Deloitte CFO Signals™ Spotlight (1Q26): CFOs Focus on Controlling Costs

What:

Deloitte CFO Signals™ Spotlight 1Q26 (North America)  

Who:

Steve Gallucci, national leader of Deloitte's CFO Program

When:

April 14, 2026

Where:

https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/topics/business-strategy-growth/1q-2026-cfo-signals-survey.html 

Details:

Deloitte's latest CFO Signals™ report finds that finance leaders are using cost management to maintain control in an increasingly complex operating environment. At the same time, CFOs are navigating competing pressures to contain costs while continuing to invest in growth and transformation.

In periods of economic uncertainty and geopolitical volatility, many CFOs are under increased pressure to refine spending strategies as profit margins tighten. This focus is reflected in the 1Q26 North American CFO Signals ™ Survey, in which 52% of finance chiefs cite cost management as their top internal concern.

Highlights from the report include:

• CFOs in charge: Nearly 7 in 10 surveyed say that, besides CEOs and boards, finance has the greatest control over cost management efforts.
• What's behind the focus: 49% cite pressure to invest in new technologies such as cloud and AI as a key driver of cost-management efforts, followed closely by shrinking profit margins (48%).
• Shifts in capital allocation: 52% said their organizations are redirecting operating expense investments, while 46% report redirecting capital expenditures as part of cost management considerations.
• Tech as a tool: More than half of CFOs (53%) say automation and technology upgrades have been the most helpful lever in controlling costs. Cloud-based planning, budgeting, and forecasting emerged as the most important tools enabling cost management (43%).
• Top internal challenges: Internal organizational and cultural factors are the greatest challenges to managing costs, with 46% of CFOs pointing to siloed departments or autonomous business units as their greatest challenge. Nearly 4 in 10 cite outdated tools and technologies.

Why it matters: The quarterly report is a measure of CFO sentiment and forward-looking strategies. In an environment that requires caution and clarity, Deloitte's CFO Signals offers a look into how finance leaders are thinking, investing, and planning for the future of finance.