CFO Priorities for 2026: Technology, Talent, and the Shift to Continuous Finance
Executive Summary
Finance leaders are entering 2025 with a clear mandate: move beyond compliance and embrace continuous, tech-enabled oversight. Research from AICPA-CIMA and Intuit’s 2025 Accountant Tech Survey shows that firms adopting AI and unified tech stacks are cutting manual work, improving forecast accuracy, and expanding advisory services,nearly 8 in 10 expect advisory to grow, with 94% projecting revenue gains. At the same time, only 28% believe current training meets tech needs, pushing CFOs to invest in both systems and skills. For CFOs, Controllers, and FP&A, the future is about real-time insight, streamlined platforms, and advisory-driven finance.
Technology as the Differentiator
Finance leaders are facing a pivotal year. The role of CFOs, Controllers, and FP&A teams is rapidly expanding beyond compliance into strategic guidance, enabled by technology and reshaped by market demands. Recent research from AICPA-CIMA and Intuit’s 2025 Accountant Tech Survey underscores the same message: the future of finance is continuous, tech-enabled, and advisory-driven.
According to Intuit’s survey of 700 U.S. accounting professionals, 81% of firms report productivity gains from AI adoption, with nearly half already using AI daily. The top areas of automation include freeing teams to focus on higher-value analysis.
AICPA-CIMA’s academic research further highlights that automation is no longer optional. Firms that fail to adopt emerging tools risk slower closes, higher error rates, and reduced credibility with executives and boards. For CFOs, the message is clear: building a unified, streamlined tech stack is not just about efficiency. It’s about maintaining a competitive edge.
Advisory as the New Core
The AICPA-CIMA report points to a redefinition of finance leadership. Controllers and FP&A teams are being asked to provide continuous insight, not just retrospective reporting. Intuit’s data backs this shift: nearly 8 in 10 firms expect advisory services to increase, with 94% projecting revenue growth as a result.
This shift is reshaping identity. Accountants and finance professionals are becoming architects of business growth, with advisory and analytics now at the center of their role.
Talent and Skills in Transition
Technology adoption is not just about tools,it is also about people. Intuit’s findings show that only 28% of firms believe their current training fully meets tech needs, but 75% are increasing their focus on tech skills during hiring. AICPA-CIMA’s research echoes this gap, noting that finance leaders must reskill teams for data fluency, scenario planning, and automation oversight.
CFOs who prioritize tech-savvy hiring, flexible work arrangements, and clear growth paths will win the talent race.
The Strategic Mandate for CFOs
Taken together, the insights from AICPA-CIMA and Intuit outline a new CFO mandate for 2025:
- Embed continuous oversight. Move beyond periodic reporting into real-time anomaly detection and predictive planning.
- Standardize and unify systems. Intuit’s survey found that 98% of firms see benefits from a unified tech stack.
- Invest in skills as much as systems. The tools are only as powerful as the teams using them.
- Expand advisory capacity. Finance must move from cost center to growth driver, advising executives on strategy, risk, and opportunity.
For CFOs, Controllers, and FP&A leaders, the mandate is clear: finance must become continuous, predictive, and advisory-driven. Tools like AuditFlow and BudgetFlow help make this possible, giving teams the ability to detect anomalies early and improve forecast accuracy so finance can move from compliance to foresight.
Attribution:
- Intuit, 2025 Accountant Tech Survey, April 2025.
- AICPA-CIMA, Academic Research Report on the Future of Finance, 2025.