Discover the new features in Business Central RW2 (2026)

Microsoft has announced plans for Dynamics 365 Business Central Release Wave 2 of 2026 has been announced. The direction is clear: Business Central continues to evolve into an AI-driven ERP platform. The latest version (BC 29) focuses primarily on AI, automation, and ease of use.

From a revamped Copilot experience and smart AI agents to enhanced support for e-documents, reports, and production processes: Business Central is increasingly evolving into an intelligent platform that actively supports employees in their daily work.

AI is becoming an integral part of Business Central

In recent years, Microsoft has introduced Copilot in Business Central. Version 29 continues this trend.

One major change is the introduction of a revamped Copilot experience that better aligns with Microsoft Copilot as users know it from Microsoft 365. This makes it easier to ask questions about business data and find information more quickly within the ERP environment.

AI Chat in Business Central
With the release of Business Central version 29, Microsoft is fully committed to delivering a revamped and unified AI experience. The optimized Copilot Chat plays a central role, enabling users to get answers and insights from their ERP system more quickly.

What can you do with the updated AI chat?
Asking Direct Questions: Ask Copilot to look up specific data, such as: “Which sales orders from customer X are still open?” or “What is the current inventory of product Y?”

Smart Navigation:
You won't have to search through menus as often. Just ask the chat to open a specific page or setting.

Integrated knowledge:
Copilot doesn't just search your files; depending on your settings, it can also search the official Microsoft documentation and help files to get you started right away.

Microsoft Invests in the Model Context Protocol
Microsoft is also continuing to invest in the Model Context Protocol (MCP). This allows AI solutions and agents to access data from Business Central in a controlled manner, even when no standard API is available. Over time, this opens up interesting possibilities for organizations that want to use AI agents for analytics, reporting, or process automation.

New Features for Payables Agent and Expense Agent

In addition, the Payables Agent will gain new capabilities. This AI agent helps process incoming invoices and can more accurately match purchase invoices to purchase orders based on factors such as amounts and expected receipt dates. This means less manual verification work for the accounting department.

The Expense Agent will also gain new capabilities. This AI agent helps employees record and process expense reports and can automatically recognize, categorize, and link receipts and expense documents to the correct cost centers or projects. This means less administrative work for employees and faster processing of expense reports by the finance department.

Support for E-Documents is being further expanded

In addition to AI, Microsoft continues to invest in electronic document exchange.
BC29 turns e-documents into more than just e-invoicing. Organizations can increasingly exchange documents—such as orders, invoices, and payment information—in a standardized format via Peppol. This reduces administrative burdens, minimizes errors, and helps companies prepare for future e-invoicing requirements.

For organizations still running older versions of NAV or Business Central, this widens the gap with the cloud version even further, especially in terms of automation and digital document exchange. Processes that used to be handled manually can increasingly be handled automatically and digitally.

Reporting is becoming more flexible and easier to automate

Interesting improvements are also planned in the area of reporting. Microsoft is introducing new capabilities to create reports centrally and present them more consistently. These include:

• Automated report generation via APIs
• Options for combining multiple financial reports into a single PDF
• Improvements to analysis views and personal analysis bookmarks

For finance teams, this means spending less time compiling reports and more time on analysis and decision-making. Organizations that regularly generate management reports, financial reports, or customer documents can benefit from this in particular.

Production and the supply chain continue to evolve

Business Central is increasingly being used in manufacturing companies, project-based manufacturing firms, and industry-specific solutions. 

Version 29 includes improvements in the following areas, among others: 

• Subcontracting 

• Warehouse Processes 

• Quality Inspections 

• Production Documents 

A less noticeable update with a big impact: improved performance 

For many users, one of the most significant improvements won't be immediately apparent. That's because Microsoft is introducing a new data model that stores data from table extensions more efficiently. This allows database operations to be performed more quickly, especially in environments with a lot of customizations and extensions.  

For end users, this ultimately means: 

• Faster screens 

• Shorter processing times 

• Better performance with larger datasets 

• A more future-proof platform for custom solutions 

For companies that use Business Central extensively, this can yield significant benefits.

Small UX improvements with an immediate impact

Amid all the major updates, there are also a few minor improvements that make using Business Central on a daily basis easier. 

Recent Searches in Tell Me 
The "Tell Me" feature now also provides access to recently used pages. Users who regularly work with, for example, Sales Orders or G/L Budgets can open these pages directly from a new section featuring recent searches, without having to search for them again each time. 

Scenario 
Alt + Q → Recent → Sales Orders 

This reduces repetitive navigation and makes frequently visited pages more accessible. 

Recently Used Records in Lookups 
Lookup windows have also been improved. Business Central can now display records that a user has recently worked with. 

Scenario 
A sales representative regularly creates orders for the same customers. Instead of searching through the entire customer list every time, recently used customers can be selected directly from the lookup window. Of course, the full list and search options remain available. 

At first glance, these improvements may seem minor, but they address a common challenge in ERP systems: repetitive navigation and having to search for the same data over and over again. By making frequently used pages and records available more quickly, Business Central can help to: 

• Fewer clicks required 

• Streamlining Daily Processes 

• Limiting Repeated Searches 

• Making the user experience more personalized and efficient 

This is a good example of how Business Central 29.0 not only adds new functionality but also continues to invest in the end-user experience. For organizations that work with Business Central on a daily basis, improvements like these can make a noticeable difference in the efficiency of recurring tasks. 

Conclusion: Business Central is becoming smarter, faster, and more autonomous 

With Release Wave 2 of 2026, Microsoft is once again taking a significant step forward in the continued development of Business Central. 

The common thread running through virtually all of the innovations is clear: 

• More AI and agents 

• More automation 

• More Electronic Collaboration via Peppol 

• Better Reporting 

• Improved Performance 

For organizations in the Netherlands and Belgium, developments related to AI, Copilot, agents, and electronic document exchange are of particular interest. These developments demonstrate how Business Central is evolving from a traditional ERP system into an intelligent platform that actively supports day-to-day operations. 

Companies that are still using older versions of NAV or Business Central would therefore be wise to closely monitor these developments. Today, innovations are taking place almost entirely in the cloud version of Business Central, and the gap with older environments is growing every year.