Three out of four companies use AI in their finance departments; data quality is key to success

• The use of AI in finance departments has more than doubled since 2024, rising from 30% to 75%.
• 71 percent of companies state that AI meets or exceeds their expectations regarding economic benefits.
• 70 percent report that AI improves the quality of financial decisions.
• 36 percent view data quality as the most important prerequisite for further expanding the use of AI in finance departments.

Berlin, May 27, 2026
 

Artificial intelligence has made the leap from the pilot phase to productive use in finance departments. Three out of four companies now use AI for planning, forecasting, and analysis. For 71 percent, the technology meets or exceeds expectations regarding economic benefits. A robust data foundation and clear rules for the use of AI are crucial. This is shown by the study “KPMG Global AI in Finance 2026” by KPMG International, for which 1,013 executives from 20 countries and 13 industries were surveyed.  

Companies that systematically manage and document the use of AI benefit significantly more from the technology. Organizations that can demonstrate at any time how AI-driven results were generated report significant improvements three to six times more frequently. Thirty-three percent report significantly fewer errors, compared to just 6 percent among companies that have not yet sufficiently monitored their AI-driven financial processes.  

Many companies have not yet met these requirements. Only 42 percent are well-prepared to document AI-supported financial processes in a way that allows results and decisions to be traced at any time. A mere 29 percent systematically track where AI applications fail. 

Artificial intelligence primarily supports finance departments in tasks that require well-founded assessments and quick decisions. 70 percent of companies report better decision quality, 71 percent report faster decisions, and 64 percent report more accurate forecasts.  

There are significant differences across industries. In the banking sector, 71 percent of companies report noticeable improvements in the accuracy of forecasts; in healthcare, the figure is 44 percent.  

The quality of the underlying data is the most important lever for the further expansion of AI in finance departments. 36 percent see improved data quality, stronger data integration, and better interoperability of their systems as the greatest opportunity to increase the benefits of AI.  

38 percent are providing further training for their existing finance and internal audit teams, while 28 percent are specifically building new capabilities. Companies achieve the greatest economic benefits by both improving their data infrastructure and building teams capable of critically evaluating AI results and translating them into informed decisions.