Organizations are adapting to a fast-changing reporting landscape. Forward-looking finance teams are adopting reporting transformation trends that aim to improve efficiency while generating insights across the business. Four productivities in particular are redefining what leading-class reporting looks like: technology, insights, finance talent, and modernization.

• Utilizing modern technology to simplify reporting and enable oversight.
• Driving enhanced insights through data-driven decision-making.
• Leveraging finance talent pools to meet evolving business demands.
• Assessing compliance trends to remain agile in the face of regulatory change.

Digital tools are reshaping financial reporting by standardizing processes and improving governance. Automation, integrated data coordination, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning are already changing how finance teams manage reporting. Controllers who embrace these solutions can simplify complexity, centralize oversight, standardize disclosures, and gain real-time visibility into performance.

For successful adoption of these technologies, consider the following key enablers:

• Assessing existing platforms before investing in new ones. Are you using existing platforms to their full potential before adding new ones?
• Aligning leadership and stakeholders around technology priorities. Understand where technology can add the most value, such as automating recurring reports or centralizing data.
• Establishing strong governance across stakeholders. Put governance in place to ensure consistency, accuracy, and security across reporting.

The payoff may be substantial: error reduction, annual cost savings, and reduced reliance on external finance resources.

Financial reporting teams manage much of the organization’s data. Rather than limiting that data to compliance outputs, reporting teams can become catalysts for insight-driven strategy across business functions. What does this look like? Some examples of processes that can drive enhanced insights include:

Enhancing risk assessment procedures by analyzing current data to identify opportunity areas to streamline and standardize.

Reviewing and analyzing data by evaluating recurring journal entries to simplify workflows and speed approvals and creating a materiality framework that helps focus reporting on what matters most.

Collaborating across business groups to expand insights. With an increased focus on internal and external transparency, financial reporting teams can provide data to unlock cross-functional value and expand the impact of financial data beyond finance.

Upskilling reporting teams to support increasing business needs. Finance professionals are increasingly expected to serve as experts in data aggregation, technology deployment, and transformation strategy—roles that elevate reporting from recordkeeping to strategy. Given the amplified pressure for timely and accurate data from business leaders, financial reporting teams’ current acumen can be leveraged and further upskilled through roles such as management reporting, technology and software ownership and internal subject-matter experts, and transformation strategy development.

The question of whether to insource, outsource, or create hybrid models of finance talent is gaining importance. A 2023 survey¹ found that 18% of large multi-entity companies are outsourcing statutory accounting. And as finance transformation endures, talent will continue to evolve. Controllers and finance leaders can leverage finance talent and the evolving workforce to elevate reporting. Finding the right operating model is critical.

Some considerations and decision drivers for utilizing in-house or outsourced resources and talent choices include:

• The need for process control.
• Requirements for business knowledge.
• Labor costs and resource capacity.
• Access to specialized talent, capabilities, and experience.

By making deliberate talent decisions, organizations can balance efficiency with strategic flexibility—leveraging new and alternative talent models to modernize reporting processes.

¹ Based on a 2023 tax survey; source date can be found in Deloitte’s Tax Transformation Trends 2025 report.

Compliance requirements are expanding, and finance leaders must be proactive in preparing for them. Among the most pressing trends include Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) reporting, Pillar Two, M&A activity, and IPO readiness. Consider some of the marketplace responses to these compliance trends:

CSRD reporting. With the evolving regulatory environment and changes to required disclosures, many companies are aligning sustainability reporting timelines with financial disclosures while leveraging technology and establishing cross-functional teams.

Pillar Two: Minimum tax rate requirement. Organizations are building centralized data systems, implementing advanced tax software, and standardizing disclosure frameworks.

M&A activity. The potential need for dual reporting under IFRS® and SEC regulations is driving system upgrades and control enhancements such as strengthening internal controls, implementing systems to handle requirements, and engaging with financial reporting specialists to facilitate compliance with SEC regulations.

IPO readiness. Companies are engaging financial and legal specialists who specialize in IPO support by conducting IPO readiness assessments, assessing potential reporting requirements and new disclosures, and proactively developing investor relations communication strategies.

New regulations and compliance trends are fundamentally reshaping priorities. Organizations that treat compliance as a strategic capability by proactively engaging with the possible responses to these trends may be better positioned for growth.