CFO survey webcast explores two-sided challenge
Executive summary:
Finance leaders face a defining challenge: investing in technology and AI-driven transformation while navigating inflation, economic uncertainty and rising operating costs. Our CFO survey webcast shows that the most successful CFOs are responding with disciplined cost management, strategic acquisitions and evolving talent models that protect growth-focused investments.
An image of finance leaders squeezed from two directions emerged from our webcast highlighting the findings of Grant Thornton’s 2026 Q2 CFO survey.
On one side, expenses are climbing, with 67% of finance leaders expecting to spend more on IT and digital transformation in their pursuit of AI-driven business benefits.
From the other direction, CFOs are bracing for the effects of global instability, with 67% of finance leaders forecasting that inflation will increase over the next 12 months.
CFOs are taking “a very disciplined approach” to cost management as a result, said Grant Thornton Audit Growth Leader Mike Desmond.
“CFOs are looking for the efficiency they need to offset rising costs in energy and other inflationary environments, but they still need to protect the capabilities that are required to support growth transformation and resilience,” Desmond said.
Business confidence drops
As they faced these challenges from multiple directions, finance leaders’ confidence dropped compared with Q1 in the following metrics:
- Fulfilling supply chain needs (down 15 percentage points)
- Meeting cost-control objectives (down nine points)
- Achieving growth targets (down five points)
- Meeting labor needs (down three points)
- Achieving technology objectives (down two points)
So while CFOs are brimming with ambition at a time of transformational change, they’re concerned about their ability to execute that transformation.
“In my 25-year career, I can’t remember a time when I’ve heard the term ‘ROI’ more frequently,” said Grant Thornton National Finance Managing Partner Mike Hennessey. “Each and every action is tied to ROI.”
Hennessey said company leaders know they want to use technology to transform their businesses, but the path forward is unclear. They need governance, talent, data and operating discipline to convert their plans into measurable outcomes.
Survey findings point to three strategies finance leaders are using to achieve their goals:
- Optimize costs: Two-thirds (67%) of CFO survey respondents are at least moderately changing their cost structures through cost-optimization and efficiency initiatives. Vendor and supplier costs are the top target for cuts, with 49% of finance leaders planning cuts in that area, a dramatic increase from 29% the previous quarter. External professional consulting support and fees (44%) and materials costs (40%) also are top areas for potential cuts. “Companies are being really creative on how to cut costs from other areas without impacting their investments in AI,” Desmond said.
- Pursuing M&A: Forty-two percent of finance leaders expect M&A to increase at their organizations in the next 12 months, and just 6% are reducing their M&A activity. Rather than aspirational growth plays, acquisitions in the current environment tend to be disciplined and targeted. “Companies aren’t looking to do more acquisitions simply because capital is available or because they have an M&A road map,” said Grant Thornton | Stax Global Practice Lead Paul Edwards. “They’re looking to do acquisitions that solve important strategic or operational challenges.”
- Outsourcing: Thirty percent of finance leaders reported using nearshore operations in Latin America, up from 19% in Q1. “CFOs are looking beyond the traditional U.S.-based model to address not just cost, but capacity and capability needs,” Desmond said.
Although strategies vary significantly by industry and individual competitive differentiators, the urgency around transformation and the pressures of inflation are universal.
Finance leaders are responding by pairing strategic investment with sharper cost discipline to preserve growth, resilience and transformation momentum. “They’re reallocating investments toward areas tied to growth, risk management and operating resilience,” Desmond said.
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M&A is also emerging as a targeted value-creation lever, particularly as finance leaders look for capabilities they may not be able to build quickly enough internally:
- Value-creation objectives: Technology and AI-driven transformation is the top value creation priority for finance leader, cited by 60% of respondents. “Corporate M&A is becoming more purposeful, and maybe the question has shifted from ‘Should we do the acquisition’ to ‘What capability can’t we build quickly enough ourselves,’” Edwards said.
- AI in M&A: Eighty-three percent of finance leaders are using some form of AI or advanced analytics in M&A, with 52% using AI for diligence analysis. “AI is allowing them to think about asset identification a little differently.” Edwards said.
- Barriers to M&A value creation: Deal value most often falls short of expectations because of integration challenges, which were cited by 44% of respondents as a top M&A hurdle. “Whether it’s AI adoption, whether it’s transformation or even M&A, making sure we can execute with the right talent is imperative,” Hennessey said.
The encouraging part of the survey for executives is that, despite all the concerns about the global economy, 68% of finance leaders expect their net profit to grow over the next 12 months, down just four percentage points from the previous quarter.
For more insights on how finance leaders are driving business success in challenging circumstances, view the on-demand webcast or read the full survey report.
Contacts:
Audit Growth Leader, Grant Thornton LLP
Carolinas Market Managing Partner,
Grant Thornton Advisors LLC
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