Analysis of 50+ benchmarks from Gartner, PwC, KPMG, McKinsey, AFP, and Deloitte shows AI adoption set to more than double in the next 12 months, even as 61% of CFOs still cite inaccurate forecasting as their biggest cost-control problem.
NEW YORK CITY â 26th May 2026 â Limelight Software, the cloud FP&A platform used by finance teams at TED, Conservation International, and other mid-market and enterprise organizations, today released its 2026 FP&A Statistics Report. The report pulls together more than 50 benchmarks on how finance teams are operating, investing, and adapting this year.
The data, drawn from research by Gartner, PwC, KPMG, McKinsey, Deloitte, AFP, IBM, and Workday, shows a finance function caught between rising technology investment and the legacy workflows still slowing it down. CFOs are sponsoring AI and lifting FP&A budgets to record levels. At the same time, nearly 100% of finance professionals are still using spreadsheets for monthly planning, 82% are making decisions on stale data, and 69% of finance transformation programs are running behind schedule.
Key findings
- FP&A technology spend is climbing fast. 77% of CFOs and senior finance leaders plan to increase FP&A technology spending in 2025, with 47% expecting a 10%+ increase versus 2024 (Gartner). The FP&A software market is projected to grow from $3.9 billion in 2023 to $9.7 billion by 2031.
- AI adoption is set to more than double inside 12 months. 28% of finance departments currently use AI in forecasting. Another 39% plan to adopt it within the next year (PwC). The AI in FP&A market alone is projected to grow at a 34.8% CAGR through 2034.
- Spreadsheets remain near universal. Almost 100% of FP&A professionals still use spreadsheets for monthly planning and reporting (AFP). Over half of FP&A teams now manage 8+ data categories and 10+ reporting tools each quarter.
- Forecast accuracy is the top cost-control obstacle. 61% of CFOs say inaccurate forecasting is the single biggest barrier to controlling costs (SAP Concur). 82% of companies make decisions based on stale information. 85% say that outdated data leads directly to lost revenue.
- Transformation programs are stalling. 69% of finance transformation initiatives are progressing slower than planned. 30% fail to hit their goals outright (Gartner), most often due to poor change management.
- The CFO role keeps expanding. 82% of CFOs say their remit has grown significantly over the past five years (Egon Zehnder). 81% now see themselves as the primary drivers of business growth, and 50% are planning a finance restructure.
- AI is reshaping forecasting first. 66% of finance leaders say generative AI will have the biggest immediate impact on explaining forecast and budget variances (Gartner). 55% of retail and CPG finance leaders are already using Gen AI in their forecasting workflows.
Commentary from Limelight
âFinance leaders in 2026 are being pulled in two directions,â said Rosie Shea, BDM at Limelight Software. âTheyâre expected to drive strategy, sponsor digital transformation, and accelerate ROI, while still spending most of their week pulling numbers out of spreadsheets. The teams pulling ahead have stopped tolerating that gap. Theyâve centralised their planning data, automated the manual work, and put AI on real forecasting problems rather than treating it as a science project.â
âWhat the data really shows is a distance between intent and infrastructure,â Rosie Shea added. âCFOs are committing larger budgets to FP&A technology and accelerating AI adoption. But nearly 100% of finance professionals are still working in spreadsheets, and 61% point to forecast accuracy as their biggest cost-control problem. Closing that gap is the work of the next two years.â
About the report
The 2026 FP&A Statistics Report pulls together more than 50 benchmarks from primary research published by Gartner, PwC, KPMG, McKinsey, Deloitte, AFP, Workday, IBM, Egon Zehnder, AICPA & CIMA, Protiviti, SAP Concur, MGI Research, APQC, Verified Market Research, The CFO Alliance, and others. Each benchmark sits alongside Limelightâs commentary on what it means for finance teams planning their operating model, technology investments, and team structure in 2026.
The full report is available at:Â https://www.golimelight.com/blog/financial-planning-analysis-stats
About Limelight Software
Limelight is a cloud FP&A platform that helps finance teams automate budgeting, forecasting, and reporting. Built for CFOs, controllers, VPs of Finance, and FP&A professionals, Limelight replaces spreadsheets with a centralised, real-time planning environment, and integrates with Sage Intacct, Oracle NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, Blackbaud, and QuickBooks Online. The platform is used by organisations including TED and Conservation International, with customers across nonprofit, SaaS, manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality, and higher education. Learn more at https://www.golimelight.com.
Media Contact
Rosie Shea
Business Development
Limelight Software
