Asia Pacific CFO Pulse
Despite global risks, Asia Pacific Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) are moving forward with confidence.
This inaugural CFO Pulse captures the views of 462 CFOs across the region, revealing how they’re navigating uncertainty, responding to risk, and positioning their organisations for what comes next.
Optimism through uncertainty
CFOs across Asia Pacific are facing an increasingly volatile environment, with geopolitical instability now the leading disruption risk. 77% expect the Middle East conflict to have a negative impact on their business and 93% on the global economy.
Despite this backdrop, confidence remains strong, with net optimism in own company prospects at +41% and positive sentiment across all regions.
This confidence reflects both a more constructive regional outlook and decisive, considered action. CFOs are reinforcing fundamentals, prioritising performance, cost discipline, and supply chain resilience, while investing in growth through innovation and existing markets.
AI is shifting from promise to performance and is emerging as a key value driver, though scaling remains uneven. Those further ahead in adoption are seeing stronger returns, supported by continued investment in upskilling and data quality.
Interactive Data: Outlook
Explore the outlook across Asia Pacific and compare your views by region, market, and industry.
Interactive Data: AI
Explore AI perspectives across Asia Pacific and compare your views by region, market and industry.
“CFOs are cautious about global risks but are not retreating. They are strengthening fundamentals and resilience while staying ready to invest as opportunities emerge.”
Kok Yong Ho, CFO Programme leader, Asia Pacific and Southeast Asia
About the Deloitte Asia Pacific CFO Programme
The Deloitte Asia Pacific Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Programme addresses the increasing demands and complexity of the role, bringing together finance leaders and Deloitte advisors to support CFOs at every stage of their careers. The Asia Pacific CFO Pulse is a key initiative of the Programme, developed in collaboration with CFO teams across Deloitte firms in the region.
Find out more
About the Asia Pacific CFO Pulse
Deloitte’s Asia Pacific CFO Pulse Survey explores the issues facing CFOs in the region and provides insight into what CFOs are thinking and doing.
Methodology
We surveyed 462 CFOs to better understand their challenges, priorities, and the ways they’re navigating the future.
Most survey responses were gathered from 20 March to 24 April 2026, but the Japanese survey ran from 18 February to 11 March 2026 and reflected a more limited set of questions, particularly regarding the Middle East conflict which commenced after the Japanese survey was live.
The survey was conducted across ten major economic groupings: Australia; China Mainland; Taiwan (China), Hong Kong, SAR; Japan; New Zealand, Republic of Korea; Singapore, South Asia (India and Sri Lanka); the Rest of Southeast Asia (Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam).
43% of CFO respondents were from companies with revenue US$500 million or more.
Respondent industries included consumer; energy, resources and industrials; financial services; life sciences and healthcare; technology, media and telecommunications; and public sector organisations.
The authors at Deloitte Asia Pacific would like to thank all CFO and finance leaders for their contributions to the CFO Pulse.
If you would like to contribute to the next CFO Pulse, please do get in touch.