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Hey there,
Do you ever notice that every new automation win comes with a quiet question in the background, “What did we just expose?” Many finance teams are moving faster on reporting and forecasting, while also trying to close data gaps that can increase risk, including security issues or missed contract value.
Take a moment to see why “verify first” is becoming the safest way to move faster.
Quick Win For Your Finance Team
12-Minute Daily “FX Exposure Radar” Snapshot
In about 12 minutes a day, keep a current view of your FX exposure so moves show up while they are still manageable, not as month-end surprise noise.
Export current multi-currency bank balances from your treasury or banking portal with Currency, Balance, and Entity.
Pull AR and AP by currency (and, if possible, by due date bucket: 0–30, 31–60, 60+) from your ERP.
In a simple one-tab sheet, roll everything up by currency to show: Net Exposure = (Cash + AR) – AP for each non-functional currency, plus a total in your reporting currency using current FX rates from your chosen source.
Add two quick tags for each currency: Time Horizon (Mostly Short-Term / Mixed / Mostly Long-Term) and Sensitivity (Low / Medium / High), based on how quickly flows settle and how tight covenants or runway are.
Highlight any currency where Net Exposure is above a threshold you define (for example, >X% of monthly revenue or >Y% of cash), then add one line: “If this currency moves ±5%, rough estimated impact is ≈$___.”
Keep a small “Today’s FX Actions” box at the top with at most three items, for example: “Prepay vendor,” “Encourage invoicing in USD,” “Ask bank about a simple hedge,” or “Accept risk, monitor.”
Immediate payoff:
You can spot FX risk building day by day, rather than in hindsight. This can make CEO and board conversations calmer because you have a clear view of exposure. It also helps your team treat FX as a managed lever rather than an end-of-month surprise.
🔒 96% Push Automation, 77% Fear Breaches. Verify, Then Trust.
Finance leaders want speed without leaks. One report says many plan to embed smarter tools, while many also worry about security and privacy. Needs citation. The “verify-first” approach is to build governance into the workflow so risk stays visible as you move faster. Some case studies suggest teams can recover meaningful contract leakage when controls tighten. Needs citation. See full article.
Why this matters (fast take):
📊 Trust Gap: Many teams want more automation, but many also worry about data risk. Treat risk like a performance variable, not just a compliance box. Needs citation.
⏱️ Faster Cycles: In some organizations, reporting and forecasting cycles are getting tighter. That can improve decisions, but only if the underlying data is trusted. Needs citation.
✅ Say Yes, Win 2026: Platform CFOs Outpace “CF-No”
One perspective is that CFOs who say yes to visibility, new operating models, and smarter tools may pull ahead in 2026. Needs citation. The shift is toward a “platform CFO” who supports growth, sets clear guardrails, and protects thinking time so strategy does not get crowded out. See full article.
Fast move:
🧭 Platform Shift: Move from scorekeeper to growth architect. Link budgets to outcomes, shape tech roadmaps, and keep pushing for clear enterprise value.
⏳ Capacity Is Choice: Treat time as something you design. Use automation, process redesign, and outside support where it makes sense to reclaim calendar space for forward work.
🔐 40% Want Risk Math, CFOs and CISOs Clash Over Cyber Spending
One report identifies a gap in how finance and security teams discuss cyber budgets. Needs citation. Finance often wants cost avoidance and measurable risk reduction. Security teams often focus on best practices and integration. A survey of managers suggests that collaboration is common, but the evidence is not always clear. Needs citation. The path forward is quantified risk reduction tied to dollars, not jargon. See full article.
Fast move:
📉 Metric Mismatch: Security leaders may favor best practices, compliance, and ease of integration. Finance often wants cost avoidance and risk reduction with evidence.
🧮 Risk Math Wins: Some finance leaders say clearer, quantified risk reduction would make it easier to fund cybersecurity. Needs citation.
Automation Play Of The Week
CFO Calendar & Focus Time Guardrail
Automate a one-page daily view of how your day is actually booked so you stop asking “Where did my time go?” and instead start with a clear split between deep work, 1:1s, and status meetings. This guardrail pulls from your existing calendar and can be led by finance (you or your EA), with IT support if needed.
Define your time categories: Decide 4–6 buckets that matter (e.g., Deep Work, Decision Meetings, Status/Updates, Hiring, External/Board, Admin) and write simple rules based on title and attendees (e.g., “includes ‘review’ and no more than 3 people” = Deep Work).
Set up daily calendar exports: If your tools allow, configure Google or Microsoft 365 to export your next 1–3 days of events into a shared folder with consistent columns (title, start, end, attendees, organizer).
Build a single “Calendar Guardrail” tab: Use Excel or Google Sheets with data connections or Power Query to pull the file in, categorize each event using your rules, and summarize total hours per category, plus the percent of your day in Deep Work versus everything else.
Automate refresh and email: Use Power Automate, Zapier, or a scheduled script to refresh early each morning and email the summary (PDF if easy, otherwise a short table) to you, and optionally your EA, with 2–3 lines like: “Today: 2.5 hours Deep Work, 4 hours meetings, 1 hour hiring.”
Benefits:
Makes your calendar a daily, data-driven tool instead of a passive list of invites.
Can help you protect focus time and rebalance low-value meetings before your week disappears.
Control Check:
Once a week, spot check a day’s Guardrail against your actual calendar and tweak the categorization rules so the summary continues to match how your day really feels.
📊 Take This Edition’s Poll:
What should a CFO fix first in 2026 to unlock automation wins?
Why It Matters
A key shift is that automation only helps when security and governance are built in, not added later. When CFOs and CISOs agree on simple risk math and shared proof, it becomes easier to fund the right controls, reclaim capacity, and use tools to drive growth rather than anxiety.
In 2026, teams that do this may look quicker on the surface and calmer underneath.
Until the next financial insight,
Corrine Maxwell
Editor-in-Chief
CFO Executive Insights
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