Finance & Accounting Predictions for APAC

The role of Finance and Accounting (F&A) continues to evolve, with 2025 shaping up to be a year of opportunity and complexity. BlackLine’s industry expert Mike Goldsworthy, Principal Value Architect, joined Nicholas Yap, Partner, Audit and Assurance at Deloitte, to discuss the trends and challenges that will define the Asia Pacific (APAC) finance landscape in the year ahead during our 2025 Predictions: Understanding the APAC Finance & Accounting Landscape webinar.

The conversation highlighted the key priorities for finance leaders in 2025, from balancing confidence with caution to the increasing role of artificial intelligence (AI), environmental, social, and governance (ESG) concerns, and data management.

1) A year of cautious optimism

Finance leaders are approaching transformation with measured confidence as economic uncertainty lingers in the background. Organisations are focused on quick wins, such as agile, bite-sized initiatives that deliver immediate value, instead of large-scale, multi-year projects.

This approach lets finance teams build momentum, demonstrate return on investment (ROI), and lay the foundation for broader transformation. It also aligns with the strategic shift toward standardisation and simplification, which was cited as a top priority by 39% of webinar attendees.

2) The growing urgency of ESG compliance

ESG considerations are no longer optional; they’re business critical. Finance teams now play a pivotal role in compliance and transparency as regulatory bodies introduce mandatory reporting requirements.

Companies that fail to prioritise ESG beyond regulatory obligations risk losing consumer trust, investor confidence, and even access to capital. Finance functions must integrate ESG reporting into their core processes to improve data accuracy, maintain auditability, and align with broader business objectives.

3) AI and automation remain in the spotlight

AI-driven automation continues to be a major investment area for finance teams, with 28% of webinar attendees prioritising investments in this area. Generative AI (GenAI) is gaining traction, with organisations looking at how it can streamline financial close processes, enhance forecasting, and improve decision-making. However, finance teams must strike a balance between innovation and risk management to align AI implementations with governance and compliance requirements.

4) Data hygiene is a top priority

Finance teams are placing greater emphasis on data hygiene, accuracy, and insights as poor data quality leads to inaccurate reporting, compliance risks, and suboptimal decision-making.

Providing clean, reliable, and accessible data is now a key focus area, with organisations investing in solutions that enhance data governance, integrity, and visibility. This emphasis on data readiness is particularly relevant as finance teams take on a more strategic role, using real-time insights to guide business decisions.

5) The evolving skillset of finance professionals

The skillset required for success is changing as technology reshapes the finance function. Process optimisation and automation were cited by 38% of webinar attendees as the most critical skills for finance professionals in 2025, followed closely by strategic and business partnership capabilities (32%).

This shift reflects the growing expectation for finance leaders to go beyond traditional reporting and compliance, acting as strategic advisors who drive business value. Upskilling in digital tools, AI, and analytics will be essential for finance professionals looking to stay ahead.

Transformation is inevitable as finance teams face growing pressure to deliver more value with fewer resources. However, successful transformation doesn’t happen overnight. The focus should be on achieving incremental progress through streamlining processes, integrating automation, enhancing ESG reporting, and improving data quality. Taking a phased approach empowers finance teams to drive meaningful change without disrupting business operations.

The future of finance is data-driven, AI-powered, and increasingly complex. Organisations must embrace change while maintaining strong governance and compliance frameworks to stay ahead. Focusing on efficiency, automation, ESG integration, and strategic data management will position finance teams as key enablers of business growth.

To explore these insights in more detail, watch the webinar on-demand.