Indian CFOs bet on AI, digital intelligence to transform treasury and future-proof growth: DBS global survey

• Nearly 8 in 10 Indian CFOs see Generative AI as key to risk mitigation and smarter treasury operations.
• Capital cost optimisation and FX stability emerge as top CFO priorities to future-proof growth.

 Bengaluru, 03 September 2025 – Companies are starting to plan for the long-term effects of a shifting global landscape, even as they brace for continued rate volatility and potential supply chain reconfigurations in the near term. A new DBS report titled New Realities, New Possibilities surveyed 800 finance leaders, including Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) and corporate treasurers, across seven sectors and 14 markets[i] (including 80 from India), showing that businesses are recalibrating their long-term strategies to strengthen financial resilience over the next five years.

To better understand how finance leaders were steering their organisations amidst immediate-term developments, respondents were surveyed in two batches – before and after US trade tariff announcements in April. Findings showed that leveraging data-driven financial intelligence to strengthen decision-making remained a top priority for companies over the next five years, with respondents drawn to data visualisation and security monitoring tools to enhance treasury and finance functions. These tools help leaders navigate uncertainty more effectively with sharper sense-making and better threat anticipation, enabling more accurate cash flow forecasting and proactive capital strategies.

Key findings: India

• About 79% of Indian CFOs and treasurers believe that Generative AI and AI-powered tools will help risk mitigation and enhance treasury operations.
• In India, 80% of businesses affirmed that sustainable trade finance solutions such as green bonds and ESG-linked loans will support green initiatives and compliance with green standards. India’s ESG debt market itself had reached ~USD 56 billion in cumulative Green, Social and Sustainability (GSS) issuance by end-2024, reflecting strong investor appetite.
• Capital cost optimisation is a high priority for more than two-thirds of Indian businesses, who are proactively strengthening their capital structures to support expansion and financial agility. Bank partners play a critical role in assessing capital mix, identifying refinancing opportunities, and optimising funding costs to ensure long-term financial resilience.
• Liquidity and FX management has become the second-highest priority for India’s CFOs, highlighting the focus on financial stability and preparedness for long-term growth.

Divyesh Dalal, Managing Director and Country Head – Global Transaction Services, Corporate Banking – Financial Institutions and SMEs, DBS Bank India, said “The new reality is increasingly being defined by uncertainty, and within this context a discernible shift is underway for treasury and finance leaders who are not only strategic enablers for their companies, but also managers of business risk. These leaders are assuming enhanced responsibilities as they step up to guide business diversification and linked capital allocation, along with building resilient supply chains while keeping their overall institutional ESG principles in mind. This shift has made the role of a trusted banking partner even more critical as companies look for decision-making support to steer transformation and enable long-term resilience. As a leading Asian transaction bank, DBS is glad to play this role and aid organisational growth during one of the biggest trade re-alignments of our time.”

Santanu Mitra, Managing Director & Country Head – Corporate Banking (Large and Midcap), DBS Bank India, added “Businesses are grappling with the confluence of several larger trends which are accelerating simultaneously – the ubiquity of AI, climate change, geopolitical uncertainty and evolving trade complexities. As financial strategists, the treasury function is proactively looking to modernise as it integrates multiple agendas to unlock smarter, more sustainable growth. DBS works closely with our clients, going beyond banking to support them with advisory and customised solutions, backed by our strong Asian connectivity and advanced digitalisation. This report, New Realities, New Possibilities, is aimed at providing meaningful, future-focused insights to increase competitiveness in a rapidly changing macroeconomic environment.”

The survey also assessed how effectively Indian companies are delivering on treasury priorities using DBS’ Strategic Effectiveness Indicator (SEI). This score reflects self-assessed effectiveness across seven dimensions: data-driven intelligence, treasury operations, capital optimisation, working capital, liquidity and FX management, green initiatives, and supply chain reconfiguration. Developed by DBS with EY, the SEI converts CFO and treasurer ratings into an aggregate score, offering a snapshot of strategic effectiveness. The SEI demonstrated that globally most CFOs and treasurers assess themselves to be strategically effective about 64% of the time, while for India, the score stood at about 68.

New Realities, New Possibilities is the third iteration of DBS’ ongoing thought leadership series tailored for treasury and finance professionals and builds on the findings of earlier reports. Each report aims to give finance leaders a deeper understanding of the evolving demands on treasury and finance teams, and how companies might capture opportunities amid these shifts.