Accel-KKR acquires AARO to build unified CFO SaaS platform

By Vriti Gothi

Accel-KKR, a technology-focused investment firm, has acquired AARO, a provider of Corporate Performance Management (CPM) solutions, to build the most comprehensive, unified SaaS platform for the Office of the CFO across EMEA.

This integration brings together AARO with established financial software providers Aico and Mercur, creating a single powerhouse dedicated to reshaping finance and performance management for mid-market and enterprise organisations.

To lead this newly formed group, Michael Teixeira has been appointed Group Chief Executive Officer. With extensive experience scaling high-growth technology companies, Teixeira will oversee the group’s vision to deliver future-ready solutions that enable CFOs to drive efficiency, governance and actionable insight across their organisations.

The new entity combines the strength of three specialist platforms. Aico automates and streamlines financial close processes, reducing risk and manual effort while improving accuracy. Mercur enhances budgeting, forecasting, business intelligence and extended planning and analysis, empowering finance leaders to plan and act with confidence. AARO provides robust enterprise-grade consolidation and group reporting capabilities, ensuring compliance with IFRS and local GAAP standards and enabling seamless reporting across complex corporate structures. Together, they deliver a unified cloud platform that spans the full finance function—from transaction-close and group-level consolidation to budgeting, forecasting and advanced analytics.

Michael Teixeira, Group CEO, said, “This is more than a corporate merger; it’s a strategic unification. By bringing together AARO, Aico and Mercur, we are delivering an integrated solution that supports CFOs and finance teams across the entire value chain. From local transaction-close through group reporting to dynamic forecasting and analysis, we are uniquely positioned to meet the evolving demands of ambitious enterprises across the EMEA region.”

The combined company now operates across the Nordics, UK, Ireland, BENELUX, DACH and the Middle East & Africa, supporting thousands of finance teams with deep local expertise and best-in-class technology. Customers gain access to a single SaaS platform that reduces system fragmentation, enhances data accuracy through AI-powered automation, and streamlines complex processes with an intuitive, unified experience. The solution’s modular, highly configurable design ensures it can scale with clients’ evolving needs while integrating seamlessly with existing core systems to break down silos and accelerate digital transformation.

This milestone follows Accel-KKR’s strategic investments in Aico and Mercur and now AARO, underscoring the firm’s long-term commitment to building a category-defining financial cloud software suite.

Maurice Hernandez, Managing Director at Accel-KKR, said, “Our vision has always been to build a best-in-class, end-to-end SaaS platform for the Office of the CFO. By uniting three proven platforms under Michael’s experienced leadership, we are advancing our strategy to create a regional leader that empowers finance teams to meet today’s challenges and tomorrow’s opportunities.”