FinTech’s AI leap: agentic adoption to jump 6x in a year

By Puja Sharma

A new survey by Wolters Kluwer reveals that the office of the CFO is going full throttle on agentic AI, with adoption set to surge more than sixfold in the next year. Today, just 6% of finance leaders use agentic AI—a form of autonomous, decision-supportive artificial intelligence—but an additional 38% plan to implement it by 2026.

This leap is more than a tech trend—it’s a FinTech turning point. As economic volatility reshapes risk and forecasting, 67% of finance leaders are turning to AI for Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) for the very first time. AI is no longer just a back-office support tool—it’s becoming a strategic force in financial decision-making.

FinTech Stack Evolution: From Automation to Autonomous Finance

Wolters Kluwer’s CCH® Tagetik Intelligent Platform, embedded with “Ask AI,” exemplifies the next wave of FinTech: agentic AI that understands finance. It goes beyond chat to execute tasks, respond to voice commands, analyse assumptions, and drill into complex data—no IT support needed. This evolution marks the rise of AI-driven corporate performance management (CPM) platforms tailored for CFOs.

In the words of Karen Abramson, CEO of Wolters Kluwer Corporate Performance & ESG, “Agentic AI represents an evolutionary leap in how finance leaders operate.”

“At Wolters Kluwer, we are committed to continuous innovation for the office of the CFO. Last year, we launched the market’s first AI-powered corporate performance management platform – the CCH Tagetik Intelligent Platform with Ask AI. We have evolved Ask AI into an embedded super-agent; it now mobilises cutting-edge agentic technology across multiple use cases, including responding to voice commands in multiple languages, drilling into data without the need for IT skills, testing assumptions and running analyses. Agentic AI represents an evolutionary leap in how finance leaders operate.”

Talent, Data, and Tools: What’s Driving the Shift?

• Around 85% of finance leaders say AI skills will be a hiring priority.
• About 44% cite data readiness as the top driver for AI adoption.
• Over 40% are banking on AI to reduce human error; 36% expect gains in productivity.
• Approx 42% believe AI will save them 26 working days a year—freeing teams to focus on strategy, not spreadsheets.

AI in Excel? Yes, Please.

In a nod to finance teams’ favorite tool, Wolters Kluwer has also embedded Ask AI into an Excel 365-based experience—offering natural language-powered data retrieval and analysis without changing how users work. Think of it as a FinTech layer within Excel, making intelligent automation more accessible and immediate.

Final Word: Agentic AI Is the FinTech Frontier

As finance becomes more autonomous, agentic AI is emerging as a cornerstone of next-gen FinTech infrastructure. From real-time analytics to intelligent automation, this shift is not just about speed—it’s about making finance smarter, more agile, and future-ready.