Where will the next margin point come from?
Which investments still earn their keep?
How do we keep the business moving when the noise never stops?
2026 is about being less reactive and setting structure and control.
While trends are easy to spot, results are harder to sustain. Smaller businesses win with speed and simplicity. Large enterprises, on the other hand, often have the alignment and ability to scale. However, both are heading towards the same goal: visibility, resilience and growth.
Here’s where the best finance teams are placing their focus for 2026.
- Cost discipline that creates room to grow
Finance leaders are tightening the purse strings, with the most effective teams reviewing what delivers value and how much.
For smaller businesses, trimming duplicate contracts and enhancing expense controls are quick wins, along with maintaining a close eye on supplier performance. For larger companies, the work is heavier, but the payoff is greater.
Simplifying systems, aligning processes and bringing consistency across regions or departments can unlock resources.
This is cost discipline as strategy: a way to fund what matters next – technology, people, and growth. - Technology that proves its worth
AI, automation and analytics are now considered fundamental. The real challenge with these is proving what they deliver.
For leaner teams, automation saves time where it hurts most – around reconciliation, reporting and approvals. In more complex cases, finance leaders are tracking the ROI of digital tools with the same rigour they apply to capital spend. Some are creating dedicated finance-technology teams to measure impact and manage risk, while others are embedding accountability across every project.
While technology is an enabler, the story here is about outcomes.
The teams leading this space measure success in terms of hours saved, errors avoided, and decisions made, all of which contribute to business growth. - Teams that can think and adapt
The skills conversation is shifting. Finance expertise still matters, but it’s not enough. Leaders want teams that can interpret data and communicate information.
Upskilling is quick and hands-on: focused sessions, project-based learning, and tools that make data easy to explore.
Blended structures that pair accountants with analysts, and finance with data science, to close the gap between insight and action.
The common thread is curiosity. The finance functions making progress are full of people who keep asking why as often as how much.
- Finance as a true business partner
We know you see this phrase everywhere. We do, too.
However, CFOs are taking a bigger role in shaping direction, steering decisions on investment, risk and performance, bringing structure to the pace of the business.
For smaller companies, that means putting finance at the centre of planning conversations. And for larger enterprises, it’s about breaking silos and aligning finance with operations, HR, and technology so everyone moves in the same direction.
What to focus on immediately:
1. Revisit your cost map . Audit where the money goes and whether it continues to support next year’s goals.
2. Track technology impact . Every digital project should demonstrate hours saved, improved accuracy or faster decision-making.
3. Build learning into the function . Keep finance skills current through steady, small-scale learning. Growth comes from practice.
If you would like more information or support with your account, please speak with a member of our team. Or find out what’s new at Soldo.
