If CFOs were looking for some complex problems to get their teeth into, last year did not disappoint. President Trump’s Liberation Day announcement underlined just how abruptly trade rules, alliances, and supposedly unshakeable economic assumptions can be upended. The AI race also entered a new phase, as attention moved to superintelligence and “agentic” systems capable of reasoning, decision-making, and real-world interaction.
These developments are driving a more volatile operating environment, in which geopolitical decisions and technological innovation reverberate rapidly in companies’ balance sheets. This has implications for how CFOs should manage risk, allocate capital, and define productivity. In the coming months, finance leaders face a new set of priorities, reflecting the fact that they sit at the intersection where uncertainty becomes economic reality.
Five issues stand out on the CFO’s agenda this year.