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, TX / ACCESS Newswire / May 18, 2026 / 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.

Media Inquiries

Bridget Howard, VP of Marketing
bridget@conseroglobal.com

SOURCE: Consero