Today, fast-evolving technological, economic, and sociopolitical shifts are impacting business operations and making it harder than ever to lead with certainty – so it’s time to change tack.
As we move into 2026, leaders are implementing adaptable approaches to navigate uncertain times, rather than strategies carved in stone. For finance and travel heads, that means keeping a finger on the pulse of emerging trends: from breakthroughs in agentic AI to evolving forms of expense fraud.
Let’s discuss five ways to prepare for trends impacting travel and expense (T&E) in 2026 – with advice from executives on how to stay ahead.
1. Implement AI wherever it can add value
AI is one of many technologies transforming travel. From biometric checkpoints to predictive maintenance on airport machinery, the technological ecosystem is evolving to be more efficient, resilient, and secure in 2026.
Organisations are exploring how and where to implement AI, finding benefits across the full business suite, including HR, finance, and procurement.
T&E professionals can get ahead by offering AI-powered solutions directly in booking workflows. Travellers are starting to trust AI not just to suggest a trip itinerary, but to book entire journeys, including transport and accommodation.
But AI isn’t just about efficiency – it’s also helping businesses and travellers flex to disruptions in real-time. Ms. Jen Moyse, Vice President of Product and Head of UX at SAP Concur, says “[Businesses] will use it to enhance duty of care, predicting risks and personalising safety alerts to individual travellers.”
2. Build a trust-first approach to AI
While the travel industry was once slow to adapt to new technology, AI is already reshaping the landscape by enabling personalised journeys and more intuitive experiences. But AI is only as good as the data behind it.
Like any new technology, it can introduce novel risks – such as biased outputs, privacy threats, and opportunities for fraud. For example, SAP Concur data reveals that one in every 100 receipts reviewed in Verify’s new AI-generated receipt checker was flagged as potentially forged by AI.
To build trust in AI, consider implementing common data standards, robust security measures, and human oversight for all deployments. It will also be important to reassure staff that the technology works to augment, and not displace, their roles.
“All eyes will be on companies and how they approach talent and staffing in response to AI adoption,” explains Mr. Charlie Sultan, President of Concur Travel at SAP Concur. “Establishing trust and ensuring transparency will be critical to progress in the year ahead.”
3. Connect existing applications and data sources to AI systems
Major workplace collaboration tools – including Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Google Workspace – have AI embedded into workflows. Tasks such as expense reporting and travel booking are now being handled directly in the platforms where employees work.
Mr. Christopher Juneau, SVP and Head of Product Marketing at SAP Concur, sees the transformative vision for AI within T&E. He says, “In a few short years, the concept of an ‘expense report’ may be obsolete altogether, replaced by agentic AI with the autonomy to audit, reconcile, and reimburse automatically in the background, so employees can focus their time on delivering greater strategic value to their organisations.”
To make the most of AI, organisations can prioritise integrating their existing data sources – such as travel itineraries, expense reports, paystubs, and invoices – directly with these AI-powered systems.
This crucial step enables AI to connect and validate information from multiple sources, leading to a more intelligent and reliable view of every transaction.
4. Balance innovation with cost control
Market volatility is creating a challenging environment for businesses, making it difficult to maintain strong cash buffers while simultaneously investing in new technologies.
In response, many small and midsize businesses (SMBs) are focusing their resources on a tight set of high-impact growth bets, including strategic investments in technology and smart business travel.
The core challenge for SMBs in 2026 will be to invest in travel that delivers a clear return on investment. Technology can help by automating manual T&E processes, ensuring policy compliance on bookings, and providing analytics to identify cost-saving opportunities.
Other technologies will support and amplify this mission. Ms. Kacey Flygare, General Manager and Global Business Head, SMB, at SAP Concur, says, “Pre-spend controls, such as virtual cards and dynamic card controls, will be gamechangers in how organisations control spend, lower risk, and reduce the burden of cash outlay for business expenses.”
5. Take a “failure-forward” mindset
Do you want your employees to fail? Executives say you should. Finance organisations on the leading edge of AI adoption are embracing a “failure-forward” approach, which sees workers experiment, fail, and try again to find AI use cases that drive the most value.
As finance teams hand off administrative, number-crunching tasks to their AI counterparts, they must be able to ask the right questions and learn from their mistakes at pace. But this transition won’t happen overnight.
Finance professionals are inherently wired to eliminate errors – but to innovate with AI, they need to iterate, make mistakes, and trial new processes to find what works.
According to Ms. Sonja Simon, Chief Financial Officer, SAP Americas, “Leaders must lead by example and create an environment where taking calculated risks is encouraged, mistakes are examined without blame, and learning is celebrated as progress.”
“Only when failure becomes a data point, not a downfall, will the finance function fully unlock AI’s potential to reimagine decision-making, growth, and value creation across the business.”
In 2026, staying finely tuned to the trends impacting T&E will help businesses maintain AI momentum. By embracing new technology and developments as they happen, you can position yourself as an agile pacesetter – ready for the bright future of T&E.
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