How Paradox books travels 93% faster & eliminates month-end chasing

The challenge: Fast-moving teams slowed down by manual finance work

Paradox moves fast and aims big, but too much manual admin and disconnected systems meant their finance team couldn’t keep up. The team managed multiple corporate cards across different currencies, processed a high volume of subscriptions, and manually handled invoices. Each area created friction: Currency differences made card reconciliation slow, subscription tracking was scattered, and invoices required back-and-forth between teams. All of this added up to delays that held the business back.

Travel bookings were another drag. Something simple often turned into a small project. As Farah Rouassi, VP Finance & Strategic Partnerships, explained:

I was used to having a mini project to book a flight and a hotel. It took over one hour and a lot of back and forth with other stakeholders.

Receipt chasing took even more time. Farah spent days each month following up with employees. “Sometimes it was two days of repetitive Slack to remind people to send their receipts.”

Farah knew there must be a better way. Paradox needed a setup that handled multi-currency cards, invoices, and a long list of subscriptions in one place. They wanted employees to spend for work securely and without obstacles, and a finance team that wasn’t stuck in admin.

The solution: One platform, native AI agents, and real financial control

Paradox chose Payhawk to bring corporate cards, invoices, subscriptions, and payments together. With everything in one platform, finance finally has a clear view of spending across all currencies, teams, and tools. Payhawk’s subscription management helps them track and control recurring costs, while invoice automation removes all of the manual steps that used to slow accounting down.

An even bigger shift has come from using native AI Agents. The AI Travel Agent has transformed the in-policy booking process, reducing it from over an hour of back-and-forth to just a quick conversation. The agent collects details, checks the policy, and completes the bookings without the Paradox team needing to jump between tools.

I booked something yesterday with the AI travel agent, and it was just four minutes. So quite huge!

Meanwhile, the AI Financial Controller Agent handles receipt collection for the whole company, sending reminders automatically and only escalating when needed.

“My financial controller agent sends all the reminders during the month... meaning, at the end of the month, I don’t have to send any messages. No stress, no patience needed!”

And what's more reassuring than speed? The native agentic AI runs inside of Payhawk’s governed environment, so every card transaction, subscription, invoice, and approval follows the rules set by the Paradox finance team. Multi-currency card management is now simple, subscriptions are trackable, and invoices flow through cleanly and easily, giving complete oversight for better decision-making.

We caught up with Farah at an exclusive finance event in Paris to hear how these agents work for her day-to-day. She walked us through the impact in person and shared how both the AI Travel Agent and AI Financial Controller Agent have changed the pace of her team (in and out of finance). Watch her short videos above and below to learn about her experience firsthand.

The results: Faster work, easier accounting, and time back for finance

With Payhawk, Paradox cuts hours of manual work and gives non-finance colleagues a smoother, more user-friendly way to navigate through spend, travel, and procurement tasks.

Clear improvements across their biggest pain points include the following:

• Multi-currency corporate cards are now easy to control and reconcile in one place.
• Invoice management has moved from manual handovers to fast, automated workflows.
• Subscription management is structured (letting the team track recurring spend and avoid surprises).
• Travel bookings are 93% faster, dropping from over an hour to just four minutes.
• Receipt chasing has gone from two days of manual reminders to zero.
• Employees spend with confidence, supported by real-time controls.
• Accounting is easier, with cleaner data and fewer errors across currencies and teams.
• Finance has gained time back and can focus on higher-impact work instead of admin.

Paradox exists to help ambitious people defy the status quo. With Payhawk, their finance operations finally support that ambition. They move faster, stay in control, and give their teams an easier way to work.

Want to see how Payhawk could work for your team the way it does for Paradox? Book a demo and explore how native AI agents, unified spend controls, and automated workflows can help your business move faster without losing financial oversight.