Spain's Council of Ministers approved a Royal Decree mandating B2B e‑invoicing for all businesses and professionals. The phased rollout begins with the Treasury ministerial order, expected before 1 July 2026, with compliance deadlines of 12 months for firms over €8 million and 24 months for others. Structured electronic invoices in FacturaE, UBL or CII formats must be used, and non‑compliance can trigger fines up to €10 000 per infraction.

KPMG releases its latest installment of the Taxation of the Digitalized Economy series, summarising VAT and indirect tax updates that affect digital platforms and cross‑border services. The update covers new VAT responsibilities in Chile, Significant Economic Presence rules in Côte d’Ivoire, DAC8 crypto and platform reporting progress in the EU, and emerging VAT measures for digital services in Jamaica, South Africa, Kazakhstan, Sweden, Mexico and Poland. These developments are relevant for businesses relying on digital business models, platforms and data‑driven services.

Governments worldwide are banning PDF invoices in favor of structured e-invoicing formats, with Belgium mandating Peppol BIS Billing 3.0 from 1 January 2026 and the EU’s ViDA regulation requiring structured invoices for all intra‑EU B2B transactions by July 2030. France, Germany, Poland, and India also have specific structured‑invoice mandates, creating a global shift toward machine‑readable data. The article explains the legal, operational, and cost implications of this transition for finance teams.

Germany’s KoSIT confirms progress on XRechnung 4.0, aligning with the forthcoming EN 16931‑1:2026 standard. The article outlines key milestones: the EN 16931 release in March 2026, XRechnung 4.0 specification in the second half of 2026, mandatory electronic invoicing for all German businesses by 2028, and national and intra‑community VAT reporting from July 2030.

Poland has made e‑invoicing mandatory for all VAT‑registered businesses through its KSeF platform, effective February 2026 for large taxpayers and April 2026 for SMEs and foreign entities. The new system integrates with the existing JPK SAF‑T reporting framework, requiring KSeF identification numbers in VAT returns and imposing penalties for non‑compliance. The rollout also mandates KSeF IDs in bank transfers from August 2026 and extends to micro‑entrepreneurs from January 2027.

The article discusses how e‑invoicing transforms VAT recovery on travel and entertainment expenses, highlighting the shift from manual, employee‑driven processes to automated, XML‑based workflows. It outlines the challenges of identifying T&E invoices, preventing duplicate payments, and the varying complexities across EU jurisdictions, and offers practical guidance for businesses to implement classification logic and align e‑invoicing with ERP transformations.

The UAE Ministry of Finance released e‑invoicing guidelines in February 2026, clarifying that intra‑VAT group transactions fall within the e‑invoicing scope and introducing a 24‑month grace period starting 1 January 2027. The phased rollout begins on 1 January 2027 for Phase 1 and 1 July 2027 for Phase 2, with the grace period calendar‑based, giving Phase 1 entities full relief but only 18 months to Phase 2 entities. Corporate tax groups receive no such relief.

Greece has introduced a three-layer digital tax framework that combines real‑time reporting via myDATA, a structured B2B e‑invoicing mandate, and an e‑transport system for goods movement. The B2B e‑invoicing requirement becomes mandatory on March 2 2026 for firms with revenue above €1 million and on October 1 2026 for all other businesses, while myDATA has been compulsory since 2021. Early adopters receive significant tax incentives, and non‑compliance triggers steep penalties.