Middle East. Bain & Company has released a brief, The Future of Financial Planning Is Autonomous, which explores how generative AI and intelligent agents are transforming the way companies plan, forecast, and allocate capital.
According to the brief, traditional budgeting cycles are too slow and rigid for today’s volatile markets. AI-native agents embedded in enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are enabling companies to update forecasts continuously, adjust budgets automatically, and deliver real-time strategic insights to leadership teams. These systems mark the beginning of a new era of intelligent, autonomous finance.
More than 25% of finance teams now use some form of machine learning in quarterly planning, with adoption rates for generative AI accelerating rapidly. Generative AI enables faster and more accurate forecasting by synthesizing signals from unstructured data and providing scenario-based insights. Agentic AI takes it a step further by autonomously managing end-to-end forecasting workflows.
The brief also details how leading organizations like Microsoft are embedding AI agents into core FP&A functions, from forecasting and variance analysis to reconciliation and reporting, significantly reducing cycle times and boosting responsiveness.
Bain outlines three clear paths to modernizing planning: streamlining existing processes, enhancing them with AI, or fully reinventing the operating model. Companies like Eaton and Hilti are profiled as early leaders who have embraced integrated, agile planning models, delivering both speed and strategic agility.
About Bain & Company
Bain & Company is a global consultancy that helps the world’s most ambitious change makers define the future. Across 65 cities in 40 countries, we work alongside our clients as one team with a shared ambition to achieve extraordinary results, outperform the competition, and redefine industries. We complement our tailored, integrated expertise with a vibrant ecosystem of digital innovators to deliver better, faster, and more enduring outcomes. Our 10-year commitment to invest more than $1 billion in pro bono services brings our talent, expertise, and insight to organizations tackling today’s urgent challenges in education, racial equity, social justice, economic development, and the environment.
We earned a platinum rating from EcoVadis, the leading platform for environmental, social, and ethical performance ratings for global supply chains, putting us in the top 1% of all companies. Since our founding in 1973, we have measured our success by the success of our clients, and we proudly maintain the highest level of client advocacy in the industry.