Oracle Cloud ERP Release 26A Updates - What’s New

Please note: This article focuses on enhancements relevant to non-US organisations using accrual accounting. It does not cover features specific to US-only, Cash Accounting or Bank of America integration. Links to these features are provided at the end of the document.

Headline updates in 26A

Projects (PPM) Integration Enhancements

The features strengthen the operational link between Projects and core Financials modules and Procurement.

Greater Flexibility in Project Cost Capture:

• Project-related Purchase Requisitions (PRs) and Purchase Orders (POs) can now be created without project information.
• The Project coding may instead be entered during Accounts Payable (AP) invoice processing, providing greater flexibility.

Benefits:

• Reduces procurement bottlenecks
• Allows Finance to allocate costs more accurately once final coding is confirmed
• Improves flexibility for shared or centrally raised POs

Project Attribution for Lease Payments:

• Lease payments can now include Project information.

Benefits:

• Enables lease-related costs to be capitalised or expensed directly to projects
• Improves visibility of total project cost
• Strengthens compliance with accrual-based accounting standards

This is particularly useful for organisations managing equipment, property, or asset-intensive projects.

Enhanced Expense Module Allocation to Projects

• a single expense can now be allocated across multiple projects and tasks.

Benefits:

• More accurate cost distribution
• Reduced need for manual journals or expense splitting workarounds
• Improved transparency in shared-cost environments

This enhancement is especially valuable in consulting, engineering, and grant-funded environments where shared costs are common.

Overall Benefits

• Improved Accuracy: Costs are captured and allocated more precisely, supporting reliable project accounting and reporting.
• Greater Flexibility: Project information can be entered at the point of invoice or lease payment, reducing process bottlenecks.
• Enhanced Transparency: Multi-project expense allocation and project-linked lease payments provide clearer visibility into total project costs.
• Stronger Compliance: Supports accrual-based accounting standards and ensures projects are correctly reflected in financial reporting.
• Operational Efficiency: Reduces manual adjustments and journal entries, freeing teams to focus on higher-value activities.

Multi-Currency Enhancements

For organisations operating across multiple jurisdictions, the updates introduce several important multi-currency capabilities that improve flexibility, compliance, and financial control.

Multi-Currency AP and AR Netting

Accounts Payable (AP) and Accounts Receivable (AR) netting is now supported in multi-currency scenarios.

Benefits:

• Enables offsetting receivables and payables across different currencies
• Reduces foreign exchange exposure through operational netting
• Simplifies intercompany and counterparty settlement processes
• Minimises manual FX adjustments

This is particularly valuable for multinational groups managing cross-border transactions.

Foreign Currency Asset Transactions in Secondary Ledger Tax Books

Asset transactions can now be entered directly into secondary ledger tax books in foreign currency.

Benefits:

• Improves alignment between statutory and tax reporting requirements
• Reduces manual currency conversion adjustments
• Enhances compliance in jurisdictions requiring separate tax books
• Strengthens audit traceability

This enhancement supports organisations operating dual-ledger or multi-GAAP environments.

Intercompany Accounting – User-Defined Conversion Rate Types

Intercompany accounting now supports user-defined currency conversion rate types.

Benefits:

• Greater flexibility in applying group-specific FX policies
• Better alignment with treasury-defined exchange rate strategies
• Improved consistency across intercompany eliminations

This is especially relevant for organisations applying corporate or negotiated FX rate methodologies.

Remeasurement of Right-of-Use (ROU) Assets in Foreign Currency

Right-of-use (ROU) assets can now be remeasured in foreign currency.

Benefits:

• Enhances compliance with accrual-based lease accounting standards
• Improves accuracy of lease liability and asset valuation
• Reduces manual FX remeasurement journals
• Strengthens reporting consistency across global entities

For IFRS and other accrual frameworks, this represents a meaningful improvement in lease accounting precision.

Overall Benefits

Especially for globally operating organisations:

• Reduce manual FX workarounds
• Improve statutory and tax reporting alignment
• Strengthen intercompany control
• Enhance lease accounting accuracy
• Simplify cross-border settlement processes

Productivity Enhancements

In addition to integration and multi-currency improvements, the 26A update introduces several features designed to reduce manual effort and streamline financial operations within Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP.

AP Invoices Can Directly Create Fixed Assets

Accounts Payable (AP) invoices containing the required asset attributes can now automatically create Fixed Assets (FA) records.

Benefits:

• Eliminates manual asset creation after invoice processing
• Reduces timing gaps between asset acquisition and capitalisation
• Improves accuracy of depreciation start dates
• Strengthens audit traceability between AP and Assets

For capital-intensive organisations, this significantly simplifies procure-to-asset workflows.

Payment Templates by Category Within the Leasing module

Payment templates can now be defined by lease category (e.g., equipment, property) and include category-specific additional attributes.

Benefits:

• Standardises lease setup processes
• Improves data consistency across similar lease types
• Reduces configuration errors
• Enhances reporting accuracy by lease category

This is particularly beneficial in environments managing high volumes of similar lease contracts.

Parallel Workflow Support for Payments

Parallel approval workflows are now supported for:

• Bank transfer approvals
• Ad hoc payment approvals

Benefits:

• Speeds up payment authorisation
• Reduces bottlenecks in treasury processes
• Maintains segregation of duties
• Improves operational efficiency during peak payment cycles

For global finance teams operating across time zones, this can meaningfully shorten approval turnaround times.

AR REST APIs for Transaction Review & Completion

Using Accounts Receivable (AR) REST APIs, users can now review and complete transactions programmatically.

Benefits:

• Supports automation initiatives and system integrations
• Enables external applications to finalise AR transactions
• Reduces manual intervention
• Enhances scalability in high-volume environments

This enhancement supports organisations investing in digital finance transformation and API-driven integrations.

Overall Benefits

• Reduce manual processing steps
• Improve data accuracy
• Accelerate asset and payment workflows
• Support automation and integration strategies
• Strengthen financial governance without increasing administrative burden

Enhanced Consolidation Audit Trail

Improved audit trail visibility for consolidation processes.

AR Fulfilment-Based Consolidation – Multiple Source Support

Accounts Receivable (AR) fulfilment-based consolidation now supports multiple source systems.

Benefits:

• Enables consolidation of receivables originating from different operational platforms
• Improves alignment between operational fulfilment systems and financial reporting
• Reduces manual aggregation or reconciliation efforts
• Supports complex group structures with decentralised sales systems

This is particularly beneficial for multinational organisations with diverse front-office systems.

Accounting Hub – Multi-Source Data Integration

Accounting Hub now supports data ingestion from multiple source systems within a single application environment with multiple Journal Categories.

Benefits:

• More granular reporting structures
• Improved segregation of transaction types
• Enhanced audit and compliance visibility
• Greater flexibility in statutory and management reporting

For group finance teams, this supports clearer structured consolidation processes with improved traceability.

Overall Benefits

These enhancements deliver clear business and operational benefits for organisations managing multi-entity or multi-system environments:

• Stronger Audit and Compliance: Improved audit trails and segregation of journal categories make it easier to meet statutory and internal governance requirements.
• Simplified Multi-Source Consolidation: Support for multiple source systems reduces manual reconciliation and aggregation effort, lowering the risk of errors.
• Improved Reporting Accuracy: Granular journal categories and centralised Accounting Hub integration enable more precise, timely financial reporting.
• Operational Efficiency: Finance teams can manage complex consolidations faster, freeing resources for higher-value activities.
• Scalable Global Finance: Supports multinational organisations with decentralised operations and diverse systems, making group-wide consolidation more reliable.

Enhanced Governance & Error Prevention

Introduces several control-focused improvements designed to strengthen governance, reduce operational risk, and improve compliance in accrual-based environments within Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP.

Segregation of Duties in Accounts Receivable (AR)

The same user is now prevented from reviewing and completing the same AR transaction, even if the user is explicitly designated as an approver.

Benefits:

• Strengthens segregation of duties
• Reduces fraud and control risk
• Improves audit compliance
• Supports stronger internal control frameworks

For organisations subject to strict governance standards, this is a meaningful enhancement to transaction-level control.

Reduced Risk of Accidental Period Closure in Planning

The “Permanent Close” button in Planning has been repositioned to reduce the risk of unintended period closures.

Benefits:

• Minimises operational disruption
• Reduces recovery effort from accidental close actions
• Enhances period-end control processes

This seemingly small change helps prevent high-impact user errors.

Service Start Date for Right-to-Bill Entries (AASB 15 Compliance)

The service start date can now be used when recording right-to-bill entries.

Benefits:

• Improves revenue timing accuracy
• Strengthens compliance with AASB 15 and other accrual-based revenue standards
• Enhances audit traceability of revenue recognition

For organisations operating under IFRS-aligned frameworks, this supports more precise revenue accounting.

Streamlined Joint Venture Settlement

The 26A release also includes multiple enhancements to streamline Joint Venture settlement processes, improving:

• Allocation accuracy
• Settlement processing efficiency
• Transparency of partner balances
• Reduction of manual adjustments

These updates are particularly relevant in energy, resources, infrastructure, and property sectors where joint operating arrangements are common.

Overall Benefits

• Strengthen segregation of duties
• Reduce accidental system actions
• Improve compliance with revenue recognition standards
• Streamline complex settlement processes
• Enhance financial control maturity

B2B Messaging & Order-to-Cash Enhancements

The update delivers improvements to B2B messaging and bulk reloading functionality.

AI Agent–Enabled Message Retrieval

AI Agent can now assist in retrieving and managing B2B messages.

Benefits:

• Faster identification of message issues
• Reduced manual search effort
• Improved responsiveness in high-volume trading environments
• Enhanced operational visibility

This supports finance and operations teams managing large trading partner networks.

Cross-Reference Mapping Support

Enhanced ability to map cross-references (your internal values to partner-specific values).

Benefits:

• Simplifies trading partner onboarding
• Reduces integration errors
• Improves transaction accuracy
• Minimises custom mapping workarounds

This is particularly valuable in global supply chains where partner-specific codes are common.

Bulk Re-Upload of Failed Purchase Orders

Failed POs can now be re-uploaded in bulk.

Benefits:

• Reduces manual correction effort
• Speeds up recovery from integration failures
• Minimises procurement cycle delays
• Improves supplier experience

A practical improvement that significantly reduces operational friction.

Redwood-Enhanced Messaging Home Page

A redesigned Redwood messaging home page provides a more modern and intuitive user experience.

Benefits:

• Improved navigation and message tracking
• Clearer status visibility
• Faster issue resolution
• Consistent user experience across modules

Out-of-the-Box Order-to-Cash Messaging Support

Standardised Order-to-Cash B2B messaging support is now available out of the box.

Benefits:

• Accelerates implementation
• Reduces custom integration effort
• Enhances end-to-end transaction visibility
• Improves alignment between sales, fulfilment, and finance

Overall Benefits

• Improve trading partner collaboration
• Strengthen automation
• Enhance user experience
• Support scalable Order-to-Cash operations

Feature Details by module

Accounts Payable (AP)

The Project related information can be entered during the invoice processing, hence not forced to enter the Project information when the Purchase Requisitions (or POs) is raised.

Details: https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/readiness/erp/26a/fins26a/26A-fin-wn-f41830.htm#fins26a-f41830

Bank account transfer and ad hoc payments supports parallel approval workflows, also allows document attachments.

Details: https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/readiness/erp/26a/fins26a/26A-fin-wn-f42530.htm#fins26a-f42530

Muti currency netting: If the one organisation(party) is a supplier as well as a customer Oracle allows netting of AP and AR. This functionality was limited to the one currency, now that limitation has been now been removed.

Details: https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/readiness/erp/26a/fins26a/26A-fin-wn-f42242.htm#fins26a-f42242

Accounts Receivable (AR)

Fulfillment-based consolidated invoices with charges from multiple sources.

Details: https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/readiness/erp/26a/fins26a/26A-fin-wn-f41919.htm#fins26a-f41919

Configurable functionality to prevent an user from reviewing and completing the same transaction, even if a user is explicitly designated as an approver.

Details: https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/readiness/erp/26a/fins26a/26A-fin-wn-f42202.htm#fins26a-f42202

Provide additional functionality to 24D to review and complete transactions using REST APIs.

Details: https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/readiness/erp/26a/fins26a/26A-fin-wn-f42203.htm#fins26a-f42203

A service start date can be used in record right-to-bill entries for service-related performance obligations, rather than waiting for billing or satisfaction events to comply with AASB 15 – Revenue from Contracts with Customers (and IFRS 15) standards.

Details: https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/readiness/erp/26a/fins26a/26A-fin-wn-f42216.htm#fins26a-f42216

Fixed Assets (FA)

Automated asset creation from AP invoices.

Details: https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/readiness/erp/26a/fins26a/26A-fin-wn-f41827.htm#fins26a-f41827

Allows direct asset transactions in the secondary ledger Tax Books with foreign Currency.

Details: https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/readiness/erp/26a/fins26a/26A-fin-wn-f41861.htm#fins26a-f41861

Lease (FA)

In Lease Accounting allows creation of asset type specific payment templates.

As an example, can create a payment template that is exclusively used for equipment and add the equipment related additional attributes to the template.

Details: https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/readiness/erp/26a/fins26a/26A-fin-wn-f41928.htm#Steps-to-Enable-and-Configure

Allows Project information in the lease payment invoices:

Details: https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/readiness/erp/26a/fins26a/26A-fin-wn-f41926.htm#fins26a-f41926

Allow remeasurement of right-of-use assets in foreign currency.

Details: https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/readiness/erp/26a/fins26a/26A-fin-wn-f41927.htm#fins26a-f41927

Touchless Expenses

A given expense now can be allocated across multiple projects:

Details: https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/readiness/erp/26a/fins26a/26A-fin-wn-f43352.htm#fins26a-f43352

Planning and Budgeting

Relocation of “Permanently Close” menu option to prevent accidental permanent closure.

Details: https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/readiness/erp/26a/fins26a/26A-fin-wn-f42090.htm#fins26a-f42090

Accounting Hub

Data from multiple source systems can be processed through one application with multiple journal categories in the General Ledger.

The new functionality addresses the limitation of one event class per processing category which results in one journal category per event class.

Details: https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/readiness/erp/26a/fins26a/26A-fin-wn-f42085.htm#fins26a-f42085

Intercompany

Allows user-defined currency conversion rate types to be used when agreement-based intercompany transactions are transferred to General Ledger or Receivables and Payables for invoicing.

Details: https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/readiness/erp/26a/fins26a/26A-fin-wn-f42244.htm#fins26a-f42244

Joint Venture Settlement

Allows classify joint venture account sets according to their intended purpose.

Details: https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/readiness/erp/26a/fins26a/26A-fin-wn-f41828.htm#fins26a-f41828

Additional subledger information in joint venture transactions and distributions, visible including the source invoice number for Payables-originating transactions and the event type for all subledger transactions.

Details: https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/readiness/erp/26a/fins26a/26A-fin-wn-f41991.htm#fins26a-f41991

Allows reverse partner contribution draws for distributions using a new action from the Joint Venture Distributions work area.

Details: https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/readiness/erp/26a/fins26a/26A-fin-wn-f41990.htm#fins26a-f41990

Business to Business (B2B) Messaging

B2B Message Processor AI agent can be used to retrieve message.

Details: https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/readiness/erp/26a/fins26a/26A-fin-wn-f42054.htm#fins26a-f42054

Supports B2B cross-reference to mapping where your values to partner values can be mapped.

Details: https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/readiness/erp/26a/fins26a/26A-fin-wn-f42056.htm#fins26a-f42056

If using Redwood customer setup not required for Order to Cash messaging.

Details: https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/readiness/erp/26a/fins26a/26A-fin-wn-f42053.htm#fins26a-f42053

New Redwood landing page to monitor B2B Messaging.

Details: https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/readiness/erp/26a/fins26a/26A-fin-wn-f42057.htm#fins26a-f42057

Functionality to retransmit unsuccessful POs in bulk.

Details: https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/readiness/erp/26a/fins26a/26A-fin-wn-f42055.htm#fins26a-f42055

Other

US Federal Treasury Reporting and Interface Enhancements

1. Federal Accounting Entries for Voided Payments After Treasury Confirmation: https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/readiness/erp/26a/fins26a/26A-fin-wn-f42188.htm#fins26a-f42188
2. Fiscal Year-End Carry Forward for U.S. Federal Purchase Orders: https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/readiness/erp/26a/fins26a/26A-fin-wn-f42190.htm#fins26a-f42190
3. Governmentwide Spending Data Model Update: https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/readiness/erp/26a/fins26a/26A-fin-wn-f42187.htm#fins26a-f42187
4. Hold Code for Missing SPS Payment Justification: https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/readiness/erp/26a/fins26a/26A-fin-wn-f42186.htm#Steps-to-Enable-and-Configure
5. SLA Rules for PO Change Orders in Prior Periods: https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/readiness/erp/26a/fins26a/26A-fin-wn-f42189.htm#fins26a-f42189

Cash Accounting

1. Cash Basis Accounting Method for Payables and Receivables Subledgers: https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/readiness/erp/26a/fins26a/26A-fin-wn-f42086.htm#fins26a-f42086

Bank of America Related

1. Bank of America SEPA Payment Processing: https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/readiness/erp/26a/fins26a/26A-fin-wn-f42542.htm#fins26a-f42542
2. Embedded Banking Services with Bank of America for Real-Time Bank Balances: https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/readiness/erp/26a/fins26a/26A-fin-wn-f41995.htm#fins26a-f41995

Brazil Loclisation

1. Transaction Tax Enhancement (VAT): https://docs.oracle.com/en/cloud/saas/readiness/erp/26a/fins26a/26A-fin-wn-f41875.htm#fins26a-f41875

What you should do this quarter

• Review the Headline Section: Identify the updates and features most relevant to your organisation.
• Explore Features by Module: In the relevant sections, review the detailed feature descriptions by module. Use the provided links to the official Oracle documentation to understand configuration requirements and potential impacts.
• Test and Evaluate: Assess applicable features in a test environment. If beneficial, incorporate them into your organisation’s continuous improvement program.
• Seek Assistance if Needed: Reach out to internal or external Oracle resources for guidance, configuration support, or best practice advice.
• Consider an Oracle Health Check: If you haven’t reviewed new features recently, consider engaging an Oracle Fusion expert to conduct a system health check and optimisation review.

 

Author: Maneesh De Silva (maneesh.desilva@kyte.com.au) is a Senior ERP Consultant at Kyte Consulting with over 20 years of experience implementing and supporting Oracle ERP solutions. He has extensive expertise across multiple Oracle modules and a strong track record of delivering successful ERP transformations and continuous improvement initiatives.