As businesses grapple with escalating trade volatility and inflationary pressures, financial leaders are reshaping their strategies to stay resilient, according to a new study released from Billtrust.
"We're witnessing a fundamental reset in financial leadership," says Sunil Rajasekar, CEO of Billtrust. "Executives are making bold moves in opposite directions simultaneously – tightening cash reserves while accelerating AI investments at record levels. This isn't a contradiction. They're choosing to strengthen their foundations while selectively building capabilities that will define competitive advantage in the coming recovery."
Key takeaways:
· As dynamics shift, nearly two-thirds (63%) of financial leaders have adopted more cautious cash management practices. At the same time, many are making bold investments in technology, with 67% allocating over 10% of their 2025 budgets to AI and automation. Even more striking, nearly one in five executives (18%) are going all-in, dedicating more than a quarter of their budget to these transformative tools.
- 82% of financial decision-makers see a recession as either likely or possible within the next 6-12 months, with 60% reducing discretionary spending and capital investments in response.
- 83% of financial decision-makers report moderate to significant cost increases from tariff changes over the past six months, with nearly a quarter (23%) experiencing cost increases exceeding 15%.
- Financial leaders are also implementing sophisticated strategies to address trade policy challenges, with most employing structural solutions beyond simple price adjustments, including rebuilding supplier networks (40%), transforming inventory approaches (34%), and reconfiguring manufacturing footprints (30%).
- Despite economic caution, 90% of financial decision-makers now rely on AI for financial decisions, with 83% reporting that AI has positively influenced their approach to managing financial risk in 2025.
- 85% of financial leaders now review forecasts at least quarterly, while 38% reassess monthly or more frequently to enable nimble adjustments as market conditions evolve.
