Free research report

The state of AI in finance 2026

What CFOs and senior finance leaders need to know about adoption, value, risk and the next 12 months, with a practical playbook for mid-market finance teams.

  • 23 pages on AI adoption, ROI, risk and regulation in finance
  • 62 sources, every figure checked against its source
  • What the 10 December 2026 privacy-policy deadline means for finance teams
  • A 90-day plan and ten questions for your next board meeting
Cover of The state of AI in finance 2026 report

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Three findings from the report

AI is now standard in finance. Value at scale is still rare.

59%

of finance functions used AI in 2025, up from 37% in 2023, but flat on 2024.

Gartner, n=183, 2025
10%

median ROI on finance AI against a typical 20% target. About one in five teams reach 20% or more.

BCG, 280+ finance executives, 2025
10 Dec

2026: new privacy-policy transparency requirements for significant automated decisions commence for APP entities.

Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2024; OAIC, 2026
What's inside

Built for the CFO who has to decide what to fund next

Every figure is traced to the original survey, study, regulator or company release and checked against it. Where the evidence is weak, vendor-funded or contradictory, the report says so. Global evidence, Australian lens.

  1. 01Executive summaryp. 3
  2. 02Adoption: where finance standsp. 5
  3. 03Value and ROIp. 7
  4. 04Time savingsp. 9
  5. 05What AI can automate todayp. 11
  6. 06Risks that matterp. 13
  7. 07Australian regulation and the 10 December deadlinep. 15
  8. 08A 90-day implementation planp. 16
  9. 09Predictions to October 2027p. 18
  10. 10Ten questions for your boardp. 20
Glen Handley

Written by Glen Handley, founder of Complete AI

More than 20 years automating finance operations at American Express, MinterEllison, Clayton Utz, JLL, Allens and First American, including trust accounting leadership at three top-tier law firms.