What if there were no invoices? 46.2% say 'I can't track the flow of money'. 70% feel invoices are 'social infrastructure', but the value of invoices, which are taken for granted, has become clear.

WingArc1st Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director, President and CEO: Jun Tanaka, hereinafter 'the Company') has published the 'Invoice White Paper 2026' based on a survey of 1,039 business professionals nationwide to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the birth of the digital invoice platform 'SVF'.

Invoice White Paper is here

Background of the Survey: Why ask about 'invoices' now The 'SVF', born in 1996, has been supporting 'trusted records' in Japanese business as a digital invoice platform that generates invoices from corporate systems, and will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2026. Over these 30 years, the IT environment in business has advanced dramatically, but the environment surrounding invoices is now at an unprecedented turning point. To mark this 30-year milestone, the Company has redefined the intrinsic value of invoices as 'data infrastructure' in society and published the Invoice White Paper based on a reality survey to prospect the future of invoices in Japanese business towards 2030.

<Main environments surrounding invoices> 1. Paradigm shift by generative AI With the evolution of AI technology, a shift is predicted from the conventional model of 'people processing invoices' to a model where AI automatically creates and processes invoices, and people take on the role of judgment and supervision. In the AI era, invoices are redefined not just as a means of communication, but as 'structured documents (management resources)' that organize information in a certain format and enable efficient processing. In addition, in the security of electronic invoices, preventing data tampering and ensuring authenticity are issues, and technical mechanisms to ensure authenticity are required.

2. Crisis awareness of 'invisible infrastructure' Invoices exist so naturally like air that their essential functions, such as ensuring trust in transactions and risk management, are often overlooked. The 'proliferation of invoices' due to departmental optimization and the difficulty of data linkage are at risk of becoming bottlenecks that hinder corporate DX. Proper invoice management plays a role as a 'firewall' that ensures the health of the organization.

3. The coercive force of the system and the gap with the field The revision of the Electronic Bookkeeping Preservation Law, which obliges the preservation of electronic transaction data, and the introduction of the Invoice System have made invoice management an important foundation that connects laws and regulations with actual business. However, the survey shows that about 80% (82.1%) of the field still uses paper invoices, and while technological progress is steadily advancing, there are companies that cannot escape from paper invoices, and there is a significant gap between the promotion of digitalization and the actual situation in the field.

Three gaps revealed by the survey In this survey, while the necessity of digitalization is emphasized, the 'unconscious dilemma' that the field faces has become clear. Despite the 'external pressure' of the improvement of legal systems and the evolution of technology, why does Japanese business hesitate to change? Structural issues of Japanese companies have emerged from the perspective of invoices that are integrated into daily life. This white paper visualizes the current status of Japanese business obtained from the responses of 1,039 people from three perspectives.

Gap 1. People don't know the word 'invoice', but they are troubled when it's not there Only 51.0% of business professionals answered that they know the word and meaning of 'invoice'. However, at the same time, 73.0% answered that 'I think invoices are important infrastructure that supports business and society'. In a world without invoices, risks such as 'I can't track the flow of money (46.2%)' and 'There is no evidence of transactions and troubles increase (44.7%)' are pointed out, and only 5.9% answered 'There is no problem'.

Gap 2. Current status and challenges of invoice data linkage between companies In inter-company transactions, invoices not only serve as a means of transmitting information, but also have the function of being a legal and social trust base that proves the existence and content of transactions. As a prediction of changes in invoices in five years, 27.3% answered that 'data linkage will progress between companies and invoice exchanges will be streamlined'. In addition to technical infrastructure development, standardization of data formats across industries and consistency of security policies between trading partners are required.

Gap 3. High expectations for AI, but optimization at hand is halfway As a prediction for five years later, 51.0% are expecting 'digital and AI will progress'. On the other hand, only 15.2% feel that the company's system is 'optimized and standardized across the company'. The lack of preparedness for risks in AI document management has become clear, and 'data standardization', which is a prerequisite for receiving benefits, has become an issue for many companies.

Recommendations of this white paper: Invoices as a management strategy towards 2030 Invoices have been a device that guarantees 'trust' in economic activities since humans invented characters 5,000 years ago. While they are currently recognized mainly as concepts related to accounting and business documents, in reality, the scope of invoices far exceeds these business areas and permeates every aspect of daily life. What is required towards 2030 is to transform invoices from mere 'tasks to be processed (costs)' into 'management resources to be utilized' that connect companies with data. To commemorate the 30th anniversary of SVF, the Company will accelerate support to evolve invoices from 'invisible infrastructure' to 'data infrastructure'.

Survey Overview ・Survey Name: Awareness Survey on Invoices ・Survey Period: February 2, 2026 - February 3, 2026 ・Number of Valid Responses: 1,039 business professionals nationwide ・Survey Method: In-house survey (survey commissioned by IDEATECH Co., Ltd.) ・Survey Method: Online questionnaire

'What if there were no invoices?' X Post Campaign

To commemorate the 30th anniversary of SVF, a presentation campaign will be held on X. Please reply to the invoice-related quiz posted on X. Four lucky winners will receive wonderful prizes.

Campaign Name

'What if there were no invoices?' X Post Campaign

Implementation Period

Tuesday, June 16, 2026 - Tuesday, June 30, 2026

How to Participate

1. Follow the official X of WingArc1st '@WingArc' 2. Reply with the 'answer' to the campaign quiz and the 'desired prize'

*Note: Hint for the quiz 'Invoice White Paper 2026'

Prizes

A Prize: 1 'Soundcore Liberty 4' B Prize: 3 'Goods 4-piece set prize from WHEELTY, a brand produced by Rinko Nakamura'

Announcement of Winners

Friday, July 10, 2026

Campaign URL

WingArc official note https://note.wingarc.com/n/n1e03836d46bb

About the Digital Invoice Platform 'SVF' 'SVF' is a system that serves as the foundation for invoice-related operations that work in conjunction with core systems and workflow systems. It digitizes invoices such as invoices, delivery notes, and shipping notes that fly between companies and various certificates issued by public agencies, and provides a mechanism for generating, storing, and circulating invoices on a single platform. It functions as a secure and highly reliable data infrastructure, assuming coexistence with generative AI. Celebrating its 30th anniversary, it supports the core operations of companies and maintains the top share in Japan (Note 1).