.png&w=3840&q=75)
22 October 2026 | Sandton Convention Centre | Stand 15
IDU is proud to return as a Silver Partner at Finance Indaba 2026, taking place on 22 October at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg.
Since its launch in 2016, Finance Indaba has become an established gathering for the finance community. The 2026 event is expected to bring together more than 3,000 finance professionals to explore the issues shaping the future of finance, from AI and technology to strategy, innovation, governance and financial performance.
For IDU, it is an opportunity to reconnect with customers and partners, meet finance professionals from across industries and take part in the conversations that matter to modern finance teams.
Beyond the Bottom Line
The theme for Finance Indaba 2026 is Beyond the Bottom Line.
It is a timely theme for a finance function that continues to evolve.
Finance teams are still responsible for getting the fundamentals right. Accurate reporting, effective controls, budgeting and forecasting remain essential. But finance leaders are also increasingly expected to provide strategic insight, support decision-making, manage risk and help organisations respond to change.
The 2026 programme reflects this broader role.
Sessions cover topics including AI and trust, data integrity, analytics, cybersecurity, dynamic resource allocation, AI investment, governance and the changing role of the CFO. One session, for example, looks at why traditional annual budgeting may no longer be enough, while another explores the CFO's changing remit from finance to enterprise leadership.
These are not simply technology conversations. They are questions about how finance teams can use technology and information while maintaining accountability, governance and confidence in the numbers.
Why Finance Indaba Matters to Finance Teams
The tools available to finance teams have changed dramatically. The underlying challenges, however, remain familiar.
Organisations still need reliable financial information, accurate forecasts, clear accountability and the ability to make confident decisions.
At the same time, finance teams are under pressure to respond faster, work more effectively with other departments and provide insight that helps guide business performance.
This is where conversations around financial planning and analysis (FP&A), budgeting, forecasting, reporting and financial intelligence become increasingly important.
Finance Indaba creates an opportunity for finance professionals to step outside their day-to-day responsibilities, hear how others are approaching these challenges and explore new ideas, technologies and approaches.
The 2026 speaker line-up includes finance leaders and experts from organisations including Standard Bank, Absa, Massmart, Vodacom, City of Cape Town, University of the Western Cape, Strate, EAZI Access and Deloitte, among many others.
Why IDU Partners with Finance Indaba
IDU has been helping organisations with budgeting, forecasting and financial reporting since 1997.
Our focus has always been on helping finance teams spend less time managing the mechanics of planning and more time analysing information, understanding performance and supporting better business decisions.
IDU brings budgeting, forecasting, consolidations, capex planning, workforce planning and management reporting together in a single governed environment that works alongside an organisation's ERP.
The aim is not to replace the ERP. It is to provide a dedicated planning and performance environment around it, connecting trusted actuals with budgets, forecasts, scenarios, assumptions and management reporting.
This becomes particularly valuable as organisations grow more complex and finance teams need to plan across different entities, departments, systems and operational areas.
We also believe financial intelligence should not be limited to the finance department.
Budget owners, operational managers and executives all have a role to play in planning and performance. Giving the right people access to timely, trusted financial information can help improve accountability and decision-making across the organisation.
That is why Finance Indaba is such a relevant event for IDU.
It brings together the people thinking about these challenges, the organisations experiencing them and the technology providers developing new ways to address them.
What Can You Expect at the IDU Stand?
If you are attending Finance Indaba 2026, come and find us at Stand 15.
We would be happy to talk to you about the challenges your organisation is facing, whether you are looking at improving an existing planning process or considering a move away from spreadsheets and manual processes.
Come and talk to us about:
- Reducing reliance on spreadsheets for budgeting and forecasting
- Improving forecast accuracy and planning agility
- Strengthening financial governance and accountability
- Gaining greater visibility into budget and actual variances
- Connecting financial planning and reporting more effectively with your ERP
- Giving budget owners greater involvement in the planning process
- Building and comparing different planning scenarios
- Making better use of financial information across the organisation
You will also have the opportunity to meet the IDU team, discuss your current planning and reporting environment and see how a dedicated FP&A platform can support more connected financial planning and decision-making.
A Chance to Learn From the Wider Finance Community
One of the strengths of Finance Indaba is that it brings together people working in different industries, organisations and areas of finance.
That makes it useful whether your current priority is improving forecasting, strengthening governance, modernising reporting, preparing for AI or simply finding a more effective way to manage the annual budgeting process.
The programme includes practical discussions about how finance teams are responding to technology, changing business expectations and the increasing need for finance to contribute beyond traditional reporting.
For IDU, being part of that conversation is important.
We have been working with finance teams for almost 30 years, and we continue to see the same fundamental need. Finance needs reliable information, a clear view of what is happening and the ability to plan for what comes next.
The technology may continue to change, but those needs remain.
Visit IDU at Stand 15
We are looking forward to returning to Finance Indaba 2026 as a Silver Partner and spending the day with the wider finance community.
If you are attending on 22 October, make sure you stop by Stand 15 and say hello.
Bring your questions, your planning challenges or simply come and have a conversation about what is changing in finance.
We look forward to seeing you at Finance Indaba 2026.