IDC based its scoring on vendor briefings, surveys, customer interviews and publicly available information.

In two years, SoftCo has moved from Major Player to Leader, in an assessment that tests both the product as it stands and the strategy behind it.

What the IDC MarketScape recognizes

IDC identifies two strengths in its profile of SoftCo. The first is the platform’s multi-ERP and multi-entity architecture, which IDC describes as built for complex enterprise environments. IDC notes integrations across more than 200 ERP systems, and says the architecture treats each stage of the payables lifecycle as a discrete control point.

The second is SoftCo’s outcome-oriented engagement model. IDC reports that SoftCo retains direct ownership of the customer relationship and of overall project success. It also structures customer success engagements around measurable AP outcomes, such as straight-through processing rates, cycle times and exception volumes.

Where enterprise AP is heading

The report also sets out IDC’s view of where enterprise AP is heading. IDC argues that the challenge has moved beyond removing manual invoice processing. It now lies in coordinating AP across systems and organisational boundaries, while giving finance consistent visibility and governance. IDC calls this the emergence of an “AP control plane”. This aligns perfectly with SoftCo’s Financial Control Platform vision.

“Enterprise AP is becoming a control layer for financial operations,” writes Kevin Permenter, Research Director at IDC, in the report’s synopsis.

What this means for SoftCo

IDC describes SoftCo’s payables architecture as a governed control chain across the lifecycle. The recognition aligns with the direction SoftCo is taking, which is to extend AP automation into broader financial control. That direction builds on SoftCo’s existing AP automation, supplier lifecycle management and multi-ERP foundations.

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