How Financial Data Will Redefine Strategy in 2026
An increasingly complex global economy requires adaptive, agile decision making. Underpinning the strategies capable of responding in real time to economic and market factors is the vast array of financial data generated by today’s organisations.
But finance leaders are under increasing pressure to leverage that data to deliver insights that add strategic value. Over half of today’s finance leaders are expected to play a key role in shaping enterprise strategy. And to do this, they must harness technology and advanced analytics to maximise the potential of their financial data, paving the way for smarter decision-making in 2026 and beyond.
Improving Data Quality and Accessibility
More data does not necessarily equate to better decisions. The key to its value lies in its quality. Leaders must ensure that data is clean, structured, and integrated into a unified system that supports decision-making. For example, improving data accessibility through cloud-based platforms and enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems will ensure that decision-makers across departments have real-time access to reliable financial insights. Moreover, ensuring that insights deriving from this data are actionable is paramount. This means investing in tools that allow finance teams to translate raw financial data into meaningful insights, which can directly inform strategy.
Enhancing Data Governance and Reporting Structures
The widespread adoption of data-driven approaches makes robust data governance more important. Proper governance frameworks will be essential to ensure data integrity and compliance with regulatory requirements. Implementing strong governance protocols ensures that financial data is protected from misuse or errors.
A structured reporting framework and the ability to easily track performance against KPIs and align them with business objectives will be crucial for evaluating strategic initiatives and ensuring that the business stays on course to meet its financial goals.
Automated reporting tools will also play a significant role in improving reporting efficiency. By reducing the manual effort required to compile financial reports, finance teams can focus on analysing and interpreting financial data, providing more time for strategic planning.
Strengthening Data Security
The introduction of stricter data protection regulations and increased scrutiny on how data is used will place greater responsibility on CFOs to ensure that the organisation’s financial data is secure. By implementing advanced encryption technologies, multi-factor authentication systems, and access controls, finance leaders can ensure that sensitive data remains protected.
As more organisations move to cloud-based systems and adopt digital-first strategies, finance teams will need to work closely with IT departments to ensure that these technologies are secure and compliant with data privacy regulations.
Building Collaborative, Insight-Driven Finance Functions
By breaking down traditional silos and encouraging collaboration between finance, operations, IT, and other departments, finance teams can ensure that financial data informs decisions across the entire organisation. Integrated scenario planning will allow teams to develop data-driven strategies that align with the business’s goals and objectives. The use of AI and advanced analytics will facilitate this shift by enabling real-time, cross-departmental collaboration. Tools that integrate financial data with other key business metrics will provide leadership teams with a more holistic view of performance, fostering greater alignment across departments.
Aligning Data Strategy with Business Growth Targets
For financial data to be a true enabler of performance, it must be aligned with the organisation’s growth targets. CFOs will need to ensure that their data strategy is tightly connected to the business’s strategic objectives, from driving profitability to expanding into new markets.
Data-driven decision-making will become a core component, with finance teams working closely with executive leadership to align financial forecasts, budgets, and investments with business growth plans. Using financial data to monitor performance against strategic goals, finance leaders can identify areas for improvement and make real-time adjustments to stay on track.
Redefining Roles in a Data-Driven Finance Team
As finance functions evolve in response to these trends, the roles within finance teams will also need to evolve, supported by teams of financial analysts, business partners, and data scientists who can interpret complex data sets and provide actionable insights to drive strategic decisions.
AI and automation will also shift the focus of many roles. With routine tasks automated, finance teams will have more time to focus on high-value activities, such as strategic planning, business partnership, and value creation. This presents an opportunity to redefine the analyst and financial modelling roles, positioning them as key contributors to business outcomes rather than just controllers of processes. SoW, interim, and project roles will also shift, with subject matter experts such as interim CFOs, finance transformation leads, and project managers brought in to review systems and processes, skill up teams, and pass on valuable knowledge from other AI-led finance projects.
To stay ahead, it will be essential to have the right finance and tax team in place, one that can manage complex data and turn that data into actionable insights that drive business growth.
Are You Ready to Harness the Power of Financial Data?
At Cedar, we specialise in helping finance and tax leaders find the talent they need to implement and optimise data strategies that deliver tangible business outcomes.
