The Futuremaker’s toolbox is an open-access collection of tools and methods designed for futures thinking and foresight. It provides structured frameworks to help users recognise emerging trends, imagine alternative scenarios, and translate future-oriented insights into concrete actions. For finance professionals, the toolbox offers methodologies to enhance strategic planning and risk management by identifying long-term shifts in the economic and environmental landscape.

Organisation behind the tool

The tool is developed and maintained by Sitra (the Finnish Innovation Fund), an independent public foundation that operates under the supervision of the Finnish Parliament.

What the tool does

The toolbox is structured into three primary phases that guide users through the foresight process:

• Trends & signals: Frameworks for identifying current megatrends and weak signals of change.
• Interpretation & choices: Methods to analyse the impacts of these trends and evaluate different future possibilities.
• Shaping futures: Tools to link foresight to practical decision-making and change-making activities.

Users can access facilitating materials, such as the “Cards of Hope” and the “Futures Triangle” method, to conduct workshops and strategic exercises.

Target audience

The primary audience includes foresight practitioners, strategic planners, and decision-makers. It is also intended for educators, researchers, and any individuals or organisations looking to improve their ability to anticipate and influence the future.

Relevance to finance professionals

Finance professionals can apply these foresight tools in several key areas:

• Risk assessment: Using megatrend analysis to identify systemic risks and long-term threats to portfolio stability.
• ESG analysis: Evaluating how emerging social and environmental phenomena might impact corporate sustainability and reporting requirements.
• Investment context: Developing alternative future scenarios to stress-test investment strategies against different economic or regulatory paths.
• Strategic planning: Moving beyond short-term market cycles to incorporate structural shifts into capital allocation and advisory services.