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How are finance leaders preparing their teams to meet today’s complexities and build for the future?
Deloitte’s inaugural Finance Trends report draws on a global survey of 1,326 finance leaders—mostly CFOs or next-in-line finance chiefs from companies with annual revenues above $1 billion—and interviews with nine global finance executives.
Along with an in-depth analysis of the survey data, the report explains the top five finance trends through 2026, identified by respondents and interviewees:
Scenario planning and agile governance:
Finance chiefs are balancing cost efficiency with growth investments, while supply chain disruptions remain a major source of volatility and cost. Roughly 75% of respondents say their companies lack sufficient resources for investment, and priorities are tightly clustered: Planning for external challenges, adopting new technologies, and reducing costs all ranked nearly evenly at the top.
Finance leaders have become the company strategy leaders
Most respondents (57%) say they are now primary strategy influencers at their organizations. Many scale their impact by deploying technology and AI, redefining finance as a proactive business partner. Nearly half (48%) of these leaders use cloud solutions to optimize costs, compared to 33% of those in support roles.
At HPE, for example, finance’s use of AI has been transformative. CFO Marie Myers told Deloitte: “We are using AI to empower our teams to become strategic partners, leveraging data and technology to drive enterprise-wide value. We’ve reimagined the role of finance, moving from traditional stewardship to proactive leadership enabled by digital transformation.”
Courtesy of Deloitte
Finance-led cost management drives measurable value
Finance leaders who own cost management—and emphasize accountability and effective tools—are more likely to meet or exceed savings goals. Thirty-six percent of surveyed finance leaders (and 42% of CFOs) are primarily responsible for cost management; 47% of these leaders consistently hit cost-savings targets, compared to 39% in supporting roles.
Finance teams are leaning into AI, but lagging on integrating AI agents
Nearly all finance teams are experimenting with AI; 63% have already fully deployed and are actively using AI solutions in their finance function. Among those respondents, only 21% believe those AI investments have already delivered clear, measurable value, and only 14% have reached the additional milestone of fully integrating AI agents directly into the finance function. This may highlight the challenge of moving from AI pilot projects to embedding AI into daily finance operations. It also shows that many industries are still in the early stages of adopting AI agents for specific tasks—a relatively new frontier in the field, according to Deloitte.
Forty-one percent of early-stage teams report legacy technology as a barrier to AI adoption, compared with 31% of “AI leaders”—respondents who have deployed AI solutions, delivered measurable value from those solutions, and have already integrated AI agents into the finance function.
The survey also found that 30% of finance leaders in the early stages of AI adoption struggle with justifying ROI, compared with 21% of those further along the AI journey, or AI leaders. Deloitte recommends that finance leaders take a holistic view of AI’s value, including trust and organizational sentiment—not just financial metrics—to ensure transformation succeeds.
Infusing tech talent in finance
Many finance departments now see technology as a key solution when talent is in short supply, and finding the right mix of both is increasingly a top priority. Nearly two-thirds of respondents (64%) plan to add more technical skills by 2026, prioritizing AI, automation, data analysis, and technology integration. For tax and finance professionals, AI skills are increasingly seen as essential.
Written by Sheryl Estrada for Fortune as “Top trends shaping the future of finance—AI, agility, and proactive leadership are in the spotlight” and republished with permission.
