CFOs prioritize digital transformation in 2026

Digital transformation ranked as the top priority of CFOs for 2026, according to a new survey from Deloitte, followed by cash management optimization and capital allocation.

Artificial intelligence still figures prominently in CFOs' plans for their organizations, with over half of the 200 North American CFOs polled by Deloitte for its quarterly CFO Signals survey prioritizing the integration of AI agents into finance operations, while 87% of CFOs predict AI will be extremely important or very important to their finance department's operations this year. Nearly half of CFOs (49%) see cost management as their leading internal concern, with nearly half of them planning to hire or promote from within to manage workforce costs. 

When asked to name their top priorities for finance talent in 2026, close to half (49%) of the CFOs surveyed pointed to automating processes to free employees to do higher value work.

Among industries, 29% of the CFOs surveyed from the energy, resources, and industrials sector believe AI will be extremely important to their finance operations this year, while 21% of finance chiefs in the financial services industry agreed, as did 20% of CFOs in the technology, media and telecommunications sector. Over half (54%) of the CFOs polled said integrating AI agents into finance would be one of their top finance transformation priorities this year. That was their top response, ahead of efforts such as improving data quality, access and/or usability (52%).

Similarly, in Deloitte's Finance Trends 2026 survey, 48% of the surveyed respondents who say they play a leading strategy role at their businesses indicated they have already deployed specific AI agents into finance. 

"Many CFOs are looking to advanced technologies — including AI and other automative tools — not only to improve efficiency within finance, but to help their organizations respond more quickly to changing market and customer dynamics," said Steve Gallucci, U.S. leader of Deloitte's CFO Program, in a statement Tuesday. "In 2026, uncertainty will likely remain the new normal, but CFOs who laid the groundwork to take advantage of opportunities as they arise will likely be best positioned to thrive, regardless of the economic operating conditions."

When CFOs were asked to name the factors (aside from the economy) that would exert the biggest impact on their companies' performance this year, pressure from competitors topped the list at 51%, followed by changes in customer behavior or demographics, cited by 48% of the respondents.