What Malaysia's accountants actually use, and what it means for your business

If you run a small business, the software your accountant uses shapes how you work with them: how you send documents, how quickly you see your numbers, and how much you pay for routine work. So it helps to know where the profession actually stands. In June 2025, the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA) published key findings from the fourth edition of its Survey on Technology Adoption by the Accountancy Profession in Malaysia. The survey ran from 1 November 2024 to 31 January 2025 and collected responses from 713 MIA members across the profession. Earlier editions were run in 2017, 2019 and 2022. The survey describes accountants, not small businesses. But it gives a useful picture of what to expect when you choose tools and an accounting firm. The basics are well established According to MIA, Microsoft applications and accounting software are the most widely deployed technologies. 68% of respondents have used Microsoft applications, and 66% have used accounting software, for more than three years. In other words, for most accountants, accounting software is not new. If your books are still kept in spreadsheets or paper files, you are behind the people you hand them to. Cloud and analytics are newer Cloud applications (26%) and data analytics tools (23%) showed a higher share of deployment in the last one to three years than other technologies. These are the tools that are still spreading through the profession, rather than ones most firms have used for years. Respondents also ranked cloud computing among the technology trends with the most impact on the profession, alongside mobile technologies and automation. AI and sustainability tools are mostly plans Looking ahead, the most common plans for implementation within the next three years were sustainability software or tools (41%), generative AI (38%) and artificial intelligence (37%). These figures are plans, not current use. It is reasonable to be curious about AI features in accounting software, but there is no need to feel you are missing out if you are not using them yet. The main barrier is the business case, not cost Almost everyone is moving: 97% of respondents reported being at some stage of technology adoption, and 3% had not started. Compared with 2022, however, more respondents were at the earliest stage of adoption and fewer were in the high range. The biggest change was in the barriers. The absence of a clear business case to justify investment is now the main obstacle, ranking higher than it did in 2022. Understanding the benefits of technology and a lack of talent to use it well remain consistent barriers. Funding has dropped to fourth place, from third in 2022, and only 11% of respondents said their organisation set aside no budget for technology adoption. MIA's reading is that the profession is paying more attention to linking technology spending to real business outcomes. That is a sensible test for any small business too. What this means if you run a small business - Start with the problem, not the product. Write down what slows you down today, such as chasing bank statements, late month-end figures or manual payroll, and pick tools that fix that. - Ask your accountant which software they use and whether they can work with you inside it. Shared access to the same records saves sending files back and forth. - Connect your bank. Bank feeds bring transactions into your accounting software automatically, so fewer entries are typed by hand. - Plan for people, not only software. The survey shows that skills are a lasting barrier. Make sure someone on your side knows how to use the tool, and that your accountant can support them. - Treat AI as a feature to test, not a reason to switch. Check what it does for your actual workload before paying for it. How Synco can help Synco sets up cloud accounting software with bank feeds, joined up with our accounting team, so your books and our work stay in the same place. We also build emsy, our software for HR and payroll.