India CFOs More Confident As Finance Functions Face Readiness Gap: Grant Thornton Bharat’s Survey

India’s Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) are entering the year ahead with greater confidence, but a gap between their strategic priorities and organisational preparedness remains, according to Grant Thornton Bharat’s India Finance Leaders Barometer.

The survey covered 149 CFOs and senior finance leaders across industries, with 85% reporting a more positive outlook than six months ago. While 64% said they were very confident about delivering their finance agenda over the next 12 months, 55.7% considered themselves only somewhat prepared for upcoming challenges. Strategic planning ranked among the top three priorities for 62% of CFOs, although 48% continue to spend significant time on operational oversight. Technology investment is also increasing, with 71% planning higher spending and 75% expecting to devote more time to AI and automation.

AI is already generating measurable benefits for 45% of respondents, while only 8% reported improvements of 15% or more. Seven in 10 CFOs identified balancing growth and business risks as their main leadership challenge.