Start: H2 2026
Publication: 2026 / 2027
Region: Global Research
Authors: Stefan Sexl, Carsten Bange

The financial close and consolidation process is a cornerstone of the finance function and is becoming increasingly important for many organizations, both from a regulatory and a managerial perspective. For decades, finance teams have struggled with manual, time-consuming, and error-prone Excel-based processes and fragmented systems. In an era of increasing volatility, shorter decision cycles, and the need to integrate comprehensive data from multiple ERPs, business units, and reporting domains, many organizations are now planning to invest in modern consolidation and group accounting software platforms.

At the same time, the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced automation through AI agents provides an opportunity to streamline these processes and is fundamentally reshaping the role of the finance professional. New, AI-enabled capabilities promise to further automate labor-intensive tasks, improve data quality, and turn the close and consolidation cycle into a more continuous, insight-driven process.

This survey will explore the key challenges, expected benefits, and investment plans for adopting these technologies. We will examine:

The survey will also investigate integration requirements for consolidation and group accounting processes. For CFOs and other finance leaders, the survey will provide a roadmap for navigating this transformation by offering insights into best practices, highlighting the strategic directives of leading organizations, and provide a vision for the future of the finance function.