The development of an Automated Zero Touch Cashflow forecasting solution using Artificial Intelligence

现金流是所有企业的命脉。现金流预测的准确性对于识别现金余额的潜在缺口至关重要，确保可以向员工和供应商付款，实现包括获得融资在内的增长，并最终避免破产。尽管英国有改善现金流管理实践的趋势，但无法有效管理现金流仍然是小企业失败的一个重要原因(50%的中小企业在运营的前五年失败，80%的失败是由于现金流问题)，42%的中小企业雇主将现金流作为其业务面临的最大障碍之一(BEIS，2015)。现金流挑战的主要原因包括债务人天数增加、信贷控制不足、发票迟交，甚至是糟糕的会计做法。英国并不是唯一一个最近对欧盟和美国的180万家中小企业进行的研究，发现了共同的挑战。尽管现金流预测是做出重大财务决策的基础，但现金流预测在很大程度上是一个人工过程，基于宝洁/L的历史销售数据、平均值和往往有缺陷的假设。随着交易水平的提高，这就变得更加具有挑战性，因为与Excel.流畅(一家英国中小企业)相比，使用现有的建模软件只提供了轻微的改进。流畅(一家总部位于英国的中小企业)寻求通过开发第一个自动的基于网络的现金流预测应用程序来解决更有效的预测解决方案的市场缺口，该应用程序独特地将数据科学和机器学习应用于云会计数据(提供目前不可能的粒度级别，通过现金关联预测每个名义账户线)，提供改进的债务人管理和预测准确性。如果成功，这种颠覆性的解决方案将提供：*提高现金流预测的准确性，使英国公司(最初针对中小企业、会计师)能够跟踪、管理、先发制人现金流问题，以便更好地进行财务控制，并做出更明智的财务决策。*近乎实时的逐行准确预测--目前通过人工/人工分析(预测当天付款的可能性)是不可能的。*跨任何会计程序包的兼容性。*异常检测(威胁/机会，包括欺诈活动)。*通过改进营运资本的使用，支持初创企业生存和扩张，潜在地减少对外部融资的需求，或在需要的情况下帮助贷款决策。该解决方案具有全球开发潜力，并在物流规划和能源需求/供应预测应用方面提供未来潜力。

"Cashflow is the lifeblood of all businesses. The accuracy of cashflow forecasting is critical to the identification of potential shortfalls in cash balances, ensuring that payments can be made to both staff and suppliers, enabling growth including access to finance and ultimately avoiding insolvency.Despite trends towards improving cashflow management practices in the UK, the inability to manage cashflow effectively is still a significant cause of small business failure (50% of SMEs fail in their first five years of operation with 80% of failures due to cashflow issues), with \\\>42% of SME employers citing cashflow as one the biggest obstacles facing their business (BEIS, 2015). Key reasons for cashflow challenges include increased debtor days, inadequate credit control, late invoicing, and even poor accounting practices. The UK is not alone with a recent study of 1.8M SMEs across the EU and US identifying common challenges.Despite being the foundation upon which major financial decisions are made, cashflow forecasting is a largely manual process based on historic P&L/sales data, averages and often flawed assumptions. With a greater level of transactions, this becomes even more challenging, with the use of existing modelling software offering only a marginal improvement compared to Excel.Fluidly (a UK based SME) seeks to address the market gap for more effective forecasting solutions through the development of the first automated web based cashflow forecasting application that uniquely applies data science and machine learning to cloud accounting data (offering a level of granularity not currently possible, forecasting each nominal account line with a cash association), offering improved debtor management and prediction accuracy.If successful, this disruptive solution will offer:* Improved accuracy in cashflow forecasting to enable UK companies (initially aimed at SMEs, accountants) to track, manage, pre-empt cashflow issues for better financial control and enabling more informed financial decisions to be made.* Accurate line by line forecasting in near real time - granularity currently not possible by human/manual analysis (predicting the likelihood of a payment being made to the day).* Compatibility across any accounting package.* Anomaly detection (threat/opportunities including fraudulent activity).* Supporting start-ups to survive and scale through improved use of working capital, potentially reducing the need for external finance, or where needed aiding lending decisions.The solution has global exploitation potential and offers future potential in logistical planning and energy demand/supply forecasting applications."