How Finance is Shifting from Cost Centre to Growth Engine

Why CFOs are embracing FinOps?

With regulations changing quickly and technology changing even faster, companies re-evaluate how they manage money. Not just in relation to cutting costs, but to build long-term financial resilience. 

For CFOs, that often starts with rethinking finance and business operations from the ground up. 

But what does innovation in business really mean when it comes to financial operations? And why is innovation important in business, especially for CFOs navigating 2025’s complex market? 

What does innovation in business mean for finance leaders? 

The innovation definition in business is simple: it’s about doing things differently to create more value. 

In finance operations, that means combining people, processes and platforms in smarter ways. The benefits include: increased clarity, reduced waste, and supported strategic growth. 

The innovation process isn’t always about launching new products or services or even entering new markets.

Sometimes, it’s as straightforward as: 

• Reducing manual work, 
• Tightening policy compliance, 
• Or giving your team tools that actually help them move faster.

That’s where FinOps comes in. 

Understanding FinOps: meaning, benefits and trends 

FinOps - short for financial operations. It’s a framework that helps businesses manage financial accountability across decentralised teams, especially in the cloud. 

While cloud FinOps is most commonly used in tech-heavy industries, the mindset applies broadly. We need to align finance and operations so everyone makes better, faster, and more cost-effective decisions. 

But why is innovation important to companies adopting FinOps? 

75% of finance leaders have already started their transformation journey, with investments in automation, AI, and real-time financial reporting - Financealliance.io.

Because old finance ops models aren’t keeping up with today’s pace of change. The average company using manual processes still spends $26.63 to process a single expense report. Automating that same report costs just $6.85. 

Multiply that by hundreds or thousands of reports each year, and the case for FinOps becomes clear. 
 
According to a WalkMe blog, 46% of financial services leaders say digital transformation has boosted employee productivity. Additionally, 45% saw bigger improvements in employee satisfaction. This gives them an edge in attracting and keeping talent in the industry (KPMG).   

Why is innovation important in finance ops right now? 

According to recent research, 19% of companies say lack of spend visibility is their main reason for investing in travel and expense tools. That number climbs to 26% for companies with under $100M in annual revenue. In other words: smaller, fast-growing businesses are feeling the pressure most. 

Data from Statista shows that 75% of companies are likely to adopt AI, cloud computing, and data analytics technology from 2023 to 2027 

For CFOs in 2025, the key FinOps trends to watch include: 

• More intelligent automation of expense workflows 
• Real-time policy enforcement 
• Interchangeable virtual and physical cards 
• 0%-FX markup for international spend 
• Carbon tracking for ESG reporting 

Each of these supports cost optimisation while giving finance leaders more control over day-to-day spend.

Case in point: how CFOs and business leaders are using FinOps to grow stronger 

Lucien Bikes, a growing D2C bike manufacturer, had a similar story. Their CFO needed better control over company cards and a clearer view of spending. After adopting a FinOps-driven approach with Mobilexpense, the team saw significant time savings and a marked improvement in spend transparency.  

Take Kafer, for example. As a multinational business with complex expense needs, they faced challenges with policy enforcement and cost visibility. 

By switching to a smarter expense management platform, they now track spend in real time, apply different rules per entity, and ensure full compliance across teams. 

These stories aren’t outliers, they reflect a larger trend: CFOs are embracing innovation because it’s practical, not because it’s trendy.

Why now is the right time?

Many finance leaders say the same thing when presented with FinOps solutions: 

• “It’s not the right time.” 
• “We already have too many platforms.” 
• “There’s no budget for this.” 

But here’s the reality: delaying investment often leads to higher costs and missed opportunities. 

"If your team is stuck manually chasing receipts, relying on outdated approval processes, or losing control of card spend, the true cost is far higher than the platform fee." 

- Thibaud de Keyzer, CEO of Mobilexpense 

What questions should finance teams ask to become the fastest-growing? 

Delaying investment in FinOps often leads to higher costs and missed opportunities. Finance teams that use FinOps to move quickly are the ones asking the right questions: 

The Finance Manager’s Guide to Budget Control puts it plainly. Modern expense management is about so much more than tracking spend. We need to be empowering the team to make better decisions, faster. 

Innovation isn’t a nice-to-have anymore 

Define business innovation however you like: fewer errors, clearer visibility, faster approvals. The point is, the benefits of innovation compound. 

When your finance team is freed from low-value tasks, they can focus on the bigger picture, helping your company scale with confidence. 

So, why is innovation important in business? Because it gives you control. 

And why is innovation important to companies? Because it helps them do more with less. 

In 2025, the companies that win will be the ones that master cost optimisation and move faster than the rest. FinOps is your foundation.