Home / Insights
AI in Finance 2026: the report card
The second year of our research. Every survey finding has been tested against interview evidence, and in several places the interviews qualify the survey materially.
How the cohort scored on seven dimensions of AI maturity
We scored each interview from 0 to 5 on seven dimensions, with 3 as the operational threshold: the point at which a practice is embedded and depended upon rather than trialled. The cohort averaged 2.98, clearing the threshold on five dimensions and falling short on two.
Its strengths lie in talent, culture and strategic vision, while its weaknesses are the data foundation and, most clearly, the discipline to state the return that an AI investment is expected to deliver.
Method: a survey of Finance leaders of multinational companies, compared with 2025, and structured interviews with senior Finance leaders across several sectors. Interview subjects are identified by sector only.
What changed in a year
Survey results for 2026 against 2025. The marker shows last year's figure.
Progress so far
report moderate, sustained use of AI in Finance.
42% in 2025. Nobody now reports full integration.
People and change
expect traditional FP&A analyst roles to be substantially automated.
42% in 2025.
Overcoming challenges
cite an unclear return as a barrier, the largest movement in the survey.
6.5% in 2025.
Overcoming challenges
cite data quality and integration as a barrier.
35% in 2025.
People and change
name business storytelling as a priority skill for Finance teams.
81% in 2025.
Overcoming challenges
are very confident about AI in Finance, in the same year that every barrier rose.
19% in 2025.
The skills that matter most are the ones teams lack
Asia Pacific Finance leaders rated each skill for its importance to the business and for their team's current capacity. The widest gaps sit in communication: simplifying complex ideas, tailoring the message, and creating buy-in.
As AI takes on data gathering and first-pass analysis, the value Finance adds moves to explaining what the numbers mean and what the business should do next.
Scale shown from 2 to 5. Source: Global CFO Network, the Finance skills agenda, 2026.
Mark your own report card
Grade your function on the six questions that separated the leaders from the rest. Ask colleagues to do the same and compare: the differences within one organisation are more instructive than the grades.
Your answers stay in your browser and are not sent to us.
Bring the findings to your leadership team
Members receive the full report, all thirteen findings, and a walk-through for their Finance leadership team in person or online.