AI-curated news for your industry

Standard Chartered Group announced on Tuesday that Group Chief Financial Officer Diego De Giorgi has left with immediate effect due to "external opportunities." Apollo Global Management subsequently announced his appointment as Head of EMEA. Standard Chartered's share price fell 5.74% on the day.

APQC research shows that despite high awareness of cyber risk, most enterprises still keep it outside enterprise risk management (ERM), leading to insufficient risk visibility and slow decision-making. Based on data from 5,000 organizations globally, this article points out that only 41% have achieved meaningful integration, and 23% apply unified risk management to suppliers. CFOs can use four levers—governance embedding, financial articulation, process integration, and ecosystem extension—to make cyber risk an enterprise-wide responsibility and enhance organizational resilience.

Pindrop's latest research shows that in 2025, AI-driven fraud attack volume surged 1210% year-over-year, with total losses against major US clients reaching approximately $1 billion. Generative AI and deepfake technology are shifting fraud from manual operations to automated supply chains, with retail refund fraud being particularly prominent. A concurrent Trustpair survey also found that 71% of US enterprises experienced an increase in AI fraud.

Toronto-based fintech company Vena announced plans to acquire Sydney-based FP&A software peer Acterys, with the transaction amount undisclosed. Vena CEO Hunter Madeley stated that the merger will strengthen its presence in the Microsoft ecosystem, particularly in Power BI and Fabric. The deal is pending approval from Australia's Foreign Investment Review Board.

Macrina Kgil, who has experience as a CFO at five companies, is focusing on another potential financial role change this year: stablecoin accounting standards. She hopes FASB will classify stablecoins as cash or cash equivalents rather than intangible assets. Kgil's tenure at Figure gives her a close-up view of related accounting standard changes, as the company merged last year with Figure Markets, which launched the SEC-registered interest-bearing transferable stablecoin $YLDS.

Enterprise technology provider Kyndryl announced on Monday that CFO David Wyshner and General Counsel Edward Sebold have stepped down effective immediately, appointing Harsh Chugh as interim finance chief, among other changes. The company also disclosed that its 10-Q report for the quarter ended December 31 will be delayed due to an audit committee review of cash management practices. Kyndryl expects to disclose a material weakness in internal controls over financial reporting in that report, but CEO Martin Schroeter stated that financial statements will not be restated and reaffirmed the 2028 financial targets.

The University of Michigan's February survey shows U.S. consumer confidence rose slightly due to the stock market boom, but sentiment among consumers who do not own stocks remains 'gloomy.' Survey director Joanne Hsu noted that concerns over high prices and unemployment risks remain widespread. The data also confirms the 'K-shaped economy' trend: the top 20% of households earning over $175,000 annually contributed nearly 60% of consumer spending in the third quarter of 2025. Federal Reserve officials Jefferson and Cook both acknowledged the overall economy is solid, but lower-income households face challenges such as rising default rates.

In an interview, Sonja Simon, CFO of SAP Americas, shared her views on how AI is transforming finance work. She believes that AI is still a 'fast-moving train,' and finance leaders need to help teams adapt to change. By forming dedicated teams, encouraging employees to share their experiences with AI, and advocating a 'culture of failure,' Simon hopes to drive the finance department to become an early adopter of new technologies. She cited examples where tools developed by her team, though not perfect, significantly improved the analysis process for key metrics.

Toyota Motor announced on February 7 that current CFO Yoichi Miyazaki will be promoted to CEO and President, effective April 1; Koji Sato will become Chief Industry Officer. This marks the second CEO change in three years, aimed at addressing profitability pressures and industry transformation.

Every year before the Super Bowl, CFOs face an $8 million advertising budget request from CMOs. The author, Jason Hershman, breaks down the true cost of this investment from a financial perspective—beyond media purchases, there are production, celebrity, legal, and subsequent digital marketing expenses, with total investments often ranging from $15 million to $50 million. The article proposes four key questions, a three-step break-even calculation method, and discusses opportunity costs and measurement metrics to help financial decision-makers rationally evaluate the true return on Super Bowl advertising.