Airwallex, 90% of Global Finance Leaders Plan to Expand AI Spending

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Airwallex, 90% of Global Finance Leaders Plan to Expand AI Spending

Published2026.09.09 08:49

35% Show No AI Business Expansion, Fragmented Data and Manual Work Identified as Challenges

Global finance organizations demonstrate strong AI investment intent, but a gap emerges between investment plans and actual business expansion. While many organizations plan increased investment, a significant portion does not expand their AI usage scope, with fragmented finance data and operational experience gaps identified as major barriers.

Airwallex released on the 9th a report commissioned from Forrester Consulting titled "Building An AI-Ready Finance Function," which prepares finance organizations for the AI era.

The survey was conducted with 1,279 finance decision-makers across 11 global markets including North America, Europe-Middle East-Africa, and Asia-Pacific, analyzing current AI adoption status, expansion challenges, and future operational directions.

90% of global finance decision-makers responded that they plan to increase AI-related spending within the next 12 months.

However, 35% are not expanding AI into additional finance business areas, according to the survey.

The report analyzes that companies' AI investment strategies are shifting toward verifying measurable value and reliability rather than rapid expansion, as well as validating actual operational readiness levels.

Key decision criteria for AI expansion include △measurable return on investment (ROI) (55%) △proven accuracy (54%) △clear governance and explainability (52%).

Fragmented finance data was identified as a technical barrier to AI adoption.

65% of respondents cited finance data scattered across systems, legal entities, and regions as a major challenge, and 84% answered that manual work is still required to complete finance processes.

The proportion of finance tasks autonomously handled by AI averaged only 11%.

53% identified lack of experience in AI-based finance operations as a factor hindering AI adoption.

For implementation methods, 57% of total companies adopt a hybrid model combining in-house development and external solutions.

The report states that organic connection between data, systems, and business processes must precede expanded AI utilization.

Regarding external partner selection criteria, 66% of respondents prioritize system connectivity and coordination capabilities across the finance ecosystem, while 65% prioritize flexible platform architecture.

Kwon Yun-ah, Head of Korea SME at Airwallex, stated, "It is more important to create an environment where AI can be utilized in actual business operations than AI adoption itself," adding "a foundation where data, systems, and business processes are organically connected is necessary."

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