The Pulse of Performance Management 2026: AI-Powered FP&A and Consolidation

  • This is the 23rd edition of our annual web event designed to quickly get you and your team up to speed on everything important happening in budgeting, financial planning, forecasting, operational planning, consolidation and close, financial and operational reporting, ESG planning and reporting, AI, and analytics.
  • See the 2026 BPM Partners’ Core Vendor overviews and latest developments, BPM Pulse customer satisfaction ratings, and the 9th Annual BPM Pulse Awards.
  • We will examine AI in Finance progress and ROI, and all the latest CPM developments.
  • The impact of recent acquisitions, investments, and major new vendor releases will be discussed as well.
  • Speaker: Craig Schiff, CEO and Lead Analyst, BPM Partners
  • Originally Broadcast: June 2026
  •  Watch Now on demand and join the 1,300+ that attended the live event
  • Learn more about the vendors covered during this webcast in our 2026 – 2027 Vendor Landscape Matrix report (Coming Soon).
  • Go beyond the webcast and get your detailed questions answered here.

Executive Summary:

Join us for an in-depth look at the latest trends and developments in performance management (BPM/CPM/EPM/FP&A) and the capabilities organizations need to navigate today’s volatile economic landscape. We will cover:

  • The impact of Vena’s acquisition of Acterys on this market
  • Microsoft’s re-entry into the planning space
  • OneStream going private
  • Vendor agentic AI releases
  • New operational applications
  • Top priorities of your peers for financial planning, operational planning, consolidation, analytics, AI and reporting
  • As always, the key vendors to consider for your midmarket or enterprise performance management project will be identified and reviewed based on their core, specialized, and advanced functionality, latest enhancements, market success, and customer satisfaction

The EPM Replacement Imperative

If you are still relying on SAP BPC, Hyperion Financial Management, Hyperion Enterprise, Cartesis, Longview Khalix, other legacy on-premises solutions, standalone TM1, a collection of spreadsheets, or a mix of solutions, this webcast is designed for you.

  • In this webcast you will learn:
    • Key warning signs that it’s time to replace your legacy EPM system
    • What to look for in a new CPM/EPM solution – based on peer research
    • The steps involved in migrating from your current solution
    • What a modern EPM solution actually looks like with live presentations from leading EPM vendors

There are two sessions of this webcast featuring different EPM vendors, register now for one or both sessions

  • Originally Broadcast: May 2026
  • Featured Vendors: Prophix, Vena, Jedox
  • Speakers: Craig Schiff and John Colbert, BPM Partners, Steve Sussman, Column5 Consulting, Chris Porter, Prophix, Mike Rzepka, Vena, Dr. Rolf Gegenmantel, Jedox
  • Duration: 94 minutes
  • Watch Now
  • Originally Broadcast: May 2026
  • Featured Vendors: Anaplan, Board, CCH Tagetik by Wolters Kluwer
  • Speakers: Craig Schiff and John Colbert, BPM Partners, Steve Sussman, Column5 Consulting, Brandyn Moss, Anaplan, Patrizio Calitri, Board, Adrian Cadman, Wolters Kluwer CCH Tagetik
  • Duration: 90 minutes
  • Watch Now
  • Go beyond the webcasts and get your detailed questions answered here.

Executive Summary:

Three Reasons the Replacement Imperative is a Priority Today:

  • Risk: End-of-Life Is Not a Strategy
    • Major legacy CPM/EPM systems are being sunset and are minimally supported already. Enhancements are rare, bug fixes are limited. Skills are harder to find. Don’t wait until a critical close, audit, or planning cycle exposes the fragility of an aging platform — or until you are forced into a rushed replacement without time for a proper selection and implementation process.
  • Rewards: Modern Platforms Are Actively Evolving
    • Leading CPM/EPM vendors are investing heavily in performance, usability, scalability, and continuous innovation. Advanced capabilities — including AI-driven forecasting, model creation, account reconciliation, report generation, and process automation, along with more sophisticated scenario planning, prebuilt operational solutions, and more — are available today. Modernizing now allows you to take advantage of these innovations sooner rather than later.
  • Competitive Disadvantage: Finance Has Changed
    • Earlier generations of EPM were an improvement over the standalone spreadsheets they often replaced, but were not particularly easy to use or administrate. More importantly, they were not designed for today’s need for more advanced scenario modeling, operational/financial integration, rapid reforecasting cycles, and ad hoc reporting. Modern CPM/EPM solutions unify financial and operational planning along with financial consolidation and close, enable multi-scenario modeling at scale, and support the resilience required in volatile business environments. As your peers modernize, remaining on legacy platforms creates an execution gap.

Join us to understand why the time to act is now—and how to turn your EPM replacement from a forced upgrade into a strategic advantage for Finance and the enterprise.

Podcast: The Future of Consolidation

The CFO Show, Sponsored by Vena

Beyond the Close: How Financial Consolidation Creates Strategic Advantage

  • On this episode of The CFO Show we discuss why financial consolidation is essential to performance management, and how the options and customer interest have evolved over time.
  • If you’ve been wondering why more and more vendors are adding financial consolidation to their performance management suites this episode will provide some insight.
  • Speakers: Melissa Howatson, CFO, Vena; Craig Schiff, CEO and Lead Analyst, BPM Partners
  • Released: December 16, 2025
  • Listen (or watch) The CFO Show podcast on:
  • Bonus Content: What is the hallmark of a mature finance team?

On this episode, we unpack:

  • Why consolidation and planning belong together
  • How AI is reshaping FP&A and controllership
  • The shift from legacy tools to unified performance management
  • What modern close and consolidation software must deliver

Upcoming Event: EPM Summit 2026

Hosted by Darwin Analytics in Collaboration with BPM Partners

  • A unique multi-vendor event focused exclusively on EPM/CPM + AI, and Analytics. If you are considering a new solution, or just want to quickly get up to speed on the state-of-the-art, there is no better way to gather the information you need. Hear from leading EPM vendors, customers, consultants, and analysts. Featuring over 120 sessions including hands-on product demos, best practice discussions, roundtables, panels on topics such as the use of agentic AI with EPM, and much more.
  • Designed for: CFOs, FP&A leaders, Controllers, Senior Finance and Accounting Professionals and their teams
  • Date: November 16-19, 2026
  • Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Learn More

Solution Areas Covered:

  • Budgeting, Planning, and Forecasting
  • Financial Consolidation, Close, and Reporting
  • AI/ML, GenAI, agentic AI
  • Workforce Planning
  • Revenue Performance Management
  • Sales Performance Management
  • Demand Planning
  • Supply Chain Planning
  • Analytics and Dashboards

Current Exhibitors/Participants (check back periodically for new additions):

  • Vendors: Anaplan, Board, CCH Tagetik by Wolters Kluwer, Darwin Analytics, IBM, Jedox, JustPerform from insightsoftware, Pigment, Planful, Prophix, Una AI, Vena, Workday Adaptive Planning
  • Consultants: CFO Solutions, Column5 Consulting, Delbridge Solutions, Huron, Quisitive, RKL eSolutions, TwinSix
  • Analysts: BPM Partners
  • Media/Influencers: CFO Thought Leader Podcast, Paul Barnhurst (The FP&A Guy)

Top Global CPM Trends to Watch in 2026

  • Hear research-based insights from the joint BARC and BPM Partners Global CPM Trend Monitor 2026
  • Speakers: Dr. Christian Fuchs, Senior Analyst, BARC, Craig Schiff, CEO and Lead Analyst, BPM Partners, Prophix, Vena, Virtivity
  • Originally Broadcast: December 2025
  • Duration: 2 hours (includes research overview from the analysts, followed by three vendors demonstrating how they address these priorities)
  • Watch Now
  • View related report here.
  • Go beyond the webcast and get your detailed questions answered here.

Executive Summary:

What are the hottest performance management trends for 2026? How have they evolved over time? What are the implications for your projects?  Compare your thoughts with the results of our latest survey and learn what almost 1,000 CPM practitioners think. Learn which CPM trends are making waves in the market. See how best-in-class companies differ from the rest. This webcast will also feature three global vendors demonstrating how their offerings address these priorities:

7 Ways to Modernize Financial Consolidation and Reporting

Sponsored by: Anaplan

  • Financial consolidation is evolving rapidly as enterprises juggle multiple ERPs, stricter reporting requirements, and rising expectations for real-time insight. Join us for this must-see webinar with BPM Partners and Anaplan to uncover the seven realities shaping modern consolidation and what matters most for the next stage of your finance modernization.
  • CPE credit eligible (live event only)
  • Speakers: James Glau, Anaplan, John Colbert, VP Advisory Services, Craig Schiff, CEO and Lead Analyst, BPM Partners
  • Originally Broadcast: October 22, 2025
  • Duration: 60 minutes
  • Watch Now
  • View related whitepaper here.
  • Go beyond the webcast and get your detailed questions answered here.

Executive Summary:

Join us as John Colbert moderates a discussion with Craig Schiff and James Glau on things you may not be aware of about financial consolidation solution considerations. You will also have a chance to submit your own questions.

Planned Topics:

  • The seven key factors that set modern consolidation approaches apart
  • How to benchmark your current processes and identify areas for improvement
  • When specialized tools make sense — and why integration with planning is critical
  • How AI enhances data mapping, anomaly detection, and narrative reporting

Whether your team is bogged down by complex Excel routines, or you’re seeking to enhance the tools you already have, this session will provide actionable insights tailored to your needs as you navigate this period of uncertainty.

The Pulse of Performance Management 2025: AI + BI + CPM

  • This is the 22nd edition of our annual web event designed to quickly get you and your team up to speed on everything important happening in budgeting, financial planning, forecasting, operational planning, consolidation and close, financial and operational reporting, ESG planning and reporting, AI, and analytics.
  • See the 2025 BPM Partners’ Core Vendor overviews and latest developments, Best New Vendor for 2025, BPM Pulse customer satisfaction ratings, and the 8th Annual BPM Pulse Awards.
  • We will examine the adoption status of AI in finance, the expanded role of BI, and the latest CPM developments including new operational applications.
  • The impact of recent acquisitions, investments, and major new vendor releases will be discussed as well.
  • Speaker: Craig Schiff, CEO and Lead Analyst, BPM Partners
  • Originally Broadcast: June 2025
  • Duration: 62 minutes
  • Watch Now
  • Learn more about the vendors covered during this webcast in our 2025 – 2026 Vendor Landscape Matrix report (Coming Soon).
  • Go beyond the webcast and get your detailed questions answered here.

Executive Summary:

Join us for an in-depth look at the latest trends and developments in performance management (BPM/CPM/EPM) and the capabilities organizations need to navigate today’s shifting economic landscape. We will cover:

  • The impact of insightsoftware’s acquisition of JustPerform on this market
  • Vendor plans for Agentic AI
  • New operational applications
  • Top priorities of your peers for financial planning, operational planning, consolidation, analytics, AI and reporting
  • As always, the key vendors to consider for your small, midmarket or enterprise performance management project will be identified and reviewed based on their core, specialized, and advanced functionality, latest enhancements, market success, and customer satisfaction

Podcast: The State of Strategic Finance 2025

Sponsored by Vena

  • On this episode of The CFO Show we discuss what’s driving finance leaders’ strategic planning in 2025—and what’s next.
  • Based on data in Vena’s 2025 State of Strategic Finance Report developed in collaboration with BPM Partners.
  • Whether you’re navigating change, adopting new technology, or planning your next move, this episode is your roadmap.
  • Speakers: Melissa Howatson, CFO, Vena; Craig Schiff, CEO and Lead Analyst, BPM Partners
  • Released: May 6, 2025
  • Listen (or watch) The CFO Show podcast on:

On this episode, we unpack:
📈 Why finance leaders are more optimistic than expected
🤝 The rise of cross-functional collaboration
👉 How AI is being used in finance
📊 Hallmarks of mature, high-performing finance teams
💼 Tackling talent shortages and scaling

 

Equipping Your Finance Team to Lead Strategically and Survive the Chaos

Sponsored by: insightsoftware

  • The pressures of market volatility, regulatory changes, and geopolitical disruptions demand more than just resilience. They call for strategic leadership guided by data-driven decisions delivered through unified solutions that streamline planning, closing, and reporting.
  • Speakers: Bryan Motteram, insightsoftware, John Colbert, VP Advisory Services, Craig Schiff, CEO and Lead Analyst, BPM Partners
  • Originally Broadcast: May 2025
  • Duration: 25 minutes
  • Watch Now
  • View related whitepaper here.
  • Go beyond the webcast and get your detailed questions answered here.

Executive Summary:

Join us as John Colbert moderates a fireside chat with Craig Schiff and Bryan Motteram as they share timely insights and data from BPM Partners’ recent Pulse survey. This is your chance to prepare your finance team not only to survive the chaos but to lead strategically within it.

Our goal is to explore how to:

  • Break down the barriers of legacy systems and streamline your processes
  • Equip your team to enable timely, informed decisions with improved data accuracy
  • Optimize your workflows for maximum efficiency and measurable ROI

Whether your team is bogged down by complex Excel routines, or you’re seeking to enhance the tools you already have, this session will provide actionable insights tailored to your needs as you navigate this period of uncertainty.

Forecast Methodologies – Latest Trends and AI Use

Hosted by the FP&A Hub (formerly Plan Buddies)

Executive Summary

Key takeaways from this session include:

  • Benchmarking Insights: See how your forecasting approach compares to peer organizations
  • AI’s Role in Forecasting: Understand how AI is shaping forecasting accuracy and adoption
  • Choosing the Right Solution: Key factors to consider when selecting a new forecasting tool