2026 AFP FP&A Forum Shows How Finance Teams Make AI Work
AI is no longer a side project for finance. It's becoming core to planning, reporting and decision support. The 2026 AFP FP&A Forum, March 23-25 at the JW Marriott in Indianapolis, puts practitioners on stage to show what actually works - and what to avoid.
The program centers on three pillars: accessible tools, measurable efficiency, and the human skills that pull it all together. If you lead FP&A or support it, this is a practical look at how to bring AI into daily workflows without losing control of accuracy or trust.
Pillar 1: No-code and low-code put finance in the driver's seat
No-code and low-code platforms are dropping the barrier to entry. That means finance can own use cases end-to-end, while leaning on clear business logic, clean data and tight process design.
- "From Now to Next: Roadmap to Your AI Future" details how accessible automation and low-code tools modernize data, systems and processes to build an AI-ready finance function.
- "Designing Finance Bots that Don't Derail the Reporting Cycle" and "Orchestrating an FP&A Agent: Architecture, Prompts, and Packaging for Month-End Commentary" provide hands-on builds - without writing code.
- Start small: pick one painful, rules-driven task with clear data sources.
- Define decision logic first, then tool it. Don't reverse it.
- Set guardrails for data quality, approvals and exception handling.
Pillar 2: Efficiency gains you can measure
Leading teams are reclaiming hours by automating routine work and simplifying messy handoffs. The payoff is faster cycles and more time on analysis that people actually read.
- "How AI Saved 50 Hours in My Monthly Finance Operations" shows how a CFO built an end-to-end business model, flagged anomalies and judgment areas in accruals, and stress-tested cash with rapid scenarios.
- "Frictionless Finance" breaks down how a Fortune 50 agribusiness uses automation, AI and continuous improvement to move toward an end-to-end FP&A ecosystem with fewer bottlenecks.
- High-yield use cases: accrual anomaly checks, scenario modeling, reconciliations and variance narratives.
- Instrument your process: track cycle time, rework, and data-touch counts to prove value.
- Keep a human-in-the-loop for thresholds, overrides and material judgments.
Pillar 3: Human connection is the edge
As more technical work is handled by AI, your ability to influence, coach and partner stands out. Teams that invest in culture and communication will keep top talent and win better decisions.
- "Level Up Your Finance Team: Coaching, Accountability and Culture in the Next Era" makes the case for trust, standards and continuous learning in an AI-heavy environment.
- "How AI Enhances Finance's Value to the Business: Our Story" shows how a lean FP&A team at a leading MRO distributor improved agility and business partnership by treating AI as a job enhancer.
- Build skills that compound: problem framing, data storytelling, stakeholder management and prompt design.
- Set clear accountability: define what AI proposes, what finance decides, and what the business signs off.
Key quote
"AI in finance has moved beyond experimentation. The educational sessions at the 2026 AFP FP&A Forum show how finance teams are building AI into core functionality to accelerate analysis, rework budgeting processes and spend more time delivering insights that inform better business decisions," said Bryan Lapidus, FPAC, Director of FP&A Practice, AFP.
What to expect at the Forum
- Practitioner-led sessions focused on planning, budgeting, forecasting, data analytics and AI technologies.
- Technology demonstrations and topical roundtables with real artifacts, not theory.
- Keynotes and networking built for finance and FP&A professionals.
Hosted by the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP), the FP&A Forum brings together peers who are doing the work - modernizing processes, validating models and tightening the link between finance and the business.
About AFP
AFP is the professional society for treasury and finance. The Certified Treasury Professional (CTP) and Certified Corporate FP&A Professional (FPAC) credentials set standards of excellence for the field. Each year, AFP hosts the largest global networking conference for approximately 7,000 corporate financial professionals.
Next steps for finance leaders
- Pick one session theme above and map it to a near-term pilot in your close, forecast, or cash model.
- Define success metrics before build: time saved, accuracy thresholds, and stakeholder satisfaction.
- Upskill the team with focused learning paths: AI Learning Path for CFOs and AI Learning Path for Finance Managers.
Event and media contact
Media contact: Joe Hodanich, Senior Director, Digital Strategy & Content, Association for Financial Professionals
Email: jhodanich@financialprofessionals.org
Phone: (301) 961-8845
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