APAC CFOs invest heavily in AI agents for revenue growth
Salesforce research shows APAC CFOs are shifting from cost-cutting to strategic AI investments focused on long-term revenue growth and efficiency gains.
New research reveals a dramatic shift in CFO attitudes toward AI investment across Asia Pacific
Key Findings:
- 75% of APAC CFOs now believe AI agents will drive revenue growth, not just cut costs
- Only 3% maintain conservative AI strategies in 2025 (down from 63% in 2020)
- 23% of AI budgets are now allocated to AI agents in APAC
- 83% of CFOs use AI for business decision-making
Methodology
The Salesforce study conducted a double-blind survey of 261 global CFOs, including 60 APAC respondents across Australia, India, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea. 83% represented enterprise companies with 500+ employees.
Strategic Shift in AI Investment
Robin Washington, Salesforce President and CFO, noted: "This demands a new mindset as we expand beyond financial stewards to also become architects of agentic enterprise value."
- Traditional ROI metrics are expanding to include long-term strategic benefits
- 50% of APAC CFOs say AI agents change how they evaluate technology ROI
- Top evaluation factors now include:
- Productivity/efficiency improvements
- Risk and compliance enhancements
- Cost savings/avoidance
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"The ROI of older technology depends on immediate results, while AI's returns accrue through new business models," one CFO respondent observed.
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About the Author
David Chen
AI Startup Analyst
Senior analyst focusing on AI startup ecosystem with 11 years of venture capital and startup analysis experience. Former member of Sequoia Capital AI investment team, now independent analyst writing AI startup and investment analysis articles for Forbes, Harvard Business Review and other publications.