How CFOs and finance teams can improve financial processes in 2025

CFOs and finance teams are facing increasing pressure to streamline operations, improve decision-making, and drive growth.

The challenge is that traditional financial processes—reliant on spreadsheets, legacy systems, and manual interventions—no longer cut it.

In 2025, it’s absolutely essential for you to rethink how these processes are structured and adopt new approaches that boost efficiency, profitability, and scalability.

In this article, we explore strategies that you can implement to improve financial processes, from automating manual tasks to embracing cutting-edge technology.

They’re not only great for helping your business to keep up with the times, they will also help to future-proof your finance function and support your business goals.

Here’s what we cover:

1. Move away from manual processes

Manual processes might feel like the safe option since they’ve worked in the past, but they are usually time-consuming, error-prone, and pretty inefficient.

If you’re still relying heavily on spreadsheets or paper-based workflows, you’re likely losing precious time that could be better spent on higher-value tasks.

Take a hard look at which processes in your finance team could be automated.

Things like billing, expense management, and financial reporting are prime candidates for automation.

And with the right tools, you can automate these functions, significantly reducing errors and freeing up time for more strategic analysis.

And this isn’t a trend that’s likely to go away.

As Licia Salice-Jarisch, CFO at Avestar Capital states: “In the future, I believe finance will become increasingly automated. The organisations that wait to automate their financial processes will find it hard to grow and scale their business.

“Finding ways to seamlessly integrate new technology that blends well with your existing business diagnostics and general financial system is key.”

Cloud financial management software is great for automating some of these repetitive tasks, meaning that data can flow seamlessly and accurately across systems.

This not only reduces the risk of human error, but also improves the speed at which you can generate those all-important reports and insights.

Practical step: Begin by mapping out your current financial workflows to identify bottlenecks and time-consuming tasks. From there, explore automation solutions and financial software tailored to your needs.

2. Update legacy financial software

It can be really tempting to hold onto legacy systems—after all, they’ve worked for years. But as businesses evolve, so do their financial needs.

Legacy financial software often struggles to keep up with the demands of modern business, such as handling large volumes of data, offering real-time reporting, and integrating with other critical tools.

In 2025, updating your financial software is a necessity.

Newer solutions offer real-time data, advanced reporting capabilities, and integrations with other systems (such as customer relationship management software and payroll tools), all of which give you a much more comprehensive view of your business’s financial health.

Practical step: Evaluate your current software stack to identify gaps or areas for improvement, and invest in cloud-based solutions that are scalable and designed to integrate with other tools in your ecosystem.

3. Prioritise data, metrics, and analytics

Financial decision-making is only as good as the data behind it.

To thrive in 2025, finance teams must prioritise data, metrics, and analytics to make informed decisions that drive business growth.

In many organisations, finance teams are still operating in the dark, relying on outdated reports or incomplete data.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

With the right tools, you can integrate financial data with other business systems, meaning you can track key performance indicators (KPIs) in real time.

This is essential when it comes to proactive decision-making.

As stated by John Stumpf, former CEO of Wells Fargo: “Technological innovations will be the heart and blood of the banking industry for many years to come.”

Many new tools on the market offer advanced data visualisation features that allow you to create custom dashboards displaying critical financial metrics, such as cash flow, operating expenses, and profitability.

Having these insights at your fingertips means you can quickly spot trends, identify potential issues, and take corrective actions.

Practical step: Establish clear KPIs that align with your business goals, and use financial software that allows you to visualise and track these metrics in real time.

4. Ensure systems are in place to profitably grow sales

While growth is the goal, it’s also important to make sure your finance systems can handle it without sacrificing profitability.

Rapid sales growth can often lead to higher costs, more complexity, and increased financial strain.

To grow profitably, you need to have the right systems in place to monitor and manage this growth effectively.

Financial forecasting plays a huge role here.

By implementing robust forecasting models, you can anticipate the financial impact of scaling and make data-backed decisions to ensure sustainable growth.

Modern finance software enables you to create dynamic forecasts that can be easily adjusted as market conditions or business needs change.

Practical step: Use advanced forecasting tools that integrate with your existing financial software. These tools will allow you to predict the costs associated with growth, such as new hires, supply chain adjustments, or increased operational expenses.

5. Embrace AI and technology

AI is already playing a huge role in the finance sector, and this is only set to grow.

From automating mundane tasks and managing core financials to providing deeper insights into financial trends, it can completely transform how finance teams operate.

AI, for instance, can be used for predictive analytics, helping you forecast future revenues, expenses, and cash flow more accurately.

Machine learning algorithms can also detect unusual transactions, flagging potential fraud or errors that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Stuart Tait, CTO for tax and legal at KPMG UK, sees generative AI as a game changer in the tax world. He says: “Gen AI for tax research and technical analysis will give an efficiency gain akin to moving from typewriters to word processors.”

Practical step: Start small by introducing AI into one area of your finance team, such as invoice processing or forecasting. As your team becomes more comfortable, you can expand the use of AI across other functions.

6. Upskill your finance team

As new technologies emerge, so too must the skills of your finance team.

To fully leverage the tools and strategies mentioned above, it’s essential that your team is well-versed in the latest cloud financial software and methodologies.

Investing in upskilling will mean that your finance team is equipped to handle the growing demands of modern business.

This could mean offering training in advanced data analytics, teaching employees how to use AI tools effectively, or helping them develop leadership and communication skills.

Practical step: Regularly invest in training and development opportunities, focusing on both technical skills (such as data analysis, AI and technology) and soft skills (such as leadership, presenting and communication).

Final thoughts

To improve your financial processes in 2025, you need a series of strategies that work together to streamline operations, enhance decision-making, and support growth.

By moving away from manual processes, upgrading legacy software, embracing data analytics, and investing in AI and team development, you can create a finance function that’s strategically positioned to drive the success of your business.

The future of finance is here, and it’s time to take the steps needed to make sure your organisation thrives.