According to industry experts, proper financial reporting now requires automation and AI for real-time visibility and business success. That’s why things like static planning, reactive forecasting, and siloed decision-making are being replaced with real-time, AI-augmented finance operations.

The urgency of AI-powered reporting has made its way to the executive suite. In a 2025 Brex survey, finance leaders said they have a bigger focus on AI adoption and strategy (66%) and deeper involvement in data analytics and business intelligence (58%). And these expanded focus areas are already delivering value:

• 50% of finance leaders cited improved accuracy in reporting and forecasting as a top benefit of AI.
• 46% pointed to increased speed in decision-making and processing.
• 43% highlighted better cash flow visibility and management as major gains.

So, how are other business and finance experts using AI and automation gains to accelerate financial reporting and increase trust? From connecting financial data to operational metrics, implementing predictive analytics, and creating customized dashboards, here’s how modern leaders are unlocking new value from their financial reporting.

1. Bridge the gap between finance and operations.

My most effective change has been connecting financial outcomes directly to operational drivers (conversion rates, acquisition costs, and retention metrics) in all reporting. This bridges the gap between finance and operations teams, who previously interpreted performance differently. I've eliminated standardized monthly packages in favor of role-specific dashboards. Each leader now receives only metrics relevant to their decision-making rather than generic reports filled with unnecessary data.

To address reporting lag, we implemented direct API connections between our data sources, reducing manual reconciliation and cutting month-end close from seven days to three. This gives leadership more time to act on current information rather than outdated figures. The benefits are tangible: faster decisions, more focused leadership discussions, and clearer accountability for metric owners. Most importantly, our finance function now directly supports strategic decision-making rather than just documenting what already happened.

— Holly Andrews, Managing Director, KIS Finance

Why it matters: By directly connecting financial outcomes and operational drivers, you’ll provide clear information that your teams can trust. Use this as a foundation to react to changing conditions, prioritize high-impact initiatives, and track spending against actual business outcomes.

2. Embed predictive analytics to accelerate planning.

As a CEO, the focus has shifted toward transforming financial reporting into a strategic compass rather than a historical record. Embedding predictive analytics into the reporting process has made financial data far more actionable, enabling proactive decisions rather than reactive adjustments. It's moved finance closer to the core of strategic planning.

One of the deeper challenges has been aligning teams around this shift — not just adopting new tools, but evolving the role of finance itself. Creating a culture where insights drive decisions means rethinking how performance is communicated, especially across non-financial functions. Once reporting starts telling a story that's understood beyond the finance team, that's when it truly starts to shape the future.

— Anupa Rongala, CEO, Invensis Technologies

Why it matters: Predictive analytics transforms finance from a rear-view mirror into a roadmap for your business, helping you navigate toward future opportunities while avoiding potential pitfalls before they materialize.

3. Review insights on a rolling basis to boost profitability.

We cater to law firms that have a lot on their plate, so we're constantly finding ways to get them faster, more precise financial insights. This year, we're pushing for better data automation and streamlining the process so that we're looking at financial insights on a rolling basis. This makes a massive difference when it comes to managing cash flow and planning for the future. The real challenge is getting relevant insights without overcomplicating things. Legal practices often have large teams, various billing structures, and multiple income streams, so tracking and analyzing financials is a bit more of a puzzle. We're putting more focus on getting a better handle on non-billable hours, which many law firms struggle with. Getting a clear picture of how much time is being spent on non-billable tasks helps us spot inefficiencies and ultimately boost profitability.

— Paul Carlson, CPA & Managing Partner, Law Firm Velocity

Why it matters: Continuous financial insights, rather than periodic statements, create a dynamic understanding of your business performance. Continuous accounting principles can help finance leaders see what’s happening in real time and proactively adjust rather than waiting for month-end surprises when it’s already too late.

4. Prioritize real-time anomaly detection.

At PlayAbly.AI, we're tackling reporting challenges by implementing AI-powered dashboards that automatically flag unusual patterns in our financial data. I've found that combining machine learning with traditional financial metrics helps us spot trends we previously missed, like a 15% drop in customer acquisition costs that our regular reports didn't catch. While AI tools are amazing, I always make sure we have human oversight and regular audits to validate the insights, as I learned the hard way that blind trust in automation can lead to costly mistakes.

— John Cheng, CEO, PlayAbly.AI

I've helped clients overcome reporting challenges by implementing real-time NetSuite ERP dashboards that automatically flag discrepancies and unusual patterns, saving finance teams countless hours of manual review. We're seeing the biggest wins come from connecting previously siloed data sources — like combining accounts payable metrics with project management timelines to better forecast cash flow.

— Karl Threadgold, Managing Director, Threadgold Consulting

Why it matters: AI can identify subtle patterns across thousands of data points that would be impossible for humans to detect manually, surfacing both problems and opportunities that traditional reporting would miss entirely.

5. Shift from static reporting to insight-driven forecasting.

The biggest shift has been moving from static financial reporting to insight-driven forecasting. The integration of learning and development data into financial systems is helping uncover how workforce investments translate into operational efficiency and revenue impact. For instance, tracking how training interventions affect project delivery times or reduce error rates provides finance leaders with a richer context for resource allocation and ROI analysis. A key challenge has been making non-financial data — like skill development, engagement, and productivity — speak the language of finance. Once that bridge is built, the reports stop being backward-looking summaries and start enabling scenario planning.

— Arvind Rongala, CEO, Edstellar

Why it matters: Finance leaders need real-time visibility into how resource investments translate to business outcomes. When you’re able to see what’s delivering ROI and have the ability to reallocate resources in real time, you can pivot spending toward initiatives that deliver measurable growth.

6. Integrate data from multiple sources automatically.

A big challenge we solved was bringing together data from different systems into one place. This gave us a single, accurate view of our information, making our reports more reliable and consistent. It's also helped us respond faster to changes in the market. Our main goal is agility — being able to spot challenges early, use resources wisely, and take advantage of growth opportunities. For finance leaders, it's all about using tools that not only provide insights but help teams act with confidence.

— Robbert Bink, Founder, Crypto Recovers

Why it matters: When data flows automatically from multiple sources into a unified expense reporting solution, finance teams eliminate reconciliation headaches and can get clearer financial reports faster. You’ll create a foundation for agility, enabling teams to identify challenges early, allocate resources effectively, and capitalize on opportunities before competitors can react.

7. Make financial data accessible across departments.

A major challenge I've worked to overcome is making sure the reporting tools are accessible and understandable across all departments. There's often a gap in communication between finance and other teams, so we've been working to tailor reports so they can be easily used and interpreted by non-financial stakeholders. This approach has resulted in better, faster decision-making and increased confidence in the data, which is key for driving business growth in 2025 and beyond.

— Georgi Petrov, CMO, Entrepreneur, and Content Creator, AIG MARKETER

Why it matters: When financial insights are translated into language and visualizations that all departments can understand, the entire organization becomes more financially literate. Respondents in Brex's 2025 CFO survey said the old model of centralized control, rigid planning, and reactive decision-making is breaking down, and forward-thinking leaders must empower smarter, decentralized decision-making across the organization to accelerate growth.

8. Customize dashboards for unit-level economics.

I've been working hard to streamline our franchise reporting by implementing customized dashboards that track unit-level economics and growth metrics across our 100+ locations. Recently, we started using daily sales tracking with automated alerts for underperforming stores, which has helped us catch issues early and provide targeted support to franchisees who need it most.

— Bennett Maxwell, CEO, Franchise KI

Why it matters: For multi-location and multi-entity businesses, understanding performance variations across units is crucial for replicating successes and quickly addressing challenges before they impact the broader organization. Multi-entity accounting capabilities will help you manage dashboards across subsidiaries.

9. Standardize data input to 10x reporting reliability.

When running language schools across Asia, I struggled with messy spreadsheet reporting until we built automated daily revenue tracking in Tutorbase that instantly shows profit margins per class and location. Now, I always tell education business owners to focus first on standardizing their data input processes. We found that clean, consistent data entry made our reporting 10x more reliable and actually useful for decision-making.

— Sandro Kratz, Founder, Tutorbase

Why it matters: Even the most sophisticated AI and analytics tools can't compensate for inconsistent data inputs. Establishing standardized data entry processes often delivers the highest ROI of any reporting improvement, turning previously questionable data into reliable insights that leaders can confidently act on.

Get clearer financial reporting with Brex.

Brex helps tens of thousands of businesses improve their spend management and financial reporting capabilities. Our integrated platform brings together corporate cards, business banking, bill pay, travel, and accounting automation in one AI-powered platform, with all your key financial data centralized for real-time visibility and easy reporting.

Brex’s customizable reporting tools ensure that your stakeholders receive the insights they need, while automated expense reconciliation and categorization significantly reduce manual data entry and close times. In fact, 71% of all expenses prepared on Brex are handled entirely by automation, helping the average accounting team close their month-end books 3x faster.*

When finance teams spend less time gathering data and more time analyzing it, they can identify spending patterns, forecast cash flow, and confidently make better business decisions. The accounting and finance team at Brondell, a Brex customer, says: “Brex gives us more visibility into our spend and accuracy in our month-end close. We export expenses weekly instead of monthly, and Brexʼs reporting and integration help us address any minor issues upfront. Brex helps us automate the accuracy of our expenses.”

Ready to transform your financial reporting? Learn how Brex can help you spend smarter and move faster with real-time financial intelligence.

* Based on internal metrics from December 2024. Past performance does not guarantee future results, which may vary.