CFOs in 2026 are under growing pressure to keep pace with rapid changes in technology. From rolling out new software to navigating the expanding role of AI, today’s finance leaders are being asked to adapt faster and more often than ever before.
According to Deloitte Insights, 64% of CFO respondents identified technical skills as the top development skill for 2026. This means that, increasingly, the CFO's job is becoming more tech-focused and reliant on AI and automation skills, as well as data analysis and technology integration, making these the most important skills for CFOs to have.
In this article, we discuss the three trends we see continuing for CFOs and the three challenges they face.
When it comes to making decisions in a constantly changing environment, being able to keep up is a requirement moving forward. Being able to anticipate and respond to the uncertainty and complexity of the current environment has become difficult, but necessary to keep pace in aggressive markets.
Agility as a CFO means shifting from reactive to an adaptive architect who designs processes to anticipate market changes, rather than just reacting to them. By reducing the cycle time between planning and delivery, finance teams minimize excess working capital tied up in slow-moving projects.
When it comes to software integration and implementation, sitting directly at the table with other departments allows for creative, data-backed business expansions as needed. Understanding the underlying processes and how each department uses technology to get their tasks done allows a CFO to identify where they need to be more efficient.
2. Driving and Implementing the Company Strategy
As the scope of financial leadership expands, so too must CFOs step into the roles of strategy. This means understanding every department's function and ensuring departments are grounded in expectations.
CFOs are the company's transformers, using insights, capital allocation, and scenario modeling to turn lofty goals into sustainable growth. Often, when it comes to software, it is the CFO's decision on whether they can run with something or not. So understanding a software's importance and how it plays into the company's strategy is critical for success.
63% of finance leaders have used AI within their function. But only 21% of finance leaders see meaningful gains from AI. Many finance leaders have started to embrace AI over the past few years, but very few are fully implementing it to its full ability. By leveraging automation and AI, teams can eliminate manual data entry, allowing professionals to focus on real-time data analysis, predictive forecasting, and actionable business insights.
Having a tech-focused finance team allows for a significant increase in operational efficiency, agility, and decision-making, and a competitive advantage in the market. As AI increasingly gets more integrated into finance, the capabilities of the team must evolve with it.
64% of CFO respondents identified technical skills as the top development skill for 2026. A more technically savvy finance team ensures financial context is preserved across systems rather than just automating broken processes in software integration and implementation. The more technical the finance team gets, the further they can bridge the gap between IT and finance, which enhances cross-department collaboration as departments get access to the financial impact of their actions instantly without back-and-forth emails.
Software has become one of the largest corporate expenses. Initial software license fees frequently represent only a fraction of total investment. CFOs struggle with scope creep, rising maintenance costs, and the need to tightly govern ongoing AI and cloud subscriptions.
These issues will only continue to grow this year as AI becomes a higher and larger cost for many companies and as software becomes more crucial to the success of organizations. To make sure that you are getting the value out of your system, reach out to us, and we can ensure your team's ROI stays higher than increasing subscription costs.
When employees or companies purchase applications without the proper consulting of It or finance, it often leads to wasted spending as organizations pay for multiple tools across multiple departments that perform similar tasks. It's like having both Slack and Microsoft Teams. It adds variables and leads to confusion amongst teams.
CFOs also need to be consulted to ensure the ROI of the investment into new software will see meaningful value to the company. This can be difficult as soft benefits, like faster decision-making or improved team collaboration, don't turn into tangible ROI. To make sure you are getting the most out of your system, schedule a consult with us today, and we can help identify and eliminate wasted spending and redundant applications.
AI offers valuable benefits to any organization; CFOs have a lot to deal with and manage when it comes to the risks of AI. Like any new software and technology, many employees default to manual processes and spreadsheets they are comfortable with. However, CFOs must overcome this deep-seated resistance and ensure adequate training is provided so that employees feel comfortable with AI adoption.
AI also comes with a lot of data and security risks. Ensuring proprietary corporate and financial data isn't leaked through public AI models requires new platforms to satisfy internal controls, SOX compliance, and stringent data privacy regulations. To learn more about AI adoption, feel free to reach out to us at hello@venntechnology.com, and we can discuss integrating AI into your processes.
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Let's help you get the most out of the great software you're already using by building custom integrations that enable your finance team to focus less on manual data entry and more on the organization’s growth.