Good morning. As 2026 kicks off, CFO confidence is rising, and digital transformation in finance has replaced enterprise risk management as the top objective for the year ahead.
That’s a key finding from Deloitte’s report, released this morning. Half of the surveyed finance chiefs named digital transformation as their number one priority for 2026, followed by cash management optimization and capital allocation. The results are based on a recent Q4 survey of 200 CFOs across industries at North American companies with annual revenue of at least $1 billion.
Steve Gallucci, global and U.S. leader of Deloitte’s CFO Program, told me this shift reflects how finance leaders are moving from exploring technology to executing on it—particularly when it comes to AI.
“Efficiency and productivity are certainly part of the equation,” Gallucci said. “But more broadly, we’ve been on this digital evolution for some time.”
In recent years, as advanced technologies like agentic AI have emerged, boards and C-suite leaders have shown growing interest. Finance chiefs took a cautious approach to rolling out these tools. Deloitte’s finds that finance leaders now influence enterprise strategy, drive cost optimization, advance digital transformation, and build tech-enabled teams.
Last year, many companies focused on testing, creating use cases, and getting comfortable with AI, Gallucci noted. But according to the Q4 survey, said AI will be extremely or very important to how their finance departments operate in 2026.
“What we’re seeing in some of the Q4 survey responses is that continued evolution,” Gallucci said. Finance leaders are taking a more deliberate, enterprise-wide approach to transformation, and AI is accelerating that commitment, he added.
The report outlines six key priorities CFOs plan to focus on this year: Leveraging digital tools to transform finance operations; fully embracing AI; embedding AI agents directly into finance workflows; closely monitoring changes in buyer behavior; tapping internal talent to manage costs; and exploring more deal-making opportunities.
CFOs also appear focused on redeploying existing finance talent to work alongside AI-driven systems. About half of respondents said their organizations plan to hire or promote internally to help keep worker costs in line for 2026.
As CFOs and finance leaders lean into digital transformation, there’s an expectation that they’ll need to reskill their existing talent, Gallucci said.
“We’re not seeing a decline in the number of finance professionals due to investments in technology and AI,” he said. But as leaders look to the future—both in finance and across the broader enterprise—they’re increasingly focused on boosting productivity through technology and combining those tools with the skills of their existing workforce and an agentic digital workforce, he explained.
Competition and consumer dynamics add pressure
While technology transformation tops the agenda, competitive pressure remains a key driver. About half of CFOs cited rising competition as having the biggest impact on their companies, followed closely by shifts in customer behavior and demographics.
Competitive pressures are always near the top of CFOs’ minds, Gallucci said. But what’s different now is how they’re responding—looking across industries to see how others are using AI and digital tools, and applying those lessons quickly, he said.
Gallucci also pointed to evolving consumer demand as a key factor to watch, particularly as major banks and retailers release their fourth-quarter earnings.
There’s evidence of a , he added. “CFOs are paying close attention to what that means for growth, pricing, and investment strategy.”
Sheryl Estrada