Every NetSuite release comes with a long list of updates, and it’s easy to skim the release notes and move on. But 2026.1 is worth paying closer attention to. Oracle is making a real push into AI-powered finance tools, and there are some practical improvements across inventory, pricing, and the developer platform that will affect how you work day to day.

The release is rolling out between February and April 2026. Here’s what we think matters most, and what you should be thinking about now.

AI-Powered Financial Close That Actually Helps

If you’ve ever managed a month-end close in NetSuite, you know the drill. Checklists in spreadsheets, Slack messages asking “are you done with your section yet?”, and a lot of manual tracking to figure out what’s on track and what’s falling behind.

The new NetSuite Intelligent Close Manager is designed to change that. It uses AI to monitor your close process in real time, surfacing trends, flagging errors before they cascade, projecting when outstanding tasks will actually get done, and highlighting areas that need attention. Think of it as a control tower for your close, instead of a shared spreadsheet that’s already out of date by the time someone opens it.

For CFOs and controllers who have been asking for better visibility into the close without bolting on a third-party tool, this is a meaningful step forward.

Smarter Reconciliation and Planning

The AI enhancements don’t stop at close management. Several modules within NetSuite EPM, specifically Account Reconciliation, Planning and Budgeting, and Profitability and Cost Management, are getting new AI capabilities in this release.

The one that caught our attention is the new AI assistant for reconciliation setup. It automatically identifies newly created accounts and assigns them to the appropriate preparers. If you’ve ever had a new GL account sit unreconciled for two months because nobody remembered to add it to the rec schedule, you’ll appreciate this. It’s a small thing that prevents a common headache.

On the planning side, AI agents are being introduced for planning and budgeting workflows, helping teams build forecasts and scenarios faster. If you’re on NetSuite EPM, these are worth exploring as they roll out.

Consigned Inventory Gets Native Support

This one has been a long time coming. If your business deals with consigned goods, vendor-owned inventory sitting in your warehouse that you only “own” once you consume it, you’ve probably been managing it with workarounds. Custom fields, manual adjustments, maybe a saved search that sort of works but isn’t quite right.

2026.1 introduces native Consigned Inventory Management that tracks vendor-managed inventory from receipt through consumption. It gives you accurate visibility into stock you haven’t purchased yet, proper accounting treatment, and a cleaner audit trail. No more duct tape solutions.

Journal Entries and Pricing Get More Flexible

Two smaller updates here that will save finance and operations teams real time.

First, journal entries now support line-level updates through unique journal line keys. That means you can update individual lines on a journal without touching the rest of it. If you’ve ever had to void and recreate an entire journal entry because one line was wrong, you know why this matters. You can also now change posting periods on journals that are still pending approval, which adds flexibility to the review process.

Second, Advanced Pricing rules get a significant upgrade. You can now set up automated pricing based on customer, item, or date range. There’s also a new Cost-Plus pricing method that applies markup to Average Cost or a defined cost value. For businesses that run on cost-plus contracts or have complex pricing structures, this reduces the manual effort of keeping price lists current.

Banking and Cash Management Improvements

A few quality-of-life improvements here that treasury and AP/AR teams will appreciate. Bank imports can now run on custom schedules rather than the single daily import window that was the only option before. You can also trigger on-demand transaction updates whenever you need them, which is useful when you’re reconciling mid-day or preparing for a cash position review.

NetSuite has also introduced predictive payment date insights to support cash flow forecasting. Instead of guessing when a customer will actually pay (we all know “Net 30” rarely means 30 days), the system uses historical payment patterns to give you a more realistic projection. That’s a meaningful upgrade for anyone managing working capital or running cash flow models.

What Developers Need to Know

If you have a dev team building customizations or integrations on NetSuite, 2026.1 has some notable platform changes. There are expanded API capabilities, a long-requested SuiteScript runtime upgrade that modernizes the development environment, and a new AI coding assistant designed to help developers write and debug SuiteScript faster.

These aren’t flashy, but they make the platform more developer-friendly and lower the friction of building on NetSuite. If you’re maintaining custom scripts or SuiteApps, the runtime upgrade alone is worth reviewing.

Security: Start Planning for OAuth 2.0

Here’s one that needs to go on your radar now, even if the deadline is still a year out. Token-Based Authentication (TBA) will no longer support new integrations beginning in 2027.1. OAuth 2.0 will be the required authentication method going forward.

If you have existing TBA integrations, they’ll continue to work for now. But any new integrations should be built on OAuth 2.0, and you should start planning the migration for your existing ones. This isn’t the kind of thing you want to rush through in the last quarter before the cutoff.

What This Means for Your Business

2026.1 is a strong release. The AI capabilities in financial close and reconciliation are genuinely useful, not just marketing buzzwords bolted onto existing features. The consigned inventory and pricing improvements address real operational gaps. And the OAuth 2.0 transition gives everyone fair warning to get their integration house in order.

If you want help evaluating how these features impact your specific NetSuite environment, or if you need a hand planning your upgrade strategy, reach out to us. We’re happy to walk through what matters most for your setup.