SAP Concur Research: CFO Strategic Role and the CEO Expectation Gap

SAP Concur released its CFO Insights 2026 research, finding that 57% of CEOs now see the CFO as a strategic partner and 32% believe the role is evolving into broader enterprise leadership. An expectation gap persists: 83% of CEOs expect finance to drive growth through strategic planning, while only 67% say it currently does. The research also shows 66% of finance leaders plan to protect AI and automation spending amid deteriorating external conditions, 66% cybersecurity, and 54% product innovation; 49% cite a weak data culture and lack of data skills as barriers to decision-making.