In 2025/26 finance professionals and strategy setters have experienced dramatic shifts, such as the introduction of Agentic AI, unprecedented geopolitical tension and the EU AI Act and more gradual drifts in inflationary pressure, tax regulation and macroeconomic uncertainty.
What makes the 2026 journey so challenging is not that the issues are necessarily bigger, or more varied, but that the forces bearing down on finance are all arriving simultaneously. In these conditions, strategy has to become a continuous process of adjustment, anchored in financial discipline but flexible enough to respond quickly when conditions change. The companies that will thrive are those that weave agility into every aspect of the business.
This new white paper, written by FSN, in collaboration with the Workday European CFO Community is a scene setter exploring
- the strains on strategy & growth
- the changing face of finance transformation
- the growing strain created by finance talent shortages
- the accelerating burden of risk and regulation
- the need to reinvent financial reporting.