The finance function is no longer just about balancing the books. In today’s fast-paced, tech-driven business landscape, finance is being reimagined as a strategic partner, helping organisations grow smarter, scale faster, and operate more efficiently.
Central to this evolution is FinOps, or financial operations: the merging of finance with operations, supported by tech and a collaborative mindset.
What is FinOps?
FinOps is the integration of finance and operations, bringing financial insight into the heart of day-to-day business decisions. Rather than operating in isolation, finance works alongside operational teams to align strategy, improve efficiency, and support real-time decision-making.
While the term originated in the tech world, its broader meaning now reflects a shift toward more collaborative, data-driven finance functions across all industries.
From Siloed to Integrated
In large corporates, finance and operations have long operated in silos. But in start-ups and scale-ups, where teams are smaller and resources are often tighter, these roles are naturally more connected.
This integration isn’t just practical; it’s powerful!
This hybrid approach, often embodied in the CFO/COO role, brings strategic oversight and operational execution under one roof, creating clearer visibility, faster decisions, and better alignment across the business.
Technology: The Catalyst for Change
Technology is not just a tool, it’s an enabler of transformation. From automating manual processes to generating real-time insights, adopting the right tech stack can drastically boost a finance team’s efficiency and strategic value.
Cloud-based platforms such as Xero and Fathom, as well as automation tools for accounts payable, payroll, and reporting, allow finance teams to focus less on data entry and more on data interpretation. But, before layering on new tools, businesses should fully utilise their current systems and align tech choices with specific business goals.
Importantly, a well-structured finance tech stack doesn’t just improve internal workflows, it enables better metrics that are easier to interpret, more aligned to strategic goals, and more actionable for the wider business. In this way, finance becomes less of a back-office function and an insightful and active part of the business.
Agility and Resilience Start in Finance
In a volatile market, businesses need to pivot quickly. Whether responding to a supply chain disruption, shifting market demand, or economic uncertainty, agility is key and finance plays a vital role.
With FinOps and the right technology in place, finance teams can produce faster insights, identify risks earlier, and confidently help the business respond to change.
FinOps Across Sectors: A Mixed Picture
While FinOps is gaining traction in the tech, e-commerce, and SaaS sectors, adoption remains patchy in more traditional industries like construction and manufacturing. Some businesses still rely on physical invoices and outdated systems, highlighting a real digital divide.
However, as more professionals enter into careers in accounting and finance with a strong appetite for technology, there’s a growing push across industries to adopt digital tools and integrated finance models that better support and enhance their work. This will naturally become the new standard, challenging more traditional sectors to adopt it.
The Road Ahead: Progressive Finance
FinOps is not a trend! It’s a glimpse into the future of finance. As AI, automation, and advanced analytics continue to evolve, finance leaders must stay ahead by upskilling, adapting, and embracing a mindset of continuous improvement.
By building a finance function that is digitally enabled and closely aligned with operations, businesses can gain clearer insights, make faster decisions, and respond more effectively to change.
