How Azotic Technologies Limited saves time and money paying suppliers in 15+ currencies from Xero

No more manual bill and payments uploads, thanks to Xero

Azotic Technologies Limited (Azotic®) is a fast-growing biotech company on a mission to change the way we grow food. Founded in 2012, Azotic set out to tackle one of agriculture’s biggest challenges: the over reliance of nitrogen fertilisers, which contribute to nitrate pollution in rivers and oceans.

Today, Azotic develops sustainable crop solutions that help farmers reduce their environmental footprint without compromising yield. The company operates internationally, with dedicated teams in R&D, product development, and sales and marketing, as well as offices in the UK, Canada, and the US.

As Azotic expanded globally, so did the complexity of its financial operations. Kerry Whattam, Group Financial Controller, Azotic, who had previously managed Azotic’s accounts at an external accounting firm, joined the business full-time to help bring more structure and scalability to its finance function.

‘When I first met Azotic, they were working with a desktop accounting system and had their invoices printed off and stored in a tambour unit,’ Kerry recalls.’The CEO was based in Canada, and accessing the information he needed often took far longer than it should have.’

Azotic’s dependence on outdated systems and paper-based processes was creating significant bottlenecks—particularly in accessing timely financial information across international borders.

Kerry quickly identified the need to transition to a cloud-based platform. ‘The first step I took was migrating the company to Xero and implementing ecosystem apps to enable a more modern, streamlined approach to financial management,’ Kerry explains. ‘It meant the CEO could log in and access up-to-date financial data without having to wait for the UK team to come online.

In 2023, Xero partnered with Crezco to launch an embedded bill payments solution, underpinned by open banking and designed to help businesses save time and maintain better control over their finances.

Kerry was quick to join the beta program. ‘I was already using Crezco as a third-party software, which meant exporting bills from Xero into Crezco and then processing payments with the Crezco platform,’ she explains. ‘Now, payments processed by Crezco are embedded within Xero, which has resulted in more time saved.’

With an expanding network of suppliers, partners, and product trials across multiple countries, Kerry needed a payment process that was both efficient and scalable. ‘We operate globally and often manage supplier payments in up to 15 different currencies,’ she says. ‘Being able to handle all of that within Xero, especially as they continue to expand their currency support—makes the process significantly easier’.

‘As accountants, our roles are becoming increasingly demanding, so it’s essential to have a reliable system working behind the scenes. Xero’s bill payments feature really stands out for me – it’s convenient, saves a significant amount of time, and offers genuine cost savings when paying overseas suppliers.’

Reduce FX costs on overseas payments with Xero bill payments

One of the most significant advantages of Xero’s bill payments feature has been the cost savings on international transactions. Azotic can now access competitive exchange rates directly within its accounting workflow. ‘Crezco’s exchange rates are highly competitive,’ says Kerry. ‘If you are using Xero to make international payments, you can take advantage of these rates and make substantial savings compared to the fees typically charged by high street banks.’

Kerry has also significantly reduced both the time and risk associated with managing payments. ‘We’ve seen a substantial time saving in the bill payment process,’ she says. ‘Having everything in one place—fully integrated within the accounting system—improves accuracy and minimizes the risk of duplication or numerical errors.’

Building efficiencies for future growth

As Azotic continues to grow, Kerry plans to build on the efficiencies gained through Xero’s integrated cloud-based financial tools. For accountants or bookkeepers considering the move, her message is clear: ‘The feature is straightforward—it takes less than five minutes to set up,’ she says.

With its finance operations running efficiently in the background, Azotic is well positioned to expand its impact, helping more farmers adopt sustainable practices that support the health of our planet and increase their profitability