Heading into 2025, finance and accounting (F&A) departments across the country are preparing for the new year and exploring emerging technologies that can level up their capabilities. Your team is undoubtedly doing the same.
However, it can be tough to cut through the noise and identify which solutions are actually worth exploring and investing in. With that in mind, there are three emerging F&A solutions you need to have your eye on in 2025.
Blockchain for Secure and Transparent Transactions
Make no mistake — Blockchain is not a fad. It’s a legitimate change agent for corporate accounting. Many F&A teams, and organizations in general, are now exploring blockchain solutions.
A recent study revealed that 90% of companies are deploying blockchain technologies in some capacity, and 86% of respondents believe blockchain will enhance their organizations.
These numbers should come as no surprise. Blockchain technology is a controller’s dream. It’s a decentralized, immutable ledger system that allows you to record transactions in a way that’s nearly impossible to tamper with or alter.
Each transaction is encrypted and linked to the previous one, creating a secure chain that ensures data integrity.
How Blockchain Benefits F&A Teams
By leaning into the blockchain revolution, your finance and accounting teams can achieve unparalleled transparency. Every transaction can be traced from start to finish. This is particularly useful if your company faces frequent audits or is subject to stringent regulatory compliance frameworks.
Additionally, blockchain reduces fraud by providing you with an immutable record of every transaction. It greatly reduces the risk of unauthorized changes and can be a game-changer for finance departments dealing with large transactions, cross-border deals, or high-security data.
Blockchain could also position your F&A team to expedite settlement times by cutting out intermediaries. Instead of waiting days for DUNS to clear, blockchain has the potential to allow near-instant transfers.
AI for Predictive Analytics
Artificial intelligence has advanced rapidly in the last few years. One of the most exciting use cases for AI is predictive analytics.
Predictive analytics solutions can analyze large sets of historical and real-time data to forecast future trends and accelerate your decision-making processes.
How AI Predictive Analytics Transforms F&A
The F&A team has evolved into a true strategic asset for C-suite decision-makers. With AI-powered predictive analytics, you and your staff can step into this new, expanded role. AI can analyze trends and external market factors to forecast revenue and cash flow more accurately.
AI algorithms are especially effective at spotting unusual partners in transaction data that might indicate fraud or financial risks. By flagging these anomalies early, you can prevent losses and mitigate risks before they escalate.
Automation Tools for Enhanced Efficiency
Automation isn’t new, but its role in finance and accounting has expanded. Modern automation tools can take on increasingly complex tasks and enable your F&A team to streamline everything from transaction processing to compliance reporting.
By leaning into these tools, you can free up your team to focus on high-value tasks while ensuring day-to-day finance functions are executed flawlessly.
Top Automation Solutions to Elevate Your F&A Functions
Robotic process automation uses software “bots” to handle repetitive, rule-based tasks like data entry and invoice processing. RPAs can also tackle account reconciliations. These bots work faster and with fewer errors than human employees, increasing productivity and reducing costs.
Intelligence document processing (IDP) technology can alleviate the burden of manual data entry. IDP uses AI to extract data from paper documents like invoices and contracts. The technology converts the unstructured data into structured, analyzable information.
With the right technologies in place, you’ll also be able to automate reporting functions. Many solutions can generate monthly, quarterly, or annual reports at the click of a button, saving you dozens of labor hours and ensuring consistency.
More importantly, an expedited reporting process ensures that executives are basing their decisions on timely, relevant information rather than relying on data that is weeks old.
How Your F&A Department Can Embrace the Latest Tech
In 2025, your finance and accounting department has an opportunity to harness powerful technologies that will reshape how they operate. However, all change, even positive change, can be challenging for your team.
With that in mind, it’s vital to be transparent about your intentions and aspirations from day one. Get your F&A team involved in the process early on and identify which technologies and tools will deliver the most value to your organization.
Making your employees a part of the process can help reduce change resistance and encourage them to embrace the next generation of F&A technologies.
By staying on top of these advancements and getting your team on board, you’ll be able to create a nimble, resilient F&A department that helps the organization thrive.
