The 2026 CFO Report: Finance After the Pilot

In partnership with YouGov, Weel's third annual finance leadership survey captures a function that's moved decisively past the pilot phase – and a CFO role that's fundamentally changed in the process. AI adoption, the expanding mandate, workforce transformation, the collapse of static planning, the ROI reckoning: it's all here.

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The 2026 CFO Report: Finance After the Pilot

What you'll learn

Where you sit on the adoption curve

From pilot to scale, this report maps exactly where ANZ finance teams are – how weekly AI usage has shifted year on year, and where Australia and New Zealand diverge.

Why proof is harder than adoption

84% of finance leaders report positive outcomes from AI. Only 35% can back it up with clear metrics. This chapter unpacks the gap – and what it actually takes to close it.

How the CFO role has been redefined

Technology. Strategy. Operations. Cyber governance. The CFO mandate now spans all of it. This chapter maps the expansion and what it means in practice.

Key findings

87%

of ANZ finance leaders are actively scaling or piloting AI tools

97%

say their remit has expanded in the past 12 months

96%

have materially changed their approach to planning in the last year

Why read this report

Where you sit on the adoption curve

From pilot to scale, this report maps exactly where ANZ finance teams are – how weekly AI usage has shifted year on year, and where Australia and New Zealand diverge.

Why proof is harder than adoption

84% of finance leaders report positive outcomes from AI. Only 35% can back it up with clear metrics. This chapter unpacks the gap – and what it actually takes to close it.

How the CFO role has been redefined

Technology. Strategy. Operations. Cyber governance. The CFO mandate now spans all of it. This chapter maps the expansion and what it means in practice.

Inside the report

This is the third wave of Weel's finance leadership research, conducted with YouGov across January–February 2026. 270 CFOs and senior finance leaders across Australia and New Zealand shared where they are, what's working, and what isn't. The report covers six themes: the shift from AI adoption to accountability, workforce transformation and the human premium, finance as the operating system of the enterprise, the end of static budgeting, the ROI reckoning, and how 2026 confidence is being tested by disruption. AU vs NZ breakdowns throughout.

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The 2026 CFO Report: Finance After the Pilot

What you'll learn

Where you sit on the adoption curve

Why proof is harder than adoption

How the CFO role has been redefined

Key findings

Why read this report

Where you sit on the adoption curve

Why proof is harder than adoption

How the CFO role has been redefined

Inside the report

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