CFOs are worried about geopolitics and inflation. But they’re still chasing growth

“It feels like the CFO is much more equipped to juggle multiple tasks and sometimes what can seem like competing priorities,” Philipson told me.

That balancing act is reflected in the “U.S. Bank CFO Insight Report,” based on a survey (conducted after the start of the Iran war) of 1,000 senior finance leaders at U.S. businesses with at least $100 million in annual revenue. Among the findings: Thirty percent of respondents work for a business that generates at least $2 billion annually, and finance leaders as a whole ranked geopolitical tension and war as their top risk, at 35%, followed by high inflation, at 34%.

Short-term optimism has cooled. Just 36% of finance leaders have a positive outlook for the U.S. economy over the next 12 months, down from 42% in mid-2024, while 58% remain positive over a three-year horizon. That split mirrors a tension Philipson sees across the C-suite: Companies are still planning for growth, but they are watching how much pricing pressure customers can bear.

Nearly half of finance leaders say it is becoming harder to pass cost pressures on to customers. Even so, companies plan to pass through 55% of cost increases on average, up from 50% over the past 12 months. Philipson said this may be sustainable only if today’s pressures, including elevated oil prices, eventually ease.

“The longer they stay elevated, the more challenging it’s going to be,” he said, noting that companies are cautious in the near term but still expect conditions to eventually stabilize.

The result is a more complex environment in which pricing power is no longer a given. CFOs must protect margins without assuming they can push every increase downstream.

Still, CFOs are not retreating into defense mode. Cost-cutting remains their top priority, at 39%. However, revenue growth jumped to No. 2, at 31%, after ranking seventh in mid-2024.

“It’s much more of an ‘and’ mindset, as opposed to an ‘or’ mindset,” Philipson said.

That mentality is also showing up in dealmaking. Nearly half of respondents (49%) said they are likely to make acquisitions in the next 12 months. At the same time, 71% have delayed or scaled back at least one major investment project, while only 12% canceled one outright.

Philipson sees that as evidence that companies have become more adaptable after Covid, tariffs, and repeated economic shocks. Larger companies, he noted, are better positioned to absorb risk due to scale, diversification, and access to tools such as hedging and supply-chain flexibility.

AI is another area where CFOs are shifting from experimentation to accountability. Finance leaders are tracking ROI on 41% of AI investments. Among the investments with returns measured, 47% are generating a positive return.

“We’re kind of shifting from the experimentation stage of AI to the accountability stage,” Philipson said.

The takeaway? CFOs are cautious but still moving forward.

“You can’t freeze and be paralyzed by volatility,” Philipson said. “You need to keep moving forward and adapt.”
 
Sheryl Estrada
sheryl.estrada@fortune.com

Leaderboard

Jorge Beristain was appointed CFO of Almonty Industries Inc. (Nasdaq: ALM) a global producer of tungsten, effective June 1. Brian Fox has departed from his role as CFO effective immediately. Until Beristain’s start date, Guillaume de Lamaziere, the company’s chief development officer, will serve as interim CFO. Beristain most recently served as VP of finance at Ryerson Holding Corp. He previously served as CFO of Central Steel & Wire Co. 

Jennifer Kartychak was promoted to CFO of Worksport Ltd. (Nasdaq: WKSP) a manufacturer of hybrid and clean energy solutions, effective May 1. Kartychak has worked with Worksport since August 2023 through Arend Advisory Group, LLC, an entity wholly owned by her, before joining the company full-time as VP of finance on Jan. 1, 2026. Kartychak brings over 25 years of accounting experience. 

Big Deal

“The Speed of Regulatory Change and AI Are Redefining Global Tax Compliance” is a survey report released by tax compliance company Sovos. It gauges how CFOs in finance, manufacturing, and retail companies are navigating escalating regulatory complexity in the age of AI.

Sixty-one percent of CFOs identify the pace of government mandates as their biggest business risk over the next three years, outranking operational costs. More than half of finance leaders, 58%, said it is challenging to keep pace with tax mandates. Meanwhile, nearly 40% of respondents plan to evaluate or implement AI-driven tax compliance tools in the next fiscal year, making it the second-highest stated priority behind developing a more robust risk management plan, according to the report.

The findings are based on a survey of 300 senior finance executives at U.S. and global companies with revenues of $500 million or more.

Going deeper

“Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff turned his earnings call into a vodcast. Why other Fortune 500 CEOs might follow” is a Fortune article by Rachel Ventresca.

Ventresca writes: “In February, Salesforce co-founder and CEO Marc Benioff turned his routine fourth-quarter earnings call into an influencer-style production. Clad in a black leather jacket and seated high above San Francisco in the Salesforce Tower, Benioff streamed his financial updates like a podcaster, complete with a broadcast-quality microphone, a YouTube livestream, and interviews with special guests.” Read more here.

Overheard

“Making a profit is the lifeblood of a business. But the success of the business is not just measured in how much money you make—it’s in the impact that you make.”

—Trek Bicycle CEO John Burke told Fortune in an interview at the Great Place to Work For All Summit in Las Vegas.