{"version":1,"type":"story","url":"https://digestai.news/story/microsoft-adds-25-finance-skills-to-copilot-for-finance-teams","json":"https://digestai.news/story/microsoft-adds-25-finance-skills-to-copilot-for-finance-teams.json","markdown":"https://digestai.news/story/microsoft-adds-25-finance-skills-to-copilot-for-finance-teams.md","slug":"microsoft-adds-25-finance-skills-to-copilot-for-finance-teams","headline":"Microsoft adds 25 finance skills to Copilot for finance teams","summary":"Microsoft announced more than 25 new finance‑focused skills and partner‑built plugins for its Copilot assistant, aiming to help finance teams with tasks from month‑end close to acquisition analysis. Brian Jones, corporate vice‑president of the Excel product group, detailed the capabilities in a blog post, noting that the new accounting features can compare balances, draft journal entries and analyze performance against plans.\n\nThe rollout follows a surge in Copilot usage: daily users rose nearly 50% from the previous quarter and more than fivefold from a year earlier, while automated task usage nearly doubled since July, according to CEO Satya Nadella. In a limited seven‑day insider trial, over 8,000 unique users invoked the accounting skills 44,000 times across 18,000 conversations. Microsoft also highlighted integrations with QuickBooks, Xero, Zoho Books and data providers such as FactSet, Morningstar, LSEG and S&P Global. The company reported $45.2 billion in capital expenditures for the quarter, even as it offers buyouts to 60,000 workers amid heavy AI spending.","keyPoints":["Microsoft adds over 25 new finance skills and partner‑built plugins to Copilot","In a 7‑day insider trial, 8,000 users invoked accounting skills 44,000 times across 18,000 conversations","Copilot daily users rose nearly 50% QoQ and Microsoft spent $45.2 billion on capital expenditures this quarter"],"whyItMatters":"The expansion shows AI moving deeper into core finance workflows, promising productivity gains for enterprises while underscoring Microsoft’s commitment to invest heavily in AI infrastructure.","category":{"slug":"enterprise","name":"Enterprise & Industry","url":"https://digestai.news/category/enterprise"},"entities":{"companies":["Microsoft","QuickBooks","Xero","Zoho Books","FactSet","Morningstar"],"models":[],"people":["Brian Jones","Satya Nadella","Amy Hood"]},"firstPublishedAt":"2026-10-29T08:35:00Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-29T08:35:00Z","sourceCount":1,"hasPrimarySource":false,"sources":[{"outlet":"cfodive.com","title":"Microsoft expands Copilot’s reach in finance workflows","url":"https://cfodive.com/news/microsoft-expands-copilot-reach-in-finance-workflows/873239","publishedAt":"2026-10-29T08:35:00Z","type":"press","primary":false,"lead":true}],"sourceNotes":null,"discussions":[],"thread":null,"cite":{"text":"Digest AI, \"Microsoft adds 25 finance skills to Copilot for finance teams\", 29 October 2026, https://digestai.news/story/microsoft-adds-25-finance-skills-to-copilot-for-finance-teams","publisher":"Digest AI","title":"Microsoft adds 25 finance skills to Copilot for finance teams","datePublished":"2026-10-29T08:35:00Z","url":"https://digestai.news/story/microsoft-adds-25-finance-skills-to-copilot-for-finance-teams"},"generatedBy":"Written by Digest AI's editorial model from the linked sources; the sources are the record.","license":"Headlines, digests and key points are written by Digest AI and may be quoted with a link to the story page. Linked articles belong to their publishers. Terms: https://digestai.news/terms#reuse"}