Matthew Davies, Global Co-head of Corporate Sales for Global Payments Solutions and Head of GPS EMEA at Bank of America, said chief financial officers face an unusually demanding technology challenge in 2026, caught between mounting pressure to invest in artificial intelligence and a constant stream of new solutions that may turn out to be little more than a distraction rather than a genuine improvement.
Writing in an opinion piece for Capital.gr, Davies said businesses must decide on technology investments while the market evolves at an unprecedented pace, and must integrate new systems across their organizations quickly enough that they are not overtaken by newer solutions before they are even fully deployed, all while still securing a satisfactory return. He said a wrong choice could carry a significant financial cost and place serious pressure on a company's finances.
He said this challenge is nowhere greater than in a company's finance function, which he described as the heart of every business and the point from which the efficiency gains delivered by new technology can spread across the whole organization.
Focusing on the essentials
Davies said most CFOs share a basic requirement for any new technology investment: cutting manual processes, freeing up resources and managing risk, particularly fraud and cybersecurity risk, more effectively so they can make better and faster decisions.
He said payment modernization is no longer simply the operational backbone of a business but a strategic tool that can provide real-time visibility, strengthen financial controls and support faster, better-informed financial decisions. Implemented correctly, he said, it lets CFOs get a quicker and clearer picture of liquidity, reduce their exposure to risk, and build the foundations needed for automation and artificial intelligence to deliver measurable benefits.
As innovation moves from promise to practice, Davies said technology investment has become a decisive competitive factor. As the number of available technology options multiplies, he argued, the real danger for businesses is no longer under-investment but making the wrong investment choices, a risk sharpened by the pace of change and the scale of money being poured into the sector.
The real question, he said, is not how much payments innovation a business adopts but whether it chooses the right technology to deliver tangible results, adding that business leaders must resist being swept along by everything new and instead focus on what is genuinely necessary. Every new technology investment, he said, must produce clear, measurable benefits to justify its cost, since a poor technology choice can carry severe financial consequences as the sums involved keep growing.
Starting from outcomes
Davies said the temptation to add another system or trial a new pilot program is strong, but constantly presenting clients with new solutions risks fatigue and fragmentation. He said business leaders should instead prioritize clear, measurable outcomes: what exactly needs to improve, by how much, and within what timeframe. Technology providers, he added, should prioritize practical applications that meet real needs rather than simply chasing novelty.
He said one thing is beyond doubt: reaching any goal requires high-quality, standardized data, and securing that data should be every CFO's top priority this year. Once that foundation is in place, he said, real-time processes can help build more efficient and accurate workflows across an organization, enabling faster, better-informed decisions.
According to Davies, executives across industries largely share the same priorities. First, they want a better understanding of cyber threats and the right tools to contain them effectively. Second, they are looking for practical AI applications that create real value, boost efficiency and support better decisions. Third, they need tools that automate forecasting, improve liquidity management, expand cash-pooling capabilities and strengthen working capital management, solutions that can also support supply chain financing, digital commerce and overall operational efficiency.
Staying on target
Davies said rapid advances in innovation will reshape traditional financial architecture and change how businesses operate, disrupting established business models and transforming the competitive landscape for many companies depending on how fast individual sectors adopt new technologies.
He said CFOs must find the most effective way to navigate a fast-changing financial environment without being distracted by the noise that accompanies every new technological development. They need to align their teams, manage liquidity effectively and set short- and long-term key performance indicators to guide the shift to new ways of working, he said, adding that involving the right people in that process is critical, as is access to reliable strategic guidance.
The opportunities are enormous, Davies said, but so are the risks. He said the companies that stand out will be those that combine clear strategic direction with consistent, disciplined execution, and that the goal is not to invest in every new technology but to choose the ones that solve real business problems.
He said the starting point is clear: optimizing payment flows, ensuring data quality and embedding effective risk-management mechanisms, while artificial intelligence takes on repetitive tasks so people can focus on judgment and substantive decision-making. If CFOs concentrate on these core priorities, Davies said, their path for the rest of 2026 and the years that follow will be clearer.
