Deloitte Survey: Southeast Asia CFOs stay confident in their own businesses despite mounting global uncertainty

Key Highlights:

• CFOs across Southeast Asia remain cautious about the external environment but continue to show confidence in the resilience of their own organisations, with 81% expecting profits to increase or remain steady over the next 12 months.
• 92% of Southeast Asia CFOs expect the Middle East conflict to negatively affect the global economy, with 66% expecting a significant impact; by contrast, 28% expect a significant impact on their own organisations.
• In response to uncertainty, CFOs are taking a disciplined approach, with 73% tightening cost controls and 55% increasing focus on liquidity and cash management.
• Looking ahead, CFOs are prioritising growth in familiar areas, with 50% identifying acquiring customers in existing geographies as a key growth driver and 42% focusing on increasing operational efficiencies.
• AI adoption is progressing, but scaling remains uneven. Across Southeast Asia, 46% report pockets of AI use across their organisations, 12% report extensive use, and 36% say they plan to implement AI. Within finance, 47% report pockets of use and 4% report extensive use.

SINGAPORE, 2 July 2026 – Chief Financial Officers across Southeast Asia remain confident in the outlook for their own businesses even as they take a more cautious view of the broader operating environment, according to Deloitte’s inaugural Asia Pacific CFO Pulse Survey. The survey gathered responses from 462 CFOs across Asia Pacific, including 74 from Southeast Asia across Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

The findings point to a clear pattern across Southeast Asia: while CFOs are uneasy about external risks, many still believe their organisations are positioned to hold steady and navigate disruption. More than eight in 10 (81%) expect profits to increase or remain steady over the next 12 months, broadly in line with the wider Asia Pacific average of 83%.

This reflects a region that remains exposed to global shocks, but is still supported by business resilience, regional trade flows and continued investment activity.

“Asia Pacific’s economic resilience is being tested by energy and input shocks which pose a near-term risk. The fundamentals of the region remain strong though, supported by regional trade and investment trends,” said David Rumbens, Partner, Deloitte Access Economics.

“CFOs are looking at the global environment with real caution, but what stands out is that they are not retreating. CFOs are leaning into what they can influence: sharpening performance, staying close to customers, protecting supply chains, while making disciplined moves to tighten costs and manage liquidity,” said Ho Kok Yong, CFO Program Leader, Deloitte Asia Pacific and Southeast Asia.

CFOs are responding to uncertainty with discipline

Geopolitical instability is the top risk facing Southeast Asia CFOs over the next 12 months, cited by 86% of respondents. Supply chain disruption (51%) and inflation (42%) follow, underscoring the extent to which global tensions are flowing through into business planning across the region.

The Middle East conflict is a major source of concern. 92% of CFOs in Southeast Asia expect it to negatively affect the global economy, and 66% expect those effects to be significant. Sentiment is more measured at the company level, with 28% saying they expect a significant impact on their own organisations.

In response, CFOs are focusing on resilience and flexibility. The top actions they are taking include tightening cost controls (73%) and increasing focus on liquidity and cash management (55%).

At the same time, they are concentrating growth efforts in areas they know best. Over the next 12 months, 50% expect acquiring customers in existing geographies to be a leading growth driver, while 42% are prioritising increased operational efficiency.

Added Kok Yong, “As CFOs reinforce core fundamentals, they continue to build the capabilities that matter and preserve their ability to invest quickly when opportunities arise.”

AI adoption is advancing, but scaling remains a work in progress

Across Southeast Asia, AI adoption is moving forward, although most organisations remain in the early to mid-stages of maturity. 46% of CFOs report pockets of AI use across their organisation, 12% report extensive use, and a further 36% say they plan to implement the technology.

Within the finance function, adoption is lower. 47% report pockets of AI use and only 4% report extensive use, suggesting that while experimentation is growing, finance teams are still at an earlier stage of scaling.

Where AI is being used in finance, the most common applications are financial planning and analysis automation (31%) and risk assessment and management (26%).

The findings also indicate that value realisation remains uneven. 30% of CFOs say AI is already delivering value for their business in line with or exceeding expectations, while barriers to finance-function adoption continue to centre on cost or resource requirements (53%), talent or skills gaps (50%), and data issues (43%).

To address these challenges, CFOs are taking practical steps, including training talent (78%), developing AI solutions and processes in-house (39%), and addressing data challenges (50%).

To access the full report and learn more about the findings, please visit: https://www.deloitte.com/ap/en/our-thinking/asia-pacific-cfo-pulse.html

Methodology

Deloitte surveyed 462 CFOs to better understand their challenges, priorities, and the ways they are 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.

Percentages may not add up to totals due to rounding.