Global businesses risk losing growth opportunities as CFOs sidelined on crucial investment and value decisions

• 63% of Singapore CFO respondents (global 60%) say they want to lead on value creation, but only 23% (global 25%) front vital investment decisions and just 23% (global 26%) lead value creation discussions.  
• 58% of Singapore CFO respondents (global 68%) say definition of enterprise value must change.   
• 30% of Singapore CFO respondents (global 21%) view their AI preparedness as leading or advanced while most still have only a limited grasp and they have yet to see AI’s full potential.

Companies worldwide risk missing vital growth opportunities because their CFO’s ambition to lead key investment and value creation discussions is hampered by a lack of readiness to use technology, and a dearth of skills across the wider finance team, according to the latest EY Global DNA of the CFO survey.   

The report draws on the insights of more than 1,600 CFOs and senior finance leaders across 28 countries and 22 industry segments, including 40 respondents from Singapore, and explores how the CFO role is evolving as companies rise to the challenge of creating and measuring value in an environment of increasing complexity. It shows that while six in ten CFOs (Singapore 63%, global 60%) believe they should be involved in the process of value creation, only about a quarter (Singapore 23%, global 25%) actually lead key investment decisions, or front discussions on value drivers (Singapore 23%, global 26%).   

There is also a perception issue at play, with just 20% of Singapore CFO respondents (global 27%) saying that their organizations see the finance function as a key partner in value creation.   

Ronald Wong, EY Asean and Singapore Financial Accounting Advisory Services Leader, says: 
“CFOs have traditionally been seen as guardians of value, as opposed to creating value. Their role was focused on stewardship, compliance, financial reporting and cost control. However, as businesses become more digital, competitive and data-driven, the CFO role has expanded with a focus on creating value through supporting and influencing strategic decision-making for the organization.” 

The challenge of measuring value   

One of the key barriers to CFOs fulfilling their potential as value creators highlighted by the findings is the challenge of measurement. About half of all CFOs (Singapore 45%, global 49%) believe that traditional metrics cannot capture the value created by technology, data, new roles, or even long-term investments, while a similar percentage (Singapore 58%, global 50%) say that a big obstacle is the difficulty in proving ROI upfront. More than half (Singapore 58%, global 68%) say that current metrics need to be redefined.   

Wong says:
“While the measurement of value may have its challenges, the ability of CFOs to create value lies in how they can overcome the legacy operating models, capabilities and organizational expectations.” 

AI readiness  

According to the survey, CFOs are also challenged in their efforts to transform by the lack of mindset and skills relating to new technologies across their teams. Thirty percent of Singapore CFO respondents (global 21%) feel that their finance function’s AI preparedness is leading or advanced, compared to other companies, and less than 20% (global 15%) believe their teams to be highly adaptable, or confident, using new technologies including AI.  

This lack of confidence appears to be limiting the extent to which CFOs use technology to make informed high-value decisions. The survey shows that about half of CFOs see strong potential for AI in areas such as data analysis (Singapore 60%, global 49%), growth forecasting (Singapore 33%, global 45%), and dynamic pricing (Singapore 45%, global 41%). However, it is clear that CFOs who consider their teams to be more AI “ready” are much more likely to see the full potential of AI in value creation: for example, almost three quarters (71%) of global respondents who say they are fully prepared for AI believe it can play a role in growth forecasting.   

Finance teams also report a number of hurdles when it comes to securing investment for AI – 55% of Singapore respondents (global 61%) cite problems with data quality, 38% (global 51%) struggle to clearly explain the benefits, and 38% (global 50%) say they lack the necessary skills or capacity to make full use of the technology.   

Wong says: 
“Most CFOs understand AI’s strategic importance and recognize that it will transform the finance function. However, the question is whether the finance function can transform fast enough to exploit the full potential of AI. As such, organizations need to bridge the gap between aspiration versus the reality of their finance function. Current state gaps could range from poor data quality to fragmented processes to weak governance. This may lead to AI only being able to produce faster outputs, but not necessarily higher value outcomes.” 

The CFO skillset   

Another fundamental challenge, underscored by the survey findings, is that leadership capabilities are not keeping up with the fast-changing demands of the CFO role. Almost two fifths (Singapore and global 38%) of CFOs say they are evolving faster than their leadership teams across the wider finance function, and more than three quarter (Singapore 78%, global 68%) believe they need new skills and leadership styles if they are to remain effective. Half (Singapore and global 50%) want leadership development to be available across the finance team, in order to prevent succession risks.    

Wong says: 
“The CFO of tomorrow will need to lead through uncertainty, influence enterprise-wide decisions and harness technology to create value. Hence, CFOs need to start exposing their finance teams to the broader business functions, enhance technology fluency and improve communications to be able to influence actions across stakeholders.” 

Steps CFOs can take   

The report outlines a series of recommendations that can help CFOs to build resilient, innovative finance functions that serve as strategic partners to businesses:    

• Overhaul value measurement and take ownership of key investment decisions.  
• Build AI readiness through strong data foundations and skills investment.   
• Elevate people and culture as core priorities.   
• Ensure adaptability, collaboration, and confidence with new technologies.   
• Accelerate leadership development to strengthen succession pipelines.  
• Redesign roles and operating models to free up time for value creation.  

-ends- 

Notes to editors 

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 About the research   

Between 16 February and 30 March 2026, the global EY organization conducted research to understand the evolving role of the CFO. The research explored how CFOs can shape their roles to meet changing business requirements and deliver greater impact at personal, functional and enterprise levels. Through an anonymous online survey, responses were collected from 1,610 CFOs, Finance Directors, and Heads of Finance. The responses were weighted to ensure a geographically representative sample.   

Within the weighted sample, 33% of respondents were Group CFOs, Finance Directors or Heads of Finance, 34% were Divisional CFOs, Finance Directors or Heads of Finance and 33% were Regional CFOs, Finance Directors or Heads of Finance.  

Respondents were from 28 countries — 40% from the Americas, 35% from EMEIA and 25% from Asia-Pacific — and 22 industry segments. To participate in the survey, respondents were required to work for organizations with US$1b or more in annual revenue, total assets, assets under management (AUM) or gross written premiums. Respondents in the private equity sector had to work for a fund with at least US$250m in AUM.   

In addition, 16 in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with CFOs from global organizations and EY subject-matter professionals. These interviews specifically explored the role of the CFO in relation to value creation, AI, finance transformation, personal development, and collaboration with the wider business.