What's new in RPA?

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The RPA market has transformed dramatically in 2025, shifting from simple rule-based automation to AI-driven agentic platforms that orchestrate humans, bots, and AI agents on unified systems.

Major acquisitions like Sisua Digital's purchase of Efima's RPA business and the completion of SS&C's $1.6 billion Blue Prism integration have reshaped the competitive landscape, while new product launches from UiPath's Agentic Platform to CLPS's "Nibot" showcase the industry's evolution toward hyperautomation. Industries from healthcare (43.9% CAGR through 2030) to Asia-Pacific markets (46.0% CAGR) are experiencing unprecedented adoption rates, driven by regulatory changes, cloud-native deployments, and the democratization of automation through low-code platforms.

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What major RPA product launches, mergers, and acquisitions shaped 2025?

UiPath dominated headlines with its April 2025 launch of the Agentic Platform, the first enterprise-grade system unifying AI agents, traditional bots, and human workers on a single security-compliant infrastructure.

The platform emphasizes low-code development and represents a fundamental shift from standalone automation tools to integrated orchestration systems. This launch reinforced UiPath's market leadership position against growing competition from Microsoft Power Automate and Automation Anywhere.

CLPS Incorporation entered the market in February 2025 with "Nibot," an AI-integrated RPA solution featuring visual flow designers, cluster management capabilities, and enterprise-grade security. The platform specifically targets finance, healthcare, logistics, retail, and manufacturing sectors with industry-specific automation templates and compliance features.

On the M&A front, Sisua Digital acquired Efima's RPA business in January 2025 to expand its Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) capabilities globally. The acquisition adds UiPath-based service centers across three continents, positioning Sisua as a major player in the managed RPA services market.

SS&C completed integration milestones for its $1.6 billion Blue Prism acquisition, rolling out enhanced AI-agent features and strengthening its financial services automation offerings throughout early 2025.

Which industries show the highest RPA adoption growth and projected returns?

Healthcare leads industry adoption with a projected 43.9% CAGR through 2030, driven by patient record automation, claims processing, and appointment scheduling systems.

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How have customer demands shifted compared to previous years?

Customers in 2025 demand AI-driven automation capabilities that handle unstructured data, natural language processing, and predictive analytics rather than simple rule-based task execution.

The most significant shift involves expectations for low-code and no-code platforms that enable business users to create automation workflows through drag-and-drop interfaces without technical programming skills. This democratization trend has pushed vendors to prioritize citizen developer programs and intuitive design tools.

Cloud-native deployment preferences have intensified, with customers favoring Software-as-a-Service and RPA-as-a-Service models to reduce infrastructure costs and accelerate time-to-value from weeks to days. Small and medium businesses particularly drive this trend, seeking subscription-based pricing models over traditional on-premise deployments.

Security and compliance requirements have become non-negotiable, especially in regulated industries. Customers now expect built-in audit trails, role-based access controls, and real-time monitoring capabilities as standard features rather than add-on services.

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Which RPA vendors are gaining market share and what differentiates them?

UiPath maintains its #1 market position through its comprehensive agentic AI ecosystem, extensive low-code platform capabilities, and robust community support infrastructure.

What technological breakthroughs are driving RPA evolution?

AI integration and hyperautomation represent the most transformative technological advancement, with machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision agents embedded directly into RPA workflows.

This "agentic automation" approach enables end-to-end process automation that adapts to changing conditions and handles unstructured data sources. Leading platforms now incorporate intelligent document processing, predictive analytics, and autonomous decision-making capabilities that extend far beyond traditional rule-based automation.

Low-code and no-code development platforms have matured significantly, democratizing bot creation and shifting development responsibilities from IT departments to business teams. These platforms feature visual workflow designers, pre-built connectors, and industry-specific templates that reduce development time from weeks to hours.

Cloud deployment and RPA-as-a-Service models have revolutionized implementation timelines, offering subscription-based, multi-tenant platforms that reduce deployment cycles from weeks to days. This approach particularly benefits small and medium businesses seeking rapid automation without substantial infrastructure investments.

Integrated process mining and analytics capabilities provide real-time bottleneck detection and continuous improvement recommendations, transforming RPA from isolated task automation to comprehensive process optimization.

How do regulatory changes impact RPA deployment strategies?

The European Union's AI Act and Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) have imposed stricter data governance and resilience requirements, forcing RPA vendors to embed robust audit trails, role-based access controls, and comprehensive monitoring capabilities.

These regulations require organizations to demonstrate AI system transparency, explainability, and human oversight capabilities, particularly for high-risk automation applications in financial services, healthcare, and critical infrastructure sectors. RPA platforms now must provide detailed activity logs, decision rationale documentation, and fail-safe mechanisms to ensure regulatory compliance.

United States state privacy laws have heightened breach reporting requirements and AI governance expectations, pushing vendors to add transparency features and enhanced data protection controls. Organizations must now implement privacy-by-design principles in their automation strategies, with clear data lineage tracking and consent management capabilities.

Asia-Pacific markets show divergent regulatory approaches, with Singapore and Hong Kong implementing AI-enabling legislation and cybersecurity frameworks, while Australia maintains voluntary AI ethics guidelines. This regulatory fragmentation requires RPA vendors to develop flexible compliance modules that adapt to varying regional requirements.

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Which 2025 RPA implementations delivered the highest measurable returns?

CXP Contact Center in the UK achieved exceptional results by integrating UiPath bots with optical character recognition and natural language processing to automate 160,000 customer service tasks.

The implementation reduced average call handling times by 35%, freed up 13,200 staff hours annually, improved data accuracy by 18%, and boosted Trustpilot customer satisfaction ratings by 52%. The financial impact included significant cost savings and revenue protection through improved customer experience and retention rates.

FlySafair, a South African airline, automated its invoicing processes to reduce billing time per invoice from several hours to just minutes while achieving 90% reduction in processing errors. This automation enabled the airline to handle increased transaction volumes without proportional staff increases, directly improving operational efficiency and cash flow management.

A major Central US bank implemented RPA for credit card dispute resolution, cutting average resolution time from 10 days to 3 days and saving millions annually through reduced manual processing costs and improved customer satisfaction. The bank also achieved significant compliance benefits through standardized, auditable dispute handling processes.

These case studies demonstrate ROI calculations ranging from 300% to 800% within 12-18 months, with payback periods typically occurring within 6-9 months of full deployment.

Which RPA service types show the strongest demand growth?

Hybrid attended/unattended RPA models experience the fastest demand growth as enterprises seek seamless workflows that combine human judgment with autonomous execution capabilities.

• Attended RPA: Growing in front-office customer experience applications where real-time human-bot collaboration enhances service quality and response times. These implementations focus on augmenting human agents with instant data access and process guidance.
• Unattended RPA: Continues leading in volume automation for back-office operations, batch processing, and 24/7 autonomous execution scenarios. Financial services and manufacturing drive demand for high-volume, low-touch transaction processing.
• Hybrid Models: Represents the fastest-growing segment, combining attended and unattended capabilities in end-to-end workflows that require both human oversight and autonomous execution phases. These models optimize for flexibility and operational efficiency.

Unattended RPA maintains the largest market share due to its ability to process high transaction volumes with minimal human oversight, but hybrid approaches show the strongest growth trajectory as organizations seek more sophisticated automation strategies that leverage both human expertise and robotic efficiency.

What barriers limit RPA adoption and how are vendors responding?

Technical challenges center on fragile user interface automations that break when applications update or change layouts, addressed through AI-driven "Computer Use" tools that adapt automatically to interface modifications.

Leading vendors now incorporate computer vision and machine learning algorithms that recognize screen elements contextually rather than relying on fixed coordinate-based automation. This advancement significantly reduces maintenance overhead and increases automation resilience across diverse application environments.

Organizational resistance remains a major barrier, with employees fearing job displacement and management struggling with change management processes. Vendors address this through comprehensive Center of Excellence frameworks, governance methodologies, and citizen developer programs that involve business users in automation creation.

Skills gap challenges persist as organizations lack RPA-AI talent capable of designing and maintaining sophisticated automation workflows. Major vendors respond by offering extensive low-code platforms, comprehensive training programs, professional certifications, and managed services options that reduce internal skill requirements.

Integration complexity with existing enterprise systems creates deployment delays and cost overruns, addressed through pre-built connectors, API-first architectures, and cloud-native platforms that simplify system integration and reduce implementation timelines.

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How are consulting firms adapting their RPA service models?

Major consulting firms including Deloitte, Accenture, EY, and Capgemini have shifted toward bundled RPA-AI advisory services that combine automation strategy, Center of Excellence establishment, and ongoing managed services.

These firms now offer outcome-based pricing models including pay-for-use arrangements, RPA-as-a-Service subscriptions, and BOT-runtime licensing that align consultant incentives with client results rather than traditional time-and-materials billing. This shift reduces client risk and ensures measurable return on automation investments.

Service providers increasingly focus on industry-specific automation frameworks and pre-built process libraries that accelerate implementation timelines. Financial services, healthcare, and manufacturing receive specialized attention with compliance-ready automation templates and sector-specific expertise.

The emergence of citizen developer programs has prompted consulting firms to offer training and enablement services that build internal client capabilities rather than maintaining long-term dependency relationships. This approach creates sustainable automation programs while generating recurring revenue through ongoing support and advanced capability development.

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What capabilities will define competitive RPA platforms through 2026?

Autonomous agentic workflows will become the primary differentiator, with AI agents collaborating across bot teams and human workers to execute complex multi-step processes without human intervention.

These systems will feature self-healing capabilities that automatically adapt to system changes, intelligent routing that optimizes workload distribution, and predictive maintenance that prevents automation failures before they occur. Leading platforms will integrate advanced natural language processing that enables voice and text-based bot interaction and management.

Embedded RPA functionality within enterprise applications will transform the market from standalone automation tools to native features integrated directly into ERP, CRM, and industry-specific software platforms. This trend will reduce integration complexity and accelerate adoption across mid-market organizations.

Enhanced security and compliance capabilities including AI-powered anomaly detection, behavioral analysis, and automated audit reporting will become standard features rather than premium add-ons. Platforms will offer real-time compliance monitoring and automatic policy enforcement across global regulatory frameworks.

Extended hyperautomation orchestration will unite RPA with intelligent document processing, low-code application platforms, and integration platform-as-a-service solutions in unified automation ecosystems that handle entire business processes end-to-end.

Which underserved regions offer the strongest growth potential?

Latin America presents significant opportunities driven by growing digitalization initiatives but limited local RPA vendor presence, particularly in banking and telecommunications sectors.

Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia show strong demand for automation in financial services, with regulatory digitization requirements and competitive pressure from fintech companies driving traditional banks toward RPA adoption. The region's manufacturing base also creates opportunities for supply chain and quality control automation.

Africa represents an emerging market with substantial potential in public sector process automation and fintech e-KYC applications. South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya lead adoption with government digitization programs and rapid mobile banking growth creating demand for automated compliance and customer onboarding processes.

Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) markets including Russia, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine show manufacturing and business process outsourcing-led RPA adoption, though the ecosystem remains nascent compared to Western markets. Energy sector automation and financial services compliance create specific opportunities for specialized RPA solutions.

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Conclusion

Sources

1. TS2 Tech Workflow Automation RPA Industry Report
2. UiPath Agentic Platform Launch
3. CLPS Nibot RPA Product Launch
4. Sisua Digital Efima Acquisition
5. Business Research Company RPA Global Market Report
6. Market Scoop RPA Statistics
7. Newo AI RPA 2025 Predictions
8. Grand View Research RPA Market Analysis
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11. AF Robotics RPA-as-a-Service
12. Channel Life UiPath Gartner Magic Quadrant
13. AI Multiple RPA Market Research
14. Blueprint Systems RPA Trends 2025
15. Blue Prism Future RPA Trends
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20. Skadden 2025 IAPP Key Themes
21. Strategic Risk APAC Regulatory Changes
22. Privacy Daily APAC AI Regulation
23. AI Multiple RPA Customer Service