In 2026, the CFO seat across the Asia-Pacific has transformed dramatically. No longer confined to closing the books and paying suppliers, today's finance leaders are stepping forward as strategic growth architects—guiding CEOs through volatility, shaping investment decisions, and driving profitable expansion.
This evolution is underpinned by four distinct habits identified in Sage's CFO Growth Code research: leveraging AI and automation, making data-driven decisions, expanding influence beyond finance, and taking command of compliance.
Companies led by CFOs who embody these habits are twice as likely to achieve strong revenue growth (33% vs 17%), while legacy finance leaders are more than twice as likely to see revenue slump.
Embedding AI in core finance processes after POCs
While Boston Consulting Group (BCG) data shows 78% of APAC professionals already use AI weekly, Sage's research reveals a critical adoption gap: 65% of finance leaders use general-purpose tools like ChatGPT monthly, yet only 42% leverage AI-powered finance tools with similar frequency.
High-performance finance leaders bridge this divide—96% report that AI underpins their daily finance processes, with 93% planning to increase its use within 2 years.
The next frontier is agentic AI: autonomous systems that manage entire workflows—from invoice matching to vendor reconciliation—freeing CFOs to focus on foresight rather than oversight.
Caroline Xu, Sage's executive vice president, advises starting small: "Use an impact-versus-effort matrix to identify one process for automation. Innovation doesn't need to be perfect before deployment; refine through iteration."
Balancing growth ambitions with rising compliance demands
J.P. Morgan's latest CFO survey ranks revenue growth as the number one priority for nearly half of regional leaders—even as sustainability mandates tighten across ASEAN. Yet compliance is no longer a defensive exercise.
Sage research shows 90% of high-performance finance leaders find compliance straightforward—versus 74% of legacy peers—because they embed it strategically.
"In today's AI-first world, compliance isn't just important—it's foundational," asserts Aaron Harris, CTO of Sage. "Off-the-shelf AI models weren't built for finance. Domain-specific models tailored to accounting standards are essential for trust."
By integrating compliance teams as "copilots" in AI projects and leveraging cloud-native platforms that automate multi-entity, multi-currency consolidations, CFOs convert regulatory complexity into competitive advantage—compressing month-end close from weeks to minutes without compromising integrity.
Shifting to real-time insights in volatile markets
Pre-pandemic forecasting models, reliant on historical linearity, are ill-suited to today's volatility. High-performance finance leaders immerse themselves in data: 65% leverage data visualisation weekly, and 61% use outlier detection tools to anticipate risk.
This data-driven mindset enables agile resource allocation—a priority for 51% of APAC CFOs according to Gartner's 2026 survey. The CFO has moved beyond being stewards of the company balance sheet. They are today growth architects and commercial catalysts – thanks in part to data.
Platforms like Sage Intacct provide granular, real-time visibility across complex ownership structures, integrating financial, operational, and external data to support rapid decision-making. In volatile currency or supply-chain environments, this shift from periodic reporting to continuous insight is not optional—it is existential.
Singapore as a smart finance hub
Singapore's ascent as a regional finance hub is accelerated by proactive policy. The 2026 Budget introduced a national AI council and expanded tax deductions of up to 400% on qualifying AI expenditures.
"Prime Minister Wong's announcements on AI incentives are foundational," notes Damon Scarr, general manager for APAC at Sage.
Yet legacy systems persist even in technology-intensive sectors like banking; up to 95% of Asian institutions rely on outdated core platforms.
The opportunity lies in cloud-native solutions that deliver rapid time-to-value—enabling organisations to go live in weeks, not years—while aligning with Singapore's regulatory leadership on cross-border data and AI governance.
Overcoming scaling barriers for APAC mid-market CFOs
Overcoming barriers to CFO modernisation requires not just addressing the persistent use of legacy technology and processes, but also the more endemic skill shortages and cultural resistance to change across the organisation, from leadership down to employees.
Scarr highlights two other critical conversations: "First, time-to-value. ERP implementations used to take six to 24 months. Today, clients ask: how do we get live in four weeks?"
"There are not a lot of organisations out there that have 24 months of runway for technology implementations to deliver value. Our conversation with clients is how do we get you live in four weeks?" Damon Scarr
The other is moving the AI discussion from AI awareness to value delivery. He cites the midmarket space, where the skills gap is the norm. "Mid-market organisations typically don't have resources to throw at problems," Scarr starts.
Sage addresses this with pre-trained, containerised AI agents informed by global customer learnings—reducing the need for specialised in-house expertise. McKinsey's analysis confirms that targeted, rapid-value interventions are essential for mid-cap transformation.
By focusing on high-impact use cases—such as automated reconciliations or predictive churn analysis—CFOs can quickly demonstrate ROI, building internal confidence for broader modernisation.
Turning sustainability mandates into strategic advantage
Between 2025 and 2026, ASEAN economies, including Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, are aligning disclosures with ISSB standards. Rather than treating sustainability as a compliance silo, high-performance CFOs integrate it into core financial planning.
Sage Earth, a free carbon accounting module embedded within Sage's platform, automates GHG calculations and uses AI to identify over-indexing areas—turning sustainability data into actionable intelligence.
"The software does the carbon footprints in seconds," explains Scarr. "AI suggests optimisation opportunities, directly within financial workflows."
This approach aligns with regional momentum: Reccessary reports that early adopters are using ESG integration to attract capital, enhance brand equity, and future-proof operations against regulatory shifts.
Building resilient partnerships to mitigate transformation risks
Digital transformation failure rates exceed 70% when implementations lack clear phasing and trusted partnerships, per McKinsey and IDC. Scarr advises CFOs to define functional requirements rigorously before issuing RFPs and to scrutinise vendors' delivery history and roadmaps.
"You don't need to go big first. Pick your use cases. It's not about 6 to 24-month projects anymore," advises Scarr. He cites the Sage's collaboration with firms like RSM: combining technology with advisory expertise to de-risk modernisation.
High-performance finance leaders also embed compliance and legal teams early in AI projects—not as gatekeepers, but as strategic partners ensuring solutions withstand regulatory scrutiny.
Bridging gaps for the autonomous finance future
As finance functions evolve toward autonomous operations, skills gaps loom large. Scarr advocates blending deep operational expertise with emerging tech talent in cross-functional teams, while encouraging peer collaboration.
Referencing PwC's 2026 Global CEO Survey—where only 30% of CEOs express confidence in revenue growth—he notes: "That responsibility rests with the CFO. The future is the CFO's time to shine."
Tools like Sage Intacct provide granular visibility into attributable revenue and growth drivers, while learning platforms support continuous upskilling.
High-performance leaders are already redesigning team structures to balance technical capability with strategic business partnering—ensuring finance remains both agile and authoritative.
The CFO as control tower
External research aligns closely with Sage's findings. Gartner confirms cost optimisation and forecasting accuracy as dominant 2026 priorities, while regional sustainability mandates accelerate ESG integration into core finance.
Through phased adoption, trusted partnerships, government-backed incentives, and cloud-native platforms, APAC finance leaders can convert volatility and mandates into sustained competitive advantage.
As Scarr concludes, the CFO has evolved into the "control tower"—historically the CEO's right hand, now positioned to lead future strategy unhindered by outdated platforms. The four habits of high performance are not optional enhancements; they are the growth code for Asia's next generation of finance leaders.
In 2026, the question is not whether to modernise, but how swiftly you can embed these behaviours to build what comes next.
