Ireland’s CFOs are optimistic about growth prospects as they reshape how finance creates value by moving from AI pilots to production.

In brief

  • 94% of finance leaders in Ireland expect 9% average growth in 2026, with expectations holding steady despite tariffs, geopolitics and energy cost pressures.
  • AI adoption in finance jumps from 12% to 47%, while 59% now prioritise investment in AI, data and technology infrastructure.
  • Cost control tops board agendas as 60% invest in upskilling, and 22% of respondents cite cyber risk as the main barrier to scaling AI.

Ireland’s CFOs and finance leaders are strikingly upbeat about the year ahead. The EY Ireland CFO Survey 2026 shows strong growth expectations despite a year marked by geopolitical shocks, unpredictable tariffs and higher energy costs.

The overwhelming majority of respondents (94%) anticipate growth this year. Expected growth averages out at 9%, consistent with last year. This is likely at least partly a reflection of the continuing strength and resilience of the Irish economy, and the success of Ireland-based organisations in diversifying markets in the face of US tariffs and other trade disruptions.

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This optimism held across organisations of all sizes. Interestingly, the largest organisations surveyed, those with more than 250 employees, were slightly more cautious, anticipating average growth of 6%. This likely reflects their greater exposure to export markets.

 

But the real story is AI. Adoption has surged, with almost half of finance functions now using the technology and many others committing to increased investment. AI has clearly moved beyond pilots into full-scale implementation, signalling a tipping point in how Irish organisations deploy the technology.

 

The competition for talent remains high, especially in data and analytics. Cost control and cost reduction remain the top priority for boards and investors. In response, finance teams are using more automation to reduce manual work and speed up decision-making. Overall, finance leaders remain confident and are increasingly open to embracing AI to deliver efficiencies and cut costs.

A photographic portrait of Vickie Wall
This is a story of operating discipline: smarter processes, better talent, stronger data governance and cyber security, with technology deployed where it delivers tangible value

Vickie Wall

EY Ireland Financial Accounting Advisory Services (FAAS) leader

AI adoption in finance reaches breakthrough moment

Chapter 1

Race for AI-ready finance talent picks up pace

Chapter 2

The human side of the CFO role

Chapter 3

Staying the course amid geopolitical and market disruption

Chapter 4

Cyber awareness is up, but resilience still lags

Chapter 5
Modern office trading floor with professionals moving between desks
1

Chapter 1

AI adoption in finance reaches breakthrough moment

AI’s greatest impact in finance is being felt in the automation of manual, time-intensive processes and in strengthening risk and fraud detection.

The increase in AI usage by finance functions over the past year is notable. In 2025, just 12% of respondents said they were using AI in the finance function. This has now risen to 47%.

Incidence of AI usage (% saying yes)

The largest application of AI in finance relates to automation of manual and time-consuming tasks and managing risk/fraud detection. Other key use cases include enhancing efficiency through AI-enabled decision support; compliance monitoring; transaction processing; and automating controls.

These findings support the suggestion that we may have reached a breakthrough moment in AI adoption by finance functions and finance leaders.

The last EY CEO Survey1 showed the same pattern. Most CEOs said that AI was already boosting revenue and efficiency, and nearly all believe it will materially change how they operate within two years.

A sharp rise in investment is enabling this momentum. Almost six in ten (59%) CFOs now prioritise spending on technology infrastructure, advanced AI and data analytics. This is up from 20% last year, with organisations with more than 100 employees leading the charge.

While it is not surprising that larger organisations with deeper pockets will place a greater priority on AI investment, smaller organisations should not be deterred. Advances in cloud computing—offering scalable infrastructure, pre-built tools, and pay-as-you-go models—have dramatically lowered barriers to entry, complemented by a growing ecosystem of AI software vendors. The highest ROI is being achieved by organisations that prioritise high-value AI use cases and who take a risk-based and strategic approach to data

Gareth Kelly

EY Ireland Partner, AI & Data

Finance leaders are pushing for more cost savings through continued automation in finance functions. AI usage is rising fast, with over half now using it to automate manual time intensive tasks. The role of AI is also expanding for decision support, forecasting and other processes which support the wider organisation.

42% of organisations are either investing in or intend to invest in AI for financial planning. This is almost double last year’s 22%. Meanwhile, 29% of finance leaders expect to spend more time on facilitating AI adoption across the finance function. Cost reduction through automation and advanced AI is also rising sharply in priority. This highlights the need for finance leaders to allay anxieties and secure buy-in from their teams for AI adoption.

A photographic portrait of Katie Burns
AI investment is core to cost optimisation, which is a clear priority as organisations grapple with higher energy costs, persistent inflation and an increasingly uncertain geopolitical environment. We are seeing CFOs recognise that AI is no longer a ‘nice to have’; it is a fundamental lever for efficiency, resilience and smarter decision making

Katie Burns

EY Ireland Consulting Partner

Confidence with new technologies is also increasing, with only 10% of CFOs saying the fast-changing tech landscape, including AI, keeps them awake at night.

Leading barriers to scaling AI are cybersecurity and data privacy concerns alongside budget and time constraints.

This indicates strong awareness of the heightened cyber risks created by AI, particularly given the rise of cyber incidents over the past 12 months. It also highlights an understanding of the cost and resources needed to manage those risks.

One fifth cite unclear Return On Investment (ROI) as the main barrier, while resistance to change is relatively low at 14%, perhaps related to the fact that adoption is still at its early stages and resistance may increase as time goes on.

Recommendation: Finance leaders need to understand the data and governance infrastructure required to enable responsible AI adoption. Progress can be accelerated by engaging teams in use‑case identification and creating a culture that encourages experimentation, especially for finance functions lagging behind peers.

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2

Chapter 2

Race for AI-ready finance talent picks up pace

Talent retention and succession planning concern boards but cost discipline continues to drive agendas.

The competition for talent emerged as the number one priority for driving growth in the year ahead, with organisations prioritising both the enhancement of existing skills and targeted hiring.

These sharp increases reflect the rising demand for AI literate, analytical and strategically minded finance talent as AI adoption accelerates.

CFOs are contending with rising cost pressures and increasing demands for new skills in finance functions at a time when talent is at a premium. They are also experiencing an expansion in the breadth of their own role. Both human and technological solutions form part of their response through increased investment in upskilling as well as in AI and other automation tools to ensure their teams are fit to meet the challenges that lie ahead

George Deegan

EY Ireland Assurance Partner

CFOs continue to prioritise developing future leaders and retaining talent, driven by ongoing shortages in finance, data and technology skills. Talent retention and succession planning remain prominent board concerns, with 28% highlighting the issue. However, cost control still dominates the agenda, creating pressure for how boards navigate talent challenges.

A photographic portrait of Vickie Wall
Demand for AI‑literate, data‑driven and strategically aligned finance roles is rising as teams reshape for the future. Sustained investment in talent and upskilling is now essential to embed the mindsets, approaches and capabilities required. This is particularly critical for CFOs and their teams, given the transformation AI will drive across finance functions and the organisations they support

Vickie Wall

EY Ireland Financial Accounting Advisory Services (FAAS) leader

Finance leaders’ approach to skills and talent reflect both pragmatism and a recognition of market realities. Most organisations are building digital and analytics capability internally through upskilling, knowledge sharing, cross‑functional collaboration, and secondments and rotations.

Skills shortages continue to impact transformation, with 12% of CFOs citing lack of digital and analytical talent as the biggest barrier to scaling AI and automation.

In response, organisations are deploying a mix of strategies:

This blend of responses shows that organisations see internal development, not external hiring, as the most reliable path to building digital capability. The availability of AI and analytics talent remains extremely tight. The focus on reskilling and upskilling was most pronounced among larger organisations likely reflecting the greater resources available to those companies.

Despite rising demand for AI literate, analytical and strategic finance talent, many organisations remain unprepared. 36% have no formal strategy, 22% of finance leaders say their teams need significant upskilling and 27% say they struggle to find time to do so.

Talent pressures are also likely having an impact on the operational readiness of tax functions. Some 16% of respondents say their organisations are not prepared at all for digital tax reporting. This suggests an urgent need for those finance leaders to seek external support to help them in their roles.

The findings in relation to digital tax preparedness are somewhat concerning with 42% of respondents either not prepared at all or requiring significant improvements. This highlights a pressing capability gap and reinforces the pressures CFOs and finance leaders face as regulatory complexity increases. These organisations are at risk of penalties for non-compliance and should take immediate action to address this

Deirdre Hogan

EY Ireland Indirect Tax Partner

Recommendation: CFOs need a clear plan for building and developing talent internally and where to make strategic external hires. Internal capability can be developed through reverse mentoring, cross‑functional work and focused learning. Targeted hiring will still be needed to fill specialist gaps, in addition to a robust talent acquisition approach.

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3

Chapter 3

The human side of the CFO role

Communication, collaboration and team building top the leadership skills CFOs believe will matter most in the next two years.

Traditionally, the CFO role has been perceived as highly analytical, risk‑focused and numbers‑driven, acting more as the organisation’s financial conscience than its emotional compass. Today’s CFO is expected to combine technical rigour with human-centred leadership, communicating with empathy, influencing across the organisation and in the external environment, and supporting teams through change and uncertainty. The most effective CFOs are valued as much for building trust and engaging people as for financial stewardship and translating complexity into human‑centred decisions.

At the same time, finance leaders are contending with changing roles. CFOs and finance leaders anticipate spending more time on real-time analysis, scenario modelling, data analytics, predictive analytics and decision modelling. Many also foresee a redesign of the finance operating model.

Almost three in ten (29%) anticipate dedicating more time to supporting AI adoption across the finance function, placing them in the position of delivering value for their function through these rollouts while building their own understanding of these tools.

CFOs and finance leaders recognise the need to expand their skillsets to influence the wider business, though confidence levels vary. Just over a third feel confident and say their teams are ready with skills plans in place. Only 9% report that they are not sufficiently equipped to handle future challenges, while a further 17% say they need further development as their roles expand.

Communication, collaboration and team building feature strongly among the leadership skills which CFOs believe will be critically important in the next two years. Emotional intelligence is a foundational skill for communication and team building as well as for change management in a digitally enabled finance function.

Empathy and understanding others’ perspectives are essential skills for guiding teams and organisations through times of technological change and uncertainty. CFOs who complement their analytical strengths with strong people centred leadership can unlock greater engagement, resilience and transformation outcomes. Leadership development is therefore key to amplifying the CFO’s impact in a fast evolving environment

Laura Flynn

EY Ireland Partner Head of People Consulting

Recommendation: The CFO of the future will be defined by their ability to lead people through sustained change as much as by technical expertise. Success will require an integrated and strategic agenda that blends digital and analytical capability with emotional intelligence, communication and change leadership.

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4

Chapter 4

Staying the course amid geopolitical and market disruption

Trade and tariff concerns register at 19%, while energy costs and inflation remain the overwhelming pressures.

Geopolitical and tariff-related concerns ranked unexpectedly low among respondents, with 60% reporting no change in strategy. This suggests that organisations have already priced geopolitical and broader market volatility into their plans and are prepared for further disruptions.

Energy costs, inflation and interest rate volatility continue to weigh heavily on finance leaders.

Geopolitical risks and market volatility
8%
Cited as a top concern raised by boards or investors
Supply chain resilience
5%
Identified as a top concern raised by boards or investors
Geopolitical risks
15%
Cited as a major external factor impacting investment decisions
Political and geopolitical uncertainties
14%
Ranked as one of the top two risks for the next 12–24 months
Planning for geopolitical and economic uncertainty
11%
Identified as a focus area over the next two years

Tariff and trade policy concerns are present at 19%, though still far behind energy costs (70%) and inflation (51%).

A notable exception is among larger organisations (250+ employees), where 47% of finance leaders cite geopolitical risks and 37% cite tariff and trade policy changes as key factors. Even so, these concerns have not resulted in significant changes in strategic direction, with 80% reporting that their existing strategy has remained intact.

It is notable that many of these organisations are FDI companies with strategies set by overseas parent organisations that may have an alternative view of events to their Irish subsidiaries.

Supply‑chain findings add further nuance, revealing a mixed picture.

Around a quarter of organisations are reconfiguring supply chains and investing in risk analytics and scenario planning.

By contrast, regulatory divergence across jurisdictions has moved from a potential risk to a near certainty, with 37% of respondents increasing resources to address it. Keeping pace with regulatory and compliance change has emerged as a source of anxiety, with 20% saying it keeps them awake at night. This likely reflects concerns around unstructured data reporting and an expanding regulatory burden, spanning GDPR digital subject access requests, the Digital Services Act, NIS2, BEPS Pillar Two, country‑by‑country reporting and CSRD.

Regulatory change has accelerated in recent years and there is no sign on the horizon of any let up, in Europe at least. The great majority of organisations will require external assistance to keep pace, particularly in light of the growing regulatory divergence between the world’s leading economies

Alan Murphy

Partner, Head of Law, EY Law Ireland

Overall, the findings suggest that while finance leaders recognise the risks posed by geopolitical uncertainty, tariffs and supply‑chain disruption, most have strategies in place to manage them. Attention is instead focused on the broader cost environment.

Despite geopolitical uncertainties, organisations are maintaining their strategic course and not making reactive changes to their supply chains or established production arrangements. They have invested time and resources in developing their current strategies and approaches which have proven effective over time and sudden changes could send the wrong message to the market

Danny Buckley

EY Ireland Partner Financial Services CFO Advisory

Beyond geopolitics, the survey also sheds new light on ESG commitments.

ESG commitments hold firm: Only a very small number of respondents reported reducing investment in non-financial reporting initiatives, while 79% are either maintaining or increasing it.

Financial exposure as a result of climate change doesn’t feature among the challenges keeping just 5% of CFOs awake at night. The same number cited climate change as among the top two risks to their business over the 12 to 24 months, down from 7% in 2025. For boards, ESG and sustainability commitments was a concern raised by just 5%.

What is notable is that many finance leaders expect to spend more time on ESG and CSRD reporting and compliance in the year ahead despite few anticipating an expansion of ESG specialist teams. This suggests growing recognition of the reporting burden, but limited capacity to resource it.

However, the ESG agenda extends beyond compliance. Strong ESG performance can enhance organisational resilience to climate‑related extreme weather and rising energy costs, while also creating opportunities for competitive advantage and improved customer retention, particularly in consumer‑facing sectors.

The majority of organisations are maintaining or even increasing their investment in non-financial reporting. This is very heartening in the context of the pushback against increased regulation on both sides of the Atlantic. While organisations may not be as vocal as previously in relation to their ESG commitments, this is not translating into a reduction in investment

Derarca Dennis

EY Ireland Assurance Partner and Sustainability Services Lead

Recommendation: Focus on steady execution through regular stress‑testing, stronger scenario planning and by building geopolitical factors into cost forecasts. Growing regulatory and ESG reporting demands requires investment in better systems, better data and external support to keep organisations resilient and compliant.

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5

Chapter 5

Cyber awareness is up, but resilience still lags

Nearly one in five leaders say concern in relation to cyber breaches is keeping them awake at night.

Cybersecurity has transitioned from the server room to the boardroom as a frontline finance risk and the number‑one cited barrier to scaling AI. Awareness is rising fast: 23% of respondents now cite cyber risk control as a top area of focus for the next two years, almost three times the 8% who said so in 2025.

Meanwhile, 18% of respondents say concern in relation to cyber breaches is keeping them awake at night, ranking it just behind keeping pace with regulatory and compliance changes.

Cyber and data‑privacy risks sit on par with budget and time constraints as the biggest obstacles to scaling AI, reflecting strong recognition of the heightened risks created by AI deployment.

This increased awareness aligns with another finding. Cyber enhancements for financial data are now among the top three digital transformation initiatives underway in finance functions.

Despite this, cybersecurity still ranks relatively low as a long‑term organisational risk. Just 16% rate it as among the key risks facing the business over the next 12 to 24 months while just 17% say their boards have raised cyber and data privacy concerns in the past year.

In the age of AI, strengthening cyber resilience is not a policy exercise. It is an engineering discipline. We must test our scenarios through active stress tests that prove, under real pressure, that financial operations, data integrity and customer trust can withstand disruption. Attackers are moving faster all the time and AI increases both speed and blast radius. Awareness is welcome, but it is meaningless without evidence. Resilience must be engineered at the forefront with cyber at its core, then continuously tested, measured and improved until we can absorb impact, keep critical services running and recover on our own terms

Puneet Kukreja

EY Ireland Resilient Nation Leader and Head of Cyber

Operational resilience remains fragile. Only 12% have tested third‑party outage scenarios and feel confident they can operate without compromising revenue, trust, or compliance.

This is doubly concerning in light of the low priority given to cyber risk. Many organisations admit to lacking tested contingency plans for third‑party cyber incidents.

Recommendation: Finance leaders should harness rising cyber awareness to implement practical steps that build operational resilience. This includes formally testing third-party outage scenarios, tightening vendor risk controls, and implementing datacentric protection for financial systems and AI workflows. Establishing board level metrics to track response effectiveness, vendor readiness and compliance progress is now essential.

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Summary 

Finance leaders in Ireland are ambitious and confident. Growth expectations remain strong in the face of persistent global uncertainty. AI has moved from testing to traction and is transforming finance through automation, delivering efficiencies and enabling smarter decision-making. Cost control, capability and cybersecurity dominate the agenda as CFOs and finance leaders balance optimism with a pragmatic focus on execution, governance and long‑term operational resilience.

About the Survey/Methodology

The EY Ireland CFO Survey 2026 was conducted during December 2025 and January 2026. The study used Computer-Aided Telephone Interviews (CATI) to gather insights from 200 senior finance leaders in Ireland, including CFOs and Directors of Finance. All respondents held senior financial decision-making responsibilities. The survey encompassed a diverse range of sectors that included Government and Infrastructure, Consumer and Health, Telecommunications and Technology, Industrial and Energy.


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