CFOs in the Asia-Pacific region were revealed to be “less pessimistic” about the economic outlook compared to how they were six months ago.
In a report by Deloitte, it was found that CFOs continue to prioritise technology, innovation and organisational resilience as net optimism about the region’s economy rose 21 percentage points to 26% since the last CFO Pulse Survey in May 2026.
The findings create an opportunity to examine whether improving economic sentiment is translating into greater investment, and how finance leaders are measuring AI returns, strengthening resilience and balancing growth with financial discipline.
The study, which polled 363 CFOs across 14 Asia Pacific markets, also found that confidence in CFOs’ own organisations remained broadly stable at 39%.
Deloitte says this suggests that, even as macroeconomic sentiment improves, company-specific opportunities, risks and execution priorities remain the most important considerations for finance leaders.
Further, despite persistent geopolitical and economic uncertainty, expectations for key business indicators improved modestly, with 63% of CFOs expecting revenue growth over the next 12 months, up from 60% in May, while 56% anticipate higher profits, compared with 52% previously.
Other key findings:
- Geopolitical instability remains a key risk: More than half of CFOs (57%) identify geopolitical instability as one of the biggest potential disruptors to their business over the next 12 months, although this is down significantly from May as the external environment has stabilised.
- CFOs playing less defensively: While geopolitical risks remain, CFOs are increasingly focused on a more balanced set of growth drivers, with application of technology (38%) and innovation and new products (37%) emerging as leading priorities.
- Finance function key to agility goals: One of the main benefits sought from resilience investments is agility, and the finance function is central to achieving it through its role in supporting financial flexibility, cost control, and forecasting.
- Artificial Intelligence value gains momentum: The opportunities and risks of AI are increasingly front of mind. More CFOs (68%) are reporting tangible value from AI, with those reporting the strongest impact also more optimistic about future profitability.
Moreover, 46% of CFOs say resilience has become more important over the last 12 months as external uncertainty continues to disrupt business. Deloitte says this trend is particularly evident in smaller economies, where exposure to global trade dynamics and supply-chain disruption can be greater.
