Last year marked a significant milestone for the European FinOps community as FinOps XE 2024 conference, held in Barcelona from November 11 to 14, took place. As the first-ever FinOps Foundation-hosted event in Europe, it provided an essential platform for practitioners, vendors, and industry leaders to come together, exchange ideas, and discuss the future of cloud financial management.
It was a long-awaited opportunity for FinOps professionals in Europe to meet in person, reinforcing the growth and maturity of FinOps as a critical business function. However, despite the overwhelmingly positive reception, a reliable source within the FinOps Foundation has confirmed that there will not be another FinOps XE in Europe in 2025.
This raises an important question: What’s next for FinOps in Europe?
W Hotel, Barcelona
A Vibrant Gathering in Barcelona
The W Hotel in Barcelona served as the perfect venue for FinOps XE 2024. Whether in keynotes, panel discussions, or informal networking sessions, there was a sense that this event was more than just a conference—it was a pivotal moment for the FinOps community in Europe.
One of the most rewarding aspects was the chance to meet and connect with peers, many of whom had only interacted online before. Conversations extended beyond the conference sessions, with deep discussions happening over coffee breaks, evening social events, and even late-night strategy talks in the city
Key Takeaways: The Evolution of FinOps
FinOps XE 2024 wasn’t just about discussing cost savings—it was about how FinOps is evolving into a more strategic function within organizations.
Here are some of the most significant topics that shaped the discussions:
1. Expanding FinOps Scopes Beyond Public Cloud
Originally, FinOps was focused on managing costs in public cloud environments like AWS, Azure, and GCP. However, the scope is now expanding to include:
- SaaS (Software as a Service)—Managing and optimizing SaaS subscriptions and expenditures within organizations.
- On-Premises Data Centers—Applying FinOps methodologies to private cloud and hybrid environments.
The FinOps Foundation has officially recognized these as part of the broader FinOps discipline, and work is underway to develop frameworks and best practices for these new areas.
2. The Role of AI in FinOps: A Two-Way Relationship
One of the hottest topics at the conference was AI and FinOps, with discussions centered around two key perspectives:
- AI for FinOps – Leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve forecasting, anomaly detection, and cost optimization.
- FinOps for AI – Managing and optimizing the growing costs of AI and ML workloads, which require massive computational resources.
With AI becoming one of the largest cost drivers in cloud spending, it’s clear that FinOps teams will play a crucial role in ensuring AI workloads remain cost-effective.
3. The Rise of FOCUS: A Universal Standard for Cloud Billing and Usage
Another major focus at the event was FOCUS (FinOps Open Cost and Usage Specification)—a new industry standard that is gaining widespread adoption by cloud providers.
- What is FOCUS? It is an open standard aimed at normalizing cloud billing data across different platforms, helping companies analyze their costs more efficiently.
- Why does it matter? With multiple cloud providers using different billing formats, FOCUS simplifies cost tracking and reporting, making it easier for teams to gain clear insights.
At FinOps XE 2024, practitioners got hands-on experience in the FOCUS Lab, where they could test datasets and receive direct guidance from FOCUS maintainers.
4. The Need for FinOps Maturity and Value Realization
For many organizations, the challenge isn’t just about controlling costs—it’s about demonstrating the business value of cloud spending.
In my own session, “The Ultimate Value Indicator for Senior Leaders,” I introduced FinOps Earned Value Management (EVM) as a new approach to:
- Shift the conversation from “How much are we spending?” to “What value are we generating?”
- Align FinOps with business outcomes and financial planning, making it a core strategic function rather than just a cost-control measure.
The discussion generated a lot of interest, with many attendees eager to explore how to better connect cloud spend with business value metrics.
Ultimate Business Value Indicator Session at FinOps XE. Speaker Anderson Oliveira
Why FinOps XE Won’t Return in 2025
Despite the success of FinOps XE 2024, the FinOps Foundation has decided not to continue hosting this event in Europe. The key reasons behind this decision include:
- Resource Allocation – Organizing large-scale conferences requires significant investment and planning. The foundation is focusing its efforts on a single flagship event—FinOps X in North America.
- Event Overlap – FinOps XE was scheduled close to major industry events like AWS re:Invent and Microsoft Ignite, making it difficult for attendees and vendors to prioritize multiple conferences in the same period.
- Shifting to Regional Engagement – Instead of hosting one big event in Europe, the foundation is looking to support more localized community-driven events and workshops.
While the decision is understandable from a logistical standpoint, many in the European FinOps community were hoping for another edition of FinOps XE.
What’s Next for FinOps in Europe?
Although FinOps XE won’t return in 2025, that doesn’t mean European practitioners will be left without opportunities to connect. The FinOps Foundation is committed to fostering engagement through:
- Local FinOps Meetups – Smaller, community-driven gatherings in major European cities.
- Training & Certification Programs – Opportunities for professionals to gain FinOps expertise.
- Virtual Events & Webinars – To keep the global FinOps community connected and learning.
Additionally, we may see independent conferences or third-party events emerge to fill the gap left by FinOps XE. These could provide new platforms for knowledge-sharing, networking, and professional development.
Final Thoughts: A Stronger European FinOps Community
FinOps XE 2024 was a landmark event, proving that FinOps is more than just a practice—it’s a global movement. Despite the news that FinOps XE won’t be returning, the momentum gained in Barcelona will continue.
The event proved that FinOps is more than just a practice—it’s a movement that is gaining traction across industries. The conversations sparked at FinOps XE will carry on through local meetups, online forums, and independent events.
For those who want to stay connected, FinOps X in North America remains an option, but more importantly, the responsibility is on us—the FinOps community—to keep pushing forward.
Whether through small meetups, virtual discussions, or new industry collaborations, the FinOps movement in Europe is just getting started.
