Artificial intelligence is rewriting the CFO playbook in Asia Pacific. A new Salesforce survey reveals that finance chiefs are dedicating a growing share of budgets to AI agents and expect them to drive long-term business outcomes beyond cost savings.
The report found that 75% of CFOs in the region believe AI agents will not only reduce expenses but also generate new revenue.
More than three-quarters said the technology will change how their organisations operate.
Five years ago, 63% of CFOs described their approach to AI as conservative, a figure that has since dropped to just 3%.
On average, CFOs in Asia Pacific are now directing 23% of their AI budgets to agents.
Half of those surveyed said AI agents are changing how they evaluate returns on investment, moving beyond traditional financial metrics to broader outcomes such as productivity gains, compliance improvements and cost savings.
Six in ten said agents are already critical to competing in the current environment, while 62% noted that they are reshaping how companies allocate spending.
Nearly a third said the technology requires them to adopt a bolder investment mindset.
The study also found that 83% of CFOs are increasingly using AI to support decision-making.
Risk assessments (85%), financial forecasting (65%) and profitability analysis (58%) are among the top tasks delegated to AI. A majority, 58%, expect agents to take on more strategic responsibilities rather than routine work.
Despite the growing optimism, concerns remain. Security and privacy risks were cited by 68% of respondents, while 62% pointed to the length of time needed to realise returns from AI investments.
CFOs also noted that while agents reduce costs, they expect revenue to increase by nearly 20%.
Robin Washington, President and Chief Operating and Financial Officer at Salesforce, said,
“The introduction of digital labour isn’t just a technical upgrade — it represents a decisive and strategic shift for CFOs. With AI agents, we’re not merely transforming business models; we’re fundamentally reshaping the entire scope of the CFO function.
This demands a new mindset as we expand beyond financial stewards to also become architects of agentic enterprise value.”
The survey was conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of Salesforce and polled 261 CFOs globally, including 60 from Asia Pacific across Australia, India, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea.
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