India Finance Leaders Barometer 2026
Inside the minds of India’s CFOs
The India Finance Leaders Barometer 2026 by Grant Thornton Bharat captures the priorities, pressures and opportunities shaping the finance function. Drawing on perspectives from CFOs and senior finance leaders across industries and organisation sizes, it examines how the role is evolving and what finance functions must do to create greater value for the business.
The survey at a glance
CFO priorities
Strategic planning and decision support rank among the top three priorities for 62% of finance leaders, followed by business partnering at 52%.
Confidence and preparedness
While 99% of finance leaders are confident in their ability to deliver over the next 12 months, only 41.6% believe their teams are well prepared for the challenges ahead.
Technology and AI
Only 14% of finance functions have an advanced, integrated technology landscape, while just 8% report significant, measurable value from AI.
Investment priorities
With 85% of finance leaders more optimistic than six months ago, investment is shifting towards technology, AI and automation, talent development, forecasting and business partnering rather than broad-based expansion.
Hiring priorities
Only 23% of finance leaders are planning to invest more on recruitment. Meanwhile, 63% of the respondents are more inclined to invest on upskilling.
Boardroom influence
Finance leaders describe boardroom discussions as constructive, but want a clearer mandate to challenge assumptions, shape decisions, and align leadership around strategic priorities.
Growth outlook
Organisations are favouring measured organic growth over aggressive expansion, with success increasingly dependent on balancing ambition with risk discipline, stronger forecasting and consistent execution.
What is stopping CFOs from leading at full capacity?
Finance leaders want to focus on strategy, but day-to-day demands still take up much of their time.
The future of finance starts with the right conversations
Every organisation’s journey is different. Our experts work with finance leaders to navigate evolving priorities, from technology enablement and process transformation to strengthening strategic decision-making.
Let’s discuss what the next chapter of your finance function could look like.
About the survey
The India Finance Leaders Barometer 2026 by Grant Thornton Bharat captures the perspectives of CFOs and senior finance leaders on the priorities, challenges and opportunities shaping the finance function.
Drawing on insights from across industries, the survey explores how finance leaders are responding to an increasingly dynamic business environment and where they expect the function to evolve over the coming years.
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