We’re Ellen and Simone. After 36 years in finance, we’re ready to share what textbooks won’t tell you.

💛 Welcome to CFO Playbook – your practical finance insights delivered bi-weekly. The full read will take approximately 5 minutes. Like what you see? Share it! Use the button below.

🎄 WELCOME TO OUR XMAS EDITION

As we wrap up 2025, we want to say thank you. As finance people, we love numbers - so let's start with a few:

• 📊 74% average open rate - steady after 25+ editions

• 📈 620 new subscribers in 2025

• 📬 20 editions this year

• 💬 More replies, more shares, more conversations with Finance leaders

  
  

  CFO Playbook is only 1.5 years old - and what we’ve built together already feels special.

  
  Thank you for reading, replying, and shaping this with us!

What’s coming in 2026? Our (Bold) Predictions

Here’s what we believe will shape next year:

1. Finance moves from “learning AI” to actually using it

2025 was about trying things: prompts, tests, tools. 2026 will feel different:

• tools ship AI features that actually work for finance

• LLMs finally play nicely with numbers

• first real agents for reconciliations, close prep, and variance narratives – not just slide drafts 

2. Spend management consolidation begins - and some players may disappear

The European market is crowded.

• Well-funded US entrants (like Ramp) are entering the market.

• Some players won’t make it – expect real consolidation and fewer standalone tools in your stack.

3. AI-native ERPs gain traction

The 18-month ERP implementation era is over.

• AI-native players (Rillet, Light, Campfire, DualEntry) will win real European rollouts in 2026.

• Vendors of legacy tools are forced to respond with real AI capabilities, not just marketing.

4. Senior CFOs shift more into PE-backed Mittelstand - and a serious skills gap emerges

We see a steady drift from VC-backed tech into PE-backed Mittelstand:

• CFOs want stability, no founder battles they can’t win, real operations, value creation. We believe, this trend will continue.

• PE-backed Mittelstand will face a major talent gap. Startup CFOs often lack the deep operational experience needed. Succession pipelines will be strained.

5. A widening gap between 'old school finance' and 'next gen finance'

Talent expects modern workflows, automation, and AI.

• Excel-first, on-prem finance orgs will struggle hardest to hire and keep top performers,

• the best juniors arrive as finance engineers – fluent in SQL/Python, Notion, dbt, CoPilot – and expect to automate, not just grind,

• “we don’t do that here” becomes a retention risk, not a governance flex.

What’s your bold prediction for 2026? Hit reply - we read every message.

What's coming mid-term? Our Predictions for the next 3-7 years

1. The CFO Owns the Performance Data Stack - End to End

Mid-term, finance becomes the gatekeeper of what “true” performance means.

• Finance defines the single source of truth: ARR, GM, CAC, and every board-level KPI

• Semantic layers, agentic workflows, and probabilistic forecasting sit under CFO governance

• Data teams build the machinery, finance owns the definitions and the narrative

2. From Month-End to Continuous Close: "Always-On" Steering

The management pack becomes a real-time product, not a monthly artifact.

• Continuous close with automated accruals and variance narratives

• Driver-based forecasts that update daily as new data lands

• Month-end becomes a checkpoint- not the moment of truth

3. The CFO Office Owns AI Governance

As AI touches decisions, approvals, and reporting, boards want a trusted owner.

• Finance takes operational responsibility for AI safety, model risk, and controls

• Sample-based testing disappears, replaced by always-on monitoring

• “Who signs off this is safe?” → increasingly, the answer is: the CFO

Finance Excellence Deserves a Stage – Introducing the CFO Awards

Here's something we've been thinking about for a while:

Finance does incredible work - strategic, operational, transformational. But when was the last time a CFO was celebrated like a CEO or Product Leader?

That's why we're launching the CFO Award - in partnership with Finance Collective DACH.

Award Categories will include 

🌟 Rising Star CFO – Next-gen talent (≈ under 35)
🚀 Scale-Up CFO (VC-backed)
 🏢 PE & Mittelstand CFO
🏆 Enterprise CFO
 👥 Finance Team of the Year

What’s Next

• January 2026: Nominations open

• Spring/early summer 2026: Community voting + jury review

• Q3 2026: Award ceremony live on a major finance stage – stay tuned

🌟 Here’s to 2026: The Year Finance Steps into the Spotlight

2025 was a milestone.
2026 is where we level up.

Let's Make 2026 the Year Finance Gets Its Spotlight

Thank you for being part of this community. Thank you for opening our emails, sharing your insights, and pushing us to do better.

Here's to a year of bold predictions, well-deserved recognition, and finance that doesn't just keep the lights on - but lights the way forward.

With this, we wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas, real time away from the screen, and a 2026 that begins with fresh energy and big ambitions.

Ellen & Simone
CFO Playbook

P.S. Got thoughts on the predictions? Know a CFO who deserves recognition?  Or is there a topic you’d like us to turn into a deep-dive Read of the Week? Hit reply - we read every response.

🌐 Finance Collective DACH

Your go-to CFO Network (by Simone)

CLOSING REMARKS

Thanks for reading 💛

Send your feedback, suggestions, or requests to feature something in future editions to [email protected]. We’d love to include your input.

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CFO Playbook reflects our personal opinions, not professional advice.