The rise of the AI-enabled CFO in the Middle East

A shifting mandate

CFOs in the Middle East face growing demands from boards, regulators and investors who expect faster insights, sharper forecasts and unwavering integrity. Artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as an ally, streamlining processes and opening new possibilities for strategy and risk management. Yet with these opportunities comes responsibility. CFOs now sit at the centre of an AI-enabled transformation that must deliver both efficiency and trust.

This dual pressure to capture AI’s benefits while safeguarding confidence in financial systems is pushing organisations in the region to accelerate adoption. National visions such as Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, the UAE’s National AI Strategy 2031, Qatar’s National AI Strategy and others in the region have placed advanced technology at the centre of economic diversification and finance is one of the proving grounds.

This top-down emphasis is being matched by the private sector, where recent PwC research shows 88% of Middle East CEOs adopted generative AI (GenAI) in the past 12 months, well ahead of global peers and 70% expect it to boost profitability in the year ahead. With Middle East CEOs adopting AI faster than global peers, CFOs risk falling behind if finance does not keep pace with the boardroom. This momentum makes finance not just a user of AI, but a benchmark for how the technology can reinforce credibility and resilience across the wider economy.