Automate Global CFO Reporting & Analytics

The Challenge: Fragmented Financial Data Across Borders

Global organizations, especially those operating in fast-paced markets like Asia and Europe, face unique challenges in financial reporting. CFOs often deal with:

• Multiple countries in different time zones
• Diverse financial systems and data structures
• Manual data requests, consolidation, and delayed reporting
• Inconsistent access to both positive and negative business insights

For Home Credit International, a multinational with financial services and banks across continents, these challenges hindered speed and flexibility—critical components for effective decision-making in dynamic markets.

The Pre-Keboola Reality: Manual Processes and Hidden Issues

Before automation, financial teams globally spent hundreds of hours on manual data crunching—linking spreadsheets, collecting reports via email, and struggling to obtain a complete, accurate picture. This process not only delayed access to essential information but also risked overlooking critical challenges hidden in data silos.

Key pain points:

• Data availability depended on time zones and team schedules
• Reports often highlighted only the good news, with issues buried deep
• Decision-makers lacked instant, drill-down access to historical and current data

The Solution: Centralized, Automated Data Management

Keboola enabled Home Credit International to bring all financial data into a single, structured, online platform—accessible instantly from anywhere in the world. Automated data pipelines replaced manual processes, ensuring a complete, real-time view of performance and challenges.

Benefits included:

• Immediate access to consistent, trustworthy data
• Ability to drill down from high-level board reports to granular transaction details
• Automated reconciliations, management reports, and investor presentations
• Standardized reporting rolled out across all countries and business units

Scalable, Step-by-Step Transformation

Rather than a costly, disruptive 'big bang' overhaul, Keboola’s approach enabled a phased rollout. Home Credit started with a clear vision for fact-based decision-making—prioritizing data governance and availability over cost-cutting. Automation and efficiency gains followed as the project expanded.

Incremental implementation best practices:

1. Start with a well-defined area or department
2. Establish a center of excellence for data consolidation
3. Automate routine reporting, freeing up staff for analytics and value-added tasks
4. Continuously add new functionalities as needs evolve

As a result, Home Credit automated 25% of HQ reporting effort, with similar gains across the group. Employees previously focused on manual data work now drive analytics and business recommendations, increasing both engagement and organizational impact.

Beyond Finance: Company-Wide Data Empowerment

Keboola’s platform didn’t just transform the CFO’s office—it created ripple effects across every function. Risk, HR, IT, and other departments became both providers and users of high-quality data, enabling cross-functional insights and collaboration.

• Consistent data definitions and standards ensure accuracy
• Global leadership teams—from local CEOs to group executives—access unified reports in real time
• Other group companies adopted the solution after witnessing its success

Data Governance and Security at Scale

As a regulated financial institution, Home Credit required robust data governance and security. Keboola’s platform ensured:

• Strict access management and compliance with data protection laws
• End-to-end data lineage and auditability
• Adaptability to region-specific regulations and business needs

Real-World Results: Faster Decisions, Greater Agility

The transformation delivered tangible business value:

• Instant, multi-level reporting: From board-level summaries to transaction-level details, insights are available on demand
• Faster reaction to market changes: Daily sales and other metrics are monitored in real time, supporting agile responses to opportunities and challenges
• Reduced manual effort: 25% of reporting automated at HQ, with global scale-up in progress
• Higher employee engagement: Teams shift from repetitive data tasks to meaningful analysis and recommendations
• Company-wide adoption: Automation extends beyond finance to departments across the enterprise

Practical Advice for CFOs Considering Automation

Based on Home Credit’s experience, here’s a practical framework for successful data automation:

1. Define your vision: Be clear about what you want from reporting and analytics
2. Plan in steps: Avoid big, risky projects—start small, prove value, and expand
3. Prioritize data quality: Invest time in data cleanup, definition, and consistency
4. Choose the right partner: Balance technology maturity, flexibility, and support
5. Be courageous: Nearly everything can be automated—potential is often greater than initially imagined

AI and The Future of CFO Intelligence

AI is opening new doors for CFOs, enabling smarter forecasting, faster modeling, and automated documentation. Keboola’s platform is designed to integrate with advanced analytics and machine learning, ensuring future-ready finance functions.

• Deploy AI for predictive analytics and scenario modeling
• Automate documentation and compliance reporting
• Continuously test and learn to identify new automation opportunities

Case Studies: Real Impact, Real Businesses

Home Credit International: Automated 25% of HQ reporting, unified data access across a dozen+ countries, empowered teams to focus on strategic analytics.

Burger King Group: Leveraged Keboola for global reporting consistency and faster market reactions.

Energy Sector Client: Used real-time analytics to predict energy prices daily, enabling agile response during market crises.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is Keboola suitable for legacy systems? Yes, Keboola layers on top of existing systems, integrating diverse data sources without requiring a 'greenfield' rebuild.
• How long does implementation take? Start seeing value within weeks by focusing on a well-defined area and expanding iteratively.
• What about security and compliance? Keboola is built with enterprise-grade governance, access controls, and full compliance capabilities.
• Can automation replace finance teams? Automation frees up finance professionals to focus on analytics and decision support, not repetitive data tasks.

Start Your CFO Data Automation Journey

Ready to move from manual reporting and data silos to unified, automated intelligence? Keboola empowers CFOs and finance teams to make faster, smarter decisions—no matter how complex your global operations.