2025 Finance Trends in Action: A Mid-Year Check-In for CFOs

At the beginning of the year, BlackLine hosted a webinar with IMA: Future-Ready Financial Operations: Accurate, Efficient, and Intelligent.

In it, our experts discussed what BlackLine predicts will be important this year, how CFOs can best prepare, and what it looks like to build future-ready financial operations.

Now that we’re nearly halfway through the year, we thought we’d look back at a few of the topics discussed and provide additional resources for you to explore.

Key Takeaways

• AI adoption is accelerating across reconciliations and analytics.

• ESG regulations are evolving fast, and CFOs must lead compliance.

• Tech and talent investment is separating finance leaders from laggards.

Emerging technologies like AI, machine learning, and blockchain are transforming finance and accounting by automating routine tasks, delivering predictive insights, and supporting faster, more informed decision-making.

To fully realize the benefits, finance leaders must take a deliberate, phased approach to implementation. The payoffs can be significant, including greater efficiency, smarter insights, and a more proactive finance function.

For F&A teams using world-class technology like BlackLine, they’re putting AI to work with confidence with BlackLine’s comprehensive platform that places accuracy and security first, from data to decision. We’ll help you unlock your time and amplify your impact with automation and insights you can trust.

Explore these resources:

• BlackLine AI

• Accelerating AI-Enabled Insights Across Your Financial Operations

• Optimizing Accuracy & Compliance with Journal Entry Automation and AI-Powered Insights

• Accelerating F&A Intelligence with BlackLine’s Latest AI Innovations

As environmental, social, and governance (ESG) regulations tighten, organizations must prioritize standardized, transparent sustainability reporting. Meeting regulatory and investor expectations will require deeper collaboration between finance and sustainability leaders, including an expanded role for Chief Sustainability Officers (CSOs).

Investing in technology to manage ESG data is no longer optional. It’s essential for tracking progress, ensuring compliance, and driving long-term value. CFOs have a critical role to play in embedding sustainability into corporate strategy, building resilience, and enhancing operational performance.

Explore these resources:

• CFOs: Take the Lead in ESG Accountability

• A&F Leadership Priorities: Environmental, Social & Governance

To keep pace with rapid change, finance teams must strengthen their digital capabilities, and investing in advanced technologies is only part of the equation. Equally important is developing the digital fluency of finance professionals to effectively leverage these solutions.

CFOs should lead the charge by aligning digital priorities with business goals, fostering collaboration with IT, and ensuring their teams are prepared to navigate new technologies. Whether it’s automation, analytics, or AI, the right investments in people and platforms will enable finance to move from transactional to strategic, delivering greater agility, insight, and impact across the business.

Explore these resources:

• Unifying Your Technology Stack Across Record-to-Report

• Unlocking the Power of Talent Management: How BlackLine Technology Transforms F&A Teams

Want to see how your organization stacks up against these key predictions? Watch the on-demand webinar at your convenience to refresh your memory and guide your next steps.