2025 is well and truly upon us and it feels like a really big year for FP&A. With so many technological and methodological tailwinds for the industry, it’s safe to say that there are going to be some significant advancements in the year to come. And here at Apliqo – we’re here for it! We can’t wait to see what the next era of this industry looks like.
Drawing inspiration from the recent Global CPM Trends and Priorities Report from BARC, we’ve pulled out five of the key trends shaping the future of FP&A in 2025 and beyond, and then have offered some insights into how organisations can adapt to these changes.
AI-driven planning and forecasting
It seems like no article is complete these days without a mention of artificial intelligence – but that is for good reason. This technology is the most exciting advancement we’ve seen since the birth of the internet and it is going to have a large impact on how we think about FP&A processes as it begins to infiltrate into our economy.
In 2025, we’re expecting AI and predictive analytics to transform forecasting by automating more of the routine tasks, improve accuracy thanks to better data wrangling, and provide much higher quality data-driven insights for decision-making. The key differentiator here is having superhuman pattern recognition capabilities meaning that anomaly detection and scenario simulations can be completed with ease.
Companies that embrace and leverage AI are going to be able to spend less time on the data side of things and more time on strategic decision-making that will give them instant speed improvements in the marketplace.
Integrated corporate planning
We’ve been banging on this drum for a number of years now, but the industry is finally starting to catch up. As data becomes more manageable and technology has streamlined FP&A processes, it has made it more and more possible to achieve integrated corporate planning that actually allows for holistic planning. By bridging the gap between financial, operational, and strategic goals – companies can craft a robust and cohesive framework for decision-making.
This unified approach is what has differentiated Apliqo for a long time now and we’re excited to take this approach to the next level in the year to come. Clients that adopt this approach will be able to align short-term objectives with long-term strategies, reduce inefficiencies by linking sub-plans, and enable better resource allocation and performance tracking.
Simply put, mastery in integrated planning provides a competitive edge through agility and alignment across a large and complex organisation.
Emphasis on self-service FP&A
Another trend that we’re expecting to continue in 2025 is the shift towards more self-service analytics thanks to the democratisation of financial and operational data. Modern FP&A technology empowers all users (including those outside of traditional finance) to update their budgets and forecasts independently, generate real-time reports without having to involve business intelligence, and obtain custom analytics that speak to their specific pain points.
Reducing reliance on finance and IT can drastically improve the speed and quality of execution across the company while fostering a culture of real financial accountability.
Focus on data integration and quality
In some ways, the advancements in AI have shone a spotlight on all of our data warehousing – asking questions about how we are integrating our data into FP&A workflows and whether that data is of the necessary quality to be relied upon. The old truth that your insights are only as good as the quality of your data really holds true here.
In 2025 and beyond we can expect a lot more effort to be put into improving data quality and streamlining the integration of disparate data flows into a single system. This is because small optimisations here can have outsized effects when you can leverage cutting-edge analytics capabilities to squeeze the juice out of that information.
Once again, this is something that should have been a focus all along, but the new year offers a nice opportunity to re-assess your own situation and make the necessary tweaks to get it back into tip-top shape.
The rise of value driver-based planning
The final trend we want to discuss is how more and more companies are paring down their drivers and focusing on fewer, more important variables. This is in response to the overcomplication of many planning processes in recent years where there has been a tendency to turn every possible variable into a driver because of the illusion of greater forecast accuracy. The truth though is that many of these variables were trivial, entirely dependent on others, or completely irrelevant and simply used up time and resources that could have been spent elsewhere.
Value driver-based planning focuses on identifying the key factors that significantly influence an organisation’s performance. This is essentially an application of the 80/20 rule and it makes for a more streamlined planning environment that doesn’t get bogged down in irrelevant details. Now, this simplification might sound easy, but deciding on which drivers truly matter is the real challenge – but that’s a post for another day.
As 2025 unfolds, the landscape of FP&A is poised for transformative change. Embracing trends like AI-driven forecasting, integrated corporate planning, self-service tools, and value driver-based approaches will be essential for staying ahead in this dynamic field.
At the heart of these advancements lies a focus on improving data quality, fostering collaboration, and leveraging technology to unlock new opportunities. By adopting these innovations, you can not only navigate the complexities of the modern business environment but also drive strategic growth and create lasting impact. The future of FP&A isn’t just about keeping pace—it’s about setting the pace.
If you’re looking for a partner along the journey, Apliqo is here to help. Get in touch today and let’s explore how our solutions can radically transform your FP&A workflows.