TLDR: A new Avalara survey reveals that two-thirds of CFOs are transitioning their focus from traditional compliance roles to driving enterprise growth, largely influenced by artificial intelligence. Despite high confidence in AI adoption, a significant gap exists between ambition and actual investment in critical AI-powered compliance solutions, with many prioritizing less impactful AI applications.
DURHAM, N.C. – October 21, 2025 – A recent 2025 CFO Pulse Survey by Avalara, a leader in tax and compliance solutions, indicates a significant transformation in the role of Chief Financial Officers. The study, which surveyed 500 CFOs across the U.S. and U.K., highlights that finance leaders are at a pivotal moment, navigating intense pressures from technological disruption, complex regulations, and global economic instability.
Key findings from the survey reveal a new strategic blueprint for CFOs: over two-thirds (68%) are moving beyond their traditional compliance responsibilities to become key drivers of enterprise growth. This shift is further accelerated by evolving trade policies, with a majority (76%) of CFOs believing these changes are pushing them towards AI-enabled finance infrastructures.
However, the research also uncovers a notable disparity between the aspiration for AI integration and its practical implementation. While 71% of CFOs express confidence in their teams’ capacity to adopt AI, supported by executive backing, training, and pilot program ROI, there’s a clear disconnect in investment priorities. For instance, despite cross-border regulation being a major concern that keeps 40% of CFOs awake at night, only 14% are investing in AI-powered cross-border compliance platforms. Furthermore, only 26% report full compliance with e-invoicing mandates, even though 37% identify these mandates as a top operational challenge. The survey suggests that CFOs are currently prioritizing less impactful AI investments, such as internal GPTs or predictive analytics, over these crucial compliance areas.
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According to Avalara, “AI lets CFOs move from managing compliance to driving growth, but the real advantage comes from alignment across compliance, insight, and strategy.” The adoption of automation is already evident, with almost one-quarter (24%) of CFOs having fully automated their operations, and over a third (34%) having automated select, high-impact areas. These early adopters report significant returns in areas such as forecasting, supply chain oversight, cash-flow management, and risk mitigation. Despite these benefits, concerns persist regarding regulatory scrutiny, data integrity, and workforce readiness, which continue to impede broader AI adoption across the finance function.
