Trends that will shape the profession in 2026

Paul Turner, vice-president, UK and Ireland, Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) looks to the year ahead

While it’s impossible to predict the future, research can highlight likely themes. CIMA’s Technology, Productivity and Skills Survey, a survey of nearly 1,500 finance and accounting professionals in managerial and leadership positions, highlights significant trends that are set to impact the finance profession in 2026.

AI will transform the finance function

There are concerns that AI is a bubble about to burst. Nevertheless, 88% of respondents believe AI will be the technology trend that most affects the finance profession over the next 12 to 24 months. This finding reflects the explosion of interest in AI technologies in recent years and organisations investing in AI projects. The next two most significant technology trends are data analytics (59%) and cybersecurity (54%), both of which have grown in importance over the past couple years. These three developments are viewed as foundational for the transformation of finance functions.

Yet while AI and other technologies are expected to have a transformational impact in 2026 and beyond, organisations are not yet ready to handle them. Just 8% of respondents think their organisation is ‘very well prepared’ for AI, with 39% rating their preparedness as either ‘not at all prepared’ or ‘slightly prepared’. Finance professionals can play a critical role in closing this readiness gap by building the skills and knowledge needed to effectively deploy and leverage AI and other emerging technologies.

Human capital, skills and talent will be recognised as enablers

We hear a lot about AI replacing jobs, but our analysis of the survey suggests that rather than replacing human capital, skills and talent, technological progress is fundamentally human-driven. Advances in technology are being shaped by people’s leadership and skills, as well as organisational strategies. Skills shortages are highlighted as the top barrier to technology adoption, cited by 50% of respondents. The reality is that unless organisations have visionary leaders and skilled employees, they will struggle to adopt the new technologies that could transform their business models.

A lack of human skills is also the main barrier to organisational productivity (cited by 41% of respondents). Other human-related factors are hindering improvements in productivity, emphasising the importance of empowering and upskilling people. These factors include low motivation (37%), ineffective leadership (29%), unhealthy workplace culture (28%), poor change management (26%), and inadequate communication (25%).

When launching productivity initiatives, finance functions should balance technology and process improvements with the human factors that drive engagement and effectiveness. Our research shows that this balance is sometimes missing: when asked about CFO-led productivity initiatives in their organisation within the past 12-24 months, 59% of respondents cited implementing new systems or software. Next came automation of accounting and finance tasks (48%) and new ways of budgeting, pricing and reporting (46%).

Human-machine collaboration will power the finance function

The research highlights the critical role of human-machine collaboration in finance. Generative AI (GenAI), in particular, is an invaluable tool that can be used for activities ranging from automating analysis and reporting to detecting fraud, bringing financial data to life through storytelling, and creating dashboards that update in real time.

Nearly half (56%) of respondents say their finance team currently has a skills gap in GenAI, which likely reflects the recent emergence of the technology. A priority for finance functions in 2026 will therefore be building capacity in GenAI and other technologies, accelerating the evolution of professionals from record-keepers to forward-looking, data-driven advisers.

The importance of the ‘human’ element in human-machine collaboration is underlined by respondents’ emphasis on interpersonal skills. A third (33%) believe that their finance teams need to enhance their communication, influencing and critical thinking skills while 32% highlighted business partnering skills as a key growth area.

Focus on plugging the skills gap

With skills at a premium, organisations will need to take a proactive approach to plugging their skills gaps in 2026. As the research shows, internal training programmes are the most common solution for upskilling people (cited by 62% of respondents), followed by external training programmes (45%).

Many organisations do not believe that upskilling alone will enable them to plug their skills gaps, however. Just over a third (35%) hire in external talent, seeing this as a practical way to drive innovation and complement their internal capabilities.

Unfortunately, external hires do not help to solve the industry-wide skills shortage, which is why organisations should continue to prioritise internal development. Finance leaders should ensure their teams benefit from flexible, practical learning, as on-the-job learning ranked highest (61%) among respondents when asked about the most effective approach to technology upskilling.

Expect the unexpected

In 2026 we would be wise to expect more uncertainty, along with some unanticipated developments. To succeed in this volatile landscape, organisations should embrace the transformative potential of AI and data-centric technologies while investing in human and organisational preparedness, including new technology skills. Teams can enable this by channelling strategic investment into practical, accessible and continuous upskilling programmes and collaborative projects that bridge the AI readiness gap and unlock productivity gains.

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