Finance Leaders Are Redefining Strategy, Technology, and Risk in 2026

Finance executives expand their strategic roles in 2026 and use AI to help reduce costs and come up with new ideas. According to a Deloitte report, 57% of these leaders are involved in shaping the overall strategy of their companies, and they lead their competitors in the use of AI (43%) and cloud (48%) technologies.

Agentic AI is bringing a major change to the way we work, and Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) are now encouraging their Chief Information Officers (CIOs) to collaborate on technology decisions. 93% say that better teamwork has helped them increase both operational efficiency and risk management. The SAP Americas CFO advocates creating a “failure culture” in order to experiment with AI.

High, profile departures mark instability in the market: StanChart CFO to Apollo, Kyndryl CFO before audit, Peloton CFO to Palmetto. Robinhood’s new CFO looks positively at diversifying into crypto. AI is causing an increase in fraud losses that is bigger than any other traditional threat, therefore, it requires a very close supervision. Finance leaders see neutrality towards hyperscalers and preparedness for geopolitical situations as their top priorities. Chuck E. Cheese’s CFO takes on the role of the CEO.

Deloitte encourages companies to develop talent pipelines for the future in times of economic instability. Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) are required to combine a good understanding of technology with the ability to manage change if they want to leave a significant impact at the enterprise level.