Finance Trends 2026

Many surveyed finance leaders are taking steps to better anticipate and respond to the uncertainty and complexity of the current environment. Respondents cite the need to bolster advanced scenario-planning capabilities and build more agile governance models to support faster decision-making.

For many, gone are the days when influential finance leaders spent most of their time on the core foundations of financial management. As the scope of finance leadership expands, their influence on strategy across the organization seems to grow in step.

Surveyed leaders primarily responsible for cost and expense management for their organizations appear more likely to consistently meet—or exceed—their cost-savings goals compared to respondents who play a supporting role. When finance leaders own cost and expense management, what can help set them apart are the tools they bring to cost discipline along with a focus on accountability.

Our survey shows that many finance departments are at least experimenting with AI use cases. Yet, for many, there is still runway to amplify the reach and measurable impact of their AI investments.

Building organizational agility often requires more than finding the appropriate technology infrastructure. As AI increasingly gets integrated into finance, the work and capabilities of the function may shift in step. How finance leaders meet their pressing talent needs will likely have major implications for their departments going forward.