In 2026, financial planning and analysis (FP&A) teams are being asked to do more than just report on numbers. They are under pressure to prove their value through better forecasting and sharper decision support.
But Vena’s 2026 FP&A Impact Report finds that many teams are still constrained by data issues and manual processes, making it harder for them to prioritize adequate strategic business partnering.
The report is based on a survey of over 400 finance leaders from around the world and reveals that while FP&A teams are generating valuable insights, businesses are struggling to convert them into swift action.
Based on this fresh data and insights from experts, we'll take a look at seven FP&A trends shaping 2026 and what they mean for teams aiming to step up their strategic and operational maturity.
FP&A teams are moving their AI strategy from experimentation to everyday use, due in no small part to executive-led objectives. Seventy percent of finance leaders say their C-suite has mandated AI use in finance.
As for current levels of AI integration, more than one-third (34%) of finance leaders have fully integrated AI agents across FP&A, while 16% have extended them across FP&A and other business areas.
That shift matters because AI can now help teams automate analysis and run predictive scenarios faster than manual processes ever could. The bigger change is that AI lets FP&A teams spend less time manipulating data and more time interpreting what it means.
In fact, 37% of respondents expect more than 50% of their current FP&A workflows to be fully operated by AI agents within just two years, with human oversight required only for high-stakes exceptions. This suggests a looming transition where the primary role of the finance professional shifts from data production to AI oversight.
Vena CTO Hugh Cumming recently shared at Excelerate Finance Fest 2026:
“[Previously in FP&A] there was a lot of time spent on producing—building models, running various variances, writing the commentary. All of that stuff now can be done very quickly at machine speed. We're now looking at a world where the value starts shifting more to the things we're uniquely good at, not the things that we can do because we have to do them.”
By automating laborious back-office tasks, AI allows FP&A partners to be more present in high-level conversations and offer strategic contributions rather than just reacting to data requests. And as these tools become more embedded in everyday workflows, those working in finance will evolve into proactive partners for business growth.
"Previously in FP&A there was a lot of time spent on producing—building models, running various variances, writing the commentary. All of that now can be done very quickly at machine speed."
Hugh Cumming, CTO, Vena
FP&A's success as a business partner, however, depends on producing data that the organization can trust. Fifty-two percent of finance leaders say their revenue forecasts differ from actual results by more than 6%. This variance is particularly pronounced in sectors like retail, where 21% of respondents report variances of 10% or more.
This accuracy struggle remains a top concern for finance leaders: improving forecasting accuracy was named the top priority for the FP&A function by 35% of respondents, and 72% placed it in their top three objectives.
Forecasting gaps can arise from a lack of operational context, leaving financial models detached from the real-world variables that impact the business. Despite this, only 34% of finance leaders say their organizations currently fully integrate operational drivers—such as unit sales, SKUs, and headcount—into their forecasting models.
Vena’s Director of Ecosystem Strategy and Operations, Meredith Hobik, addressed the underlying quality issues that prevent forecasting models from reflecting true business performance:
"Data quality matters. As they say, garbage in, garbage out. Where I’ve seen some of the biggest data quality issues is in Excel spreadsheets going back and forth between finance business partners and their broader teams. Where things can go wrong is the tagging, structure, or breakout of the data."
When forecasts lack these real-time operational signals based on quality data, planning becomes less confident. And inaccurate projections do more than just complicate budgets. They create significant risk for the company, as these blind spots can prevent FP&A teams from course-correcting around warning signals early.
Overall, data quality and availability remain the primary obstacle for finance departments, with 58% of leaders identifying this as their top bottleneck.
This is a persistent issue. In our 2025 report, 36% of respondents cited accessing data from multiple systems as their top challenge impacting planning.
The problem is in large part rooted in fragmented data environments. This year, 68% of respondents name a lack of integration between systems in their top three technology challenges. Furthermore, 51% report moderate or limited integration between their FP&A tools and source systems (such as ERP, CRM, HRIS and BI systems). These gaps create manual work and slow down insights.
Beyond a breakdown in system integrations, the data quality and availability issue also exposes misalignments between people and processes. Failing to bridge the gap between Finance and Operations leaves teams without the shared context needed to form effective plans.
Meredith points to the critical information gaps that occur when internal communication isn't properly captured by the tech stack:
"What’s the data signal you would have wanted to be able to forecast that spike in expenses? From a revenue perspective, maybe it’s intel in your CRM that your FP&A person doesn’t know about, like notes on the side. But that data signal isn’t coming in, it’s watercooler talk, and so forecasts weren’t adjusted. Now they’re off."
Crucially, solving this data quality problem is a prerequisite for any meaningful AI strategy. Leaders are already reacting: 48% of respondents say their top investment priority for the coming year is to improve data integration across systems.
Despite the rise of specialized corporate performance management (CPM) software in the past several decades, 90% of respondents still use Excel for at least some financial modeling and reporting. This reliance is not limited to smaller firms—63% of companies with over $1 billion in annual revenue say they use spreadsheets as a primary budgeting and forecasting tool.
Across all company sizes, spreadsheets are the most favored system for budgeting and forecasting, cited as a primary tool by 61% of finance leaders.
But while tools like Excel are well-loved and familiar, 33% of respondents say their number one technology challenge is spreadsheet reliance.
Spreadsheet work is likely a stopgap for the data integration challenges reported by respondents. As a result, FP&A teams are left to manually extract and clean data to feed it into other platforms.
Recent market developments, such as the direct integration of Claude into Excel, reinforce the staying power of the platform as the preferred tool of FP&A teams even further. However, using disconnected spreadsheets—even when amplified by AI capabilities—is inefficient and makes it difficult to support enterprise-scale processes.
Relying on static spreadsheets without proper data governance can be detrimental to scaling FP&A processes. To avoid human error and siloed data, teams should look toward dedicated FP&A software that combines Excel's ease of use with a robust, integrated data environment.
As we learned from the data, many organizations' FP&A maturity is still just emerging. Seventy-three percent of finance leaders say their teams' maturity is either “Developing” or “Established.” Only 12% describe their operations as “Leading”—the most advanced category—which hasn't materially changed since our 2025 report (where 11% of respondents rated their FP&A operations as “Leading”).
One survey respondent from the retail industry sums up the broader group’s sentiment aptly: “We are excellent at the basics such as budgeting and reporting. We do not have advanced tools to move to proper periodic or rolling forecasts."
The data also shows that scale doesn't automatically equal maturity. While larger companies are more likely to be "Established," many are still bogged down by complex processes and software. Even among self-reported mature teams, only 11% use agile planning methods like rolling forecasts.
Another survey respondent from the technology industry gave us a candid glimpse at the specific capabilities missing from an otherwise functional finance department:
“[Our] FP&A function has standardized, repeatable processes, a consistent forecasting and reporting cadence, and strong cross-functional alignment... However, it’s not yet fully predictive or real-time—hence not [being] best-in-class yet."
True FP&A maturity requires moving beyond standardized reporting to real-time, predictive insights. Without this shift, teams remain stuck in the role of data reporters, rather than strategic partners who can influence decision-making at the speed of the market.
One way "Leading" FP&A teams are setting themselves apart is by empowering the rest of the business to source the insights they need on their own, without being a bottleneck.
Forty-nine percent of those who rank their FP&A team’s maturity as “Leading” say business unit leaders are fully self-sufficient when it comes to sourcing reports and analysis, compared to just 19% of all respondents.
This self-sufficiency is a hallmark of true orchestrated business planning: the alignment of people, data, processes and agents to ensure organizations can move swiftly from insight to execution.
As Vena CFO Melissa Howatson put it at Excelerate Finance Fest 2026:
“ Finance now creates value when it makes sure that the business can act on what it knows versus simply reporting on it. So this is where the shift becomes real. This isn't just about process. It's about identity. Finance is moving from being business partners to enterprise orchestrators.”
Mature finance teams can successfully scale by enabling budget owners to source data themselves. This level of autonomy across the business is what allows the FP&A department to focus their energy on higher-order thinking.
" Finance now creates value when it makes sure that the business can act on what it knows versus simply reporting on it."
Melissa Howatson, CFO, Vena
The strategic value of FP&A right now depends on translating numbers into recommendations that help leadership act faster. “Leading” teams show this shift clearly, with 49% stating their primary role is driving business insights and influencing decisions. Compare that to just 24% across all levels of maturity.
In contrast, 48% of FP&A teams that self-identified their operational maturity as “Basic” said their primary role today is forecasting and variance analysis.
This focus on transactional reporting requests may be creating a significant perception gap across businesses. Sixty-seven percent of FP&A leaders feel they highly influence the overall business, yet only 31% of executive leadership teams reportedly view FP&A as strategic partners. Most executives still see the FP&A function as reliable advisors (47%) or a transactional reporting function (14%).
In an episode of The CFO Show, Igor Stelea, the former director of accounting advisory firm CFGI, describes the behavioral shift finance leaders need to move their department beyond a traditional compliance role:
“A mature finance team, in my mind, operates as a strategic partner, not just as a reporting function. They drive decisions with insights, not just data, and they proactively challenge the business instead of reactively explaining variances.”
Highly mature FP&A teams are closing this gap by embedding themselves across all functions. Sixty-two percent of “Leading” teams have fully embedded FP&A partners in all functions of their business, which is more than double the 30% reported overall.
The goal is a move from simply explaining the numbers, to proactively challenging the business with recommendations that guide long-term plans—and following up to ensure that guidance is acted upon.
Our latest data reveals a critical turning point for FP&A teams. Thriving in this role means reducing time spent on manual data reconciliation to focus more on interpreting results for leadership and translating these into real action.
Finance departments can clear the path for more meaningful contributions to the organization by using advanced automation and becoming more deeply embedded within the rest of their organization.
This allows finance leaders to stop explaining what happened and start defining what comes next.
Moving into the second half of 2026, the priority for finance leaders should be ensuring their software and teams are truly working together. Creating a clear, shared view of the business is what gives finance the footing to shift from reactive reporting to proactive strategy.
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