Dear colleagues,

Influence is the currency of the intelligent age — and FP&A is quietly becoming one of its most powerful traders. As automation eats the routine, the question is no longer who controls the data, but who shapes the meaning behind it. That shift is uncomfortable. It asks finance teams to move from being guardians of accuracy to challengers of direction; from explaining the past to provoking better futures.

What fascinates me most right now is the tension between intelligence that predicts and intelligence that persuades — a tension clearly visible in FP&A Business Partnering, where decisions hinge on both speed and sense-making. AI can simulate scenarios in seconds, but it can’t read a room, reframe a debate, or sense when a decision is drifting off-course. Humans can. And the organisations winning today are the ones that fuse both forms of intelligence into a single, influential voice.

This issue explores that fusion — not as a trend, but as a new standard of strategic power for FP&A. Enjoy the read!

Best regards,

Larysa Melnychuk, CEO and Founder
FP&A Trends Group & International FP&A Board

AI is rewriting the DNA of business partnering. What once relied on intuition and spreadsheets now runs on algorithms that predict faster than humans can think.

Yet this transformation isn’t about replacing people, but about redefining what only people can do. The FP&A business partner of tomorrow doesn’t just analyse data; they interpret its meaning, challenge assumptions, and connect dots no model can see.

Read this insights paper to explore how FP&A can pair machine intelligence with human insight to shape value and agility. It introduces a practical framework for modern partnering, and shows how leading teams turn AI into a catalyst for influence, not replacement.

By Pawan Pratap Singh, Head of Business Units Financial Planning and Analysis

Partnership fails when finance only observes. Influence begins when FP&A becomes part of the decision itself. That means breaking habits — shorter cycles, closer conversations, and shared accountability for outcomes.

Read this article to see what it takes to make partnering real. It is not about proximity to the business — it is about changing how finance thinks, talks, and acts within it.

By Steve Legg, Director of Financial Planning Enablement at Arm

Being “trusted” is no longer enough. In an age of automation and predictive analytics, business partners must operate as strategic enablers — orchestrating performance, not just explaining it. This evolution demands courage, credibility, and a shift from insight delivery to decision leadership.

Read this article to explore how leading organisations are redefining FP&A accountability, building influence across functions, and turning data storytelling into strategic execution.

By Vineet Jain, Director, Finance Transformation at Genpact

The most provocative question in modern finance isn’t “What can AI do?” — it’s “What does it leave for us?” Agentic AI can anticipate, simulate, even decide. But judgment — the human kind — is still the last competitive advantage.

Read this article to explore how humans and AI can co-create foresight. It’s about partnership beyond people — where automation scales capacity, and finance reclaims creativity.

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4 December, 2025

What will FP&A look like in 2026? For leading organisations, the future is already taking shape — driven by AI, continuous planning, and real-time decision-making. But for most, the journey is just beginning.

Register for this webinar to explore five visionary trends already redefining FP&A in the most forward-thinking teams. Together, they form the blueprint for Autonomous Finance — a self-learning, decision-oriented FP&A core that anticipates, adapts, and orchestrates across data, systems, and teams.

9 December, 2025

Generative AI is no longer an experiment. In leading finance teams, it’s already reshaping how forecasts are built, reports are written, and insights are delivered.

Register for this webinar to explore how teams are moving beyond pilots toward meaningful integration — combining human judgment with Generative AI to build a more confident, responsive finance function.

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