Dear colleagues,

The uncomfortable truth about FP&A is this: numbers can be perfectly calculated and still not be trusted.

A forecast updates on schedule, dashboards refresh automatically, the spreadsheet balances — yet the room still hesitates.

In this digest issue, we explore what strengthens confidence in the numbers. Inside, you’ll find a guide on improving the financial close, a video on building a data-first FP&A environment, and two articles examining predictive forecasting and the often underestimated skill of listening in FP&A business partnering.

Enjoy the read!

Best regards,

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

Market volatility is raising the stakes for finance teams. With rising interest rates, FX fluctuations, tariffs, and tighter regulatory scrutiny, finance is expected to stand behind its numbers earlier — and with little room for error.

But spreadsheet-driven close and consolidation processes can’t keep up. Manual workarounds and informal controls increase audit risk and delay decisions. This guide explains how finance teams can strengthen close and consolidation without disruptive system overhauls.

What you’ll learn:

• Where hidden risks are building in your close process
• How control gaps impact audit readiness
• What a modern, resilient close looks like
• A practical roadmap to reduce risk and free up capacity

Download now 

By Tanja Schlesinger, VP OneSource Data & Analytics, Data & AI Officer at DB Regio AG

In many organisations, finance still works with data that arrives late, fragmented and already shaped by multiple adjustments. By the time analysis begins, the question is no longer what the number is — but how reliable it actually is.

Watch this video to see why leading FP&A teams start with data, and how a data-first strategy changes the credibility of forecasts, analysis and decisions.

By Richard Morris, Advisory Council Member at Harvard Business Review

Most forecasting models were built for stability: extend the trend, update the assumptions, refresh the numbers. When conditions shift quickly, those models often struggle to explain what is happening now.

Read this article to explore how predictive planning helps FP&A adapt forecasts faster and keep them useful as assumptions start changing.

By Gemma Davie, Head of Finance Business Partnering at Anglian Water Services

Finance professionals spend years refining models and dashboards. Yet one of the strongest drivers of trust in business partnering is far simpler — listening. Without it, even strong analysis can miss the real question the business is trying to answer.

Read this article to reflect on how listening can transform finance conversations and strengthen trust in FP&A insights.

Every year, FP&A leaders are expected to respond to new demands — often without clarity on how peers are truly operating.

The 2026 FP&A Trends Survey is designed to close that gap by turning individual experience into shared, evidence-based insight. We invite you to contribute your personal perspective and help shape a realistic picture of how FP&A is evolving across organisations, beyond theory, marketing narratives, and isolated case studies.

The survey takes around 10 minutes to complete. Your perspective helps shape the benchmark others rely on.

Start the survey 

FP&A Trends digital events are vendor-agnostic and complimentary. If you are not able to join the live session, you can register to receive the recording later.

March 31, 2026

As FP&A moves towards more integrated planning and decision-making, many organisations discover that alignment breaks down at the analytical level. Models don’t connect, assumptions drift, and insights lose consistency across the business.

Register for this webinar to learn how a strong analytical backbone enables integrated FP&A in practice. The session explores how shared data, consistent logic, and aligned analytics help finance teams support clearer conversations and more coordinated decisions.

April 22, 2026

Many integrated FP&A initiatives stall not because of technology, but because organisational alignment remains unclear. Systems may be connected, yet roles, accountability, and cross-functional collaboration are not fully aligned.

Join this webinar to explore how people, processes, and decision ownership determine whether integrated FP&A delivers real impact in practice — not just technical integration.

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