Businesses are spending more this year. They’re doing it with tools that give them more visibility and control. 

Travel is bigger than ever, AI budgets remain strong, and recurring spend is under the spotlight. Finance teams like yours are managing it all with greater visibility, accuracy and control. 

That’s the story behind Soldo’s mid-year Spend Index. The report analyses data from over 25,000 customers to uncover how decentralised spending is shifting and what that means for finance teams. 

Read the full report here. Alternatively, here’s a snapshot of the data and what it means for businesses like yours.  

Operational spending is climbing with tighter control  

Day-to-day spending is up 26% year-on-year, which includes a 33% jump in shopping-related costs and a 24% rise in professional services. 

This isn’t a return to unchecked spending. It’s a sign that business activity is picking up. It is supported by proactive systems that give teams access and keep finance in control through agile payment cards, fewer bottlenecks, and better oversight.  

Finance teams like yours give employees the necessary information to make decisions and move quickly. 

T&E spend is growing, especially for mobile teams 

Travel and mobility spending rose 12% in the first half of 2025, while businesses with more than 50 employees spent 30% on car rental alone. 

As teams embrace more in-person work and field-based roles expand, finance is transforming how T&E is managed. Manual reconciliation is being replaced by real-time tracking. Spending is pre-approved and logged automatically. Receipts are captured on the go. Finance teams like yours are managing T&E with control and confidence. 

Recurring spend is under review 

Enterprise businesses cut recurring spending by 30% compared to last year. However, this isn’t a retreat – it’s a reset. 

Businesses are reviewing subscriptions more often and cancelling what isn’t being used. They’re doubling down on tools that drive impact and value. In fact, software spend is up 43% in the UK and 37% in Italy. 

Recurring spend on professional services is also climbing, with UK businesses spending 59% more and Italy 41% more, likely driven by the need for external expertise to stay compliant and agile. 

The outcome is a more deliberate and proactive approach to long-term costs and spending. 

AI: From spray and pray, to here to stay 

After last year’s spike, AI investment is holding relatively steady as teams become more focused in their approach. Large businesses spent 130% more in the first half of 2025 than last year. 

But what has changed is where that money’s going. Spending on AI assistants and plugins increased by 148%, image and video generation is up 70%, and presentation tools climbed 67%. 

This suggests finance teams like yours are going beyond supporting experimentation. They’re enabling teams to quickly onboard tools that improve productivity. They’re tracking usage to keep costs under control and providing the data to determine value. It’s genuinely smarter AI. 

Finance priorities for the rest of 2025 

Businesses like yours are spending with purpose, not holding back on growth, and enabling it with proactive systems, greater control and clearer visibility.  

This is decentralised spend done well. 

See how your business stacks up and where finance is heading next.