Limelight’s 2026 FP&A Statistics Report Finds Record Finance Tech Spend Alongside 100% Spreadsheet Dependency

Analysis of 50+ Benchmarks 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, NY – May 26, 2026 (NEWMEDIAWIRE) – 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, 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barrier to controlling costs (SAP Concur). 82% of companies make decisions based on stale information. 85% say that outdated data leads directly to lost revenue.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.