AI Deployment in Finance Nearly Doubles in One Year [New Consero Research]
Consero's 2026 CFO Survey shows 42% of finance leaders now run AI broadly or fully embedded in finance - up from 22% a year ago - while 87% are hiring more staff and 99% expect a material transaction this year.
AUSTIN, Texas, May 18, 2026 (Newswire.com) - Consero, the pioneer of Finance as a Service (FaaS) for PE- and VC-backed companies and nonprofit organizations, released its 2026 CFO Survey, a benchmark of 102 finance leaders at investor-backed businesses with $20M-$500M in revenue. The findings point to a clear inflection: AI in finance has moved from experiment to operating model, and the leaders furthest along are also the ones hiring the most.
The survey captures sentiment from CFOs (71%) and VPs of Finance (29%) across a mix of PE- and VC-backed companies, spanning five industries.
Key Findings
AI deployment doubled in a year: 42% report AI broadly or fully embedded in finance, up 20 points from 22% in 2025. Overall adoption is now 97%, a 23-point swing in two years.
AI augments teams: 87% are hiring more finance staff, even as AI scales.
ROI shows up fast: 76% expect AI ROI within 12 months; just 3% are skeptical of payoff.
The close compressed: 65% close the month in under 10 days, up from 8% in 2024 - an 8× jump.
Transaction expecations are high: 99% expect at least one material transaction this year, and 50% are pursuing add-on acquisitions - a year-over-year surge.
About the Report
The 2026 CFO Survey is the only benchmark built specifically for investor-backed finance leaders. The full report - with segment-level cuts, methodology, and trend-by-trend analysis on AI ROI, close performance, headcount, and the 2026 risk picture - is available for download at conseroglobal.com/2026-cfo-survey.
About Consero
Consero is the AI-enabled, modular finance partner for investor-backed and growth-stage companies and nonprofits. The pioneer of Finance as a Service (FaaS), Consero combines best-in-class technology, AI-powered automation, and expert talent, to replace or upgrade in-house finance functions with better systems, faster reporting, and scalable operations. For more information, visit https://conseroglobal.com.
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SOURCE: Consero
Source: Consero
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