The Swedish SaaS company Younium has recently published the report "SaaS Finance Outlook 2026". In the guide, eleven finance experts are interviewed to give their views on the trends that are expected to shape finance departments next year.
One of these experts is Linda Nordstrand, CFO at Inexchange.
Linda is proud to be involved and believes that the content serves as a valuable guide.
"It's a guide filled with solid strategies for finance and GTM teams to navigate the landscape ahead," she explains and elaborates:
"It describes how the finance function in 2026 is moving from reporting to becoming a strategic engine for growth where AI, modern pricing models and new KPIs link investments and decisions more closely to customer value and cash flow."
Younium, which offers a cloud-based platform to manage subscriptions, billing and financial processes, claims that 2026 will mark a transition year for finance departments in the SaaS industry. More precisely, it will be the year, and now we quote Younium, "when finance functions move from reporting results to guiding strategy, capital allocation and growth decisions".
The conclusion in question has resulted in Younium releasing a report, "SaaS Finance Outlook 2026", in which an expert panel of eleven people give their views on the trends and changes expected next year for finance and GTM teams.
You can download the guide at the link we've included at the bottom of this page.
The panel includes Linda Nordstrand, CFO at Inexchange. She sees the guide as a kind of orientation to the environment and functions that CFOs and entire finance departments face.
"There will be completely different expectations from a strategic perspective," says Linda. "In the past, finance departments have been tasked with accounting and reporting. Otherwise, they have operated as an administrative function in the background. Those days are over. Now the demands on a CFO, and on the entire finance department, are that they are involved in decisions regarding strategic paths forward in the form of decision-making data, analyses and forecasts."
"You cannot work in silos as a company. The departments must cooperate and be anchored in each other. Ultimately, it's about creating a good customer journey. From when the customer signs to when they send the invoice. And that's where the CFO and the finance department play an important role as a linking function," she adds.
"The report is called a guide so it's probably not an instruction. It doesn't say 'how' to do it, but rather 'what'. That is, what you need to think about as the demands on finance departments change. So sure. It's definitely informative, but I'd rather see it as an inspiration," says Linda, emphasizing:
"The finance function has changed a lot in recent years. Systems support and automation have created new opportunities, but also expectations for quality and efficiency."
What this means in reality can of course vary, but Linda's reflections clearly show where she stands.
"If I start from myself and my department, I want to get away from this manual process as quickly as possible. I actually think everyone benefits from having that perspective. As a company, you want to increase your turnover without it leading to more administrative work. And how do you get there? Well, simply by achieving greater scalability."
"My approach is a given. It's important to get on board and use all these AI functions that are available and be on board from the start. If you are not, it can be tough to catch up in the long run."
If you could explain briefly, what insights do you bring to the guide?
"The questions I was asked focused on the value of AI for our function. This includes how we can use forecasts and insights in real time and that we will be able to work faster and automated and have more time for proactive work. A prerequisite for this is good data quality and structure."
"Then I also go into another piece. The one about KPIs. At a time when growth may not be self-evident, it is important that the company's investments are well thought out. It is important that our customers feel that our offer is relevant, that they are loyal and want to grow with us. To ensure this, there are a number of relevant KPIs that make it easier for us as a company to know that we are making the right decisions."
Do you feel honored to be part of such an initiated and well-qualified panel of experts?
"Yes, I am proud, of course. I am very happy that they asked. Because Younium also has extensive operations abroad, mainly in the Benelux countries and the United States, this is also a report where the analyses are also given from an international perspective. That makes the whole thing even bigger, I would say. It's great to be selected," concludes Linda Nordstrand.
Fact box:
SaaS (Software as a Service) is software offered via the internet as a subscription service.
KPI (Key Performance Indicator) are key figures that measure and monitor important business results.
Younium is a Swedish company that offers a cloud-based subscription management and financial insight platform focused on helping companies scale and optimize their SaaS business.
Download the "Saas Finance Outlook 2026" guide HERE