Post-pandemic M&A: Remote-work, med-tech deals to fuel recovery

Low interest rates will lure acquirers; they're using the downturn to reassess valuations and deal structures. 

By Ted Knutson • April 20, 2020

A CFO whose big spending paid off

When trying to grow a recurring-revenue company, bookings are more important than revenue, a veteran SaaS finance executive says.

By Robert Freedman • April 19, 2020

Explore the Trendline➔

Digital transformation, one smart step at a time

As pricing pressures tighten margins and technologies like artificial intelligence evolve, finance chiefs are more closely scrutinizing the cost and returns of the tech tools they implement.

By CFO Dive staff

CFOs' challenge: Anticipating the new normal

As you try modeling what the world will look like post-COVID, don't assume a return to the past, planning specialists say.

By Robert Freedman • April 16, 2020

COVID-19 'first real test' of digitization for office of CFO

"All the older stuff was just feel-good," said Genpact's Sanjay Srivastava, as CFOs have to manage significant declines in finance teams' productivity.

By Jane Thier • April 14, 2020

CFO in the Know: Tapping working capital lines to finance modular construction

Components are completed faster and with fewer mistakes when they're built in a factory. Here's how to get financing when most lenders say "no."

By Kim Slowey • April 14, 2020

Two investments to make if revenue plummets

Real-time data analytics and targeted marketing can help leverage shifting consumption to survive the downturn and prepare for the recovery. 

By Robert Freedman • April 5, 2020

Getting through the downturn by improving receivables

Segmenting customers based on risk and improving the onboarding process can help bring in revenue you would otherwise lose, payment specialists say.

By Robert Freedman • April 2, 2020

As the first remote month ends, how are CFOs closing the books?

At the end of March, CFOs, finance teams and auditors were faced with a novel challenge — closing the books without meeting in person. Here's how they're doing it.

By Jane Thier • April 1, 2020

Examining KPIs in a more useful light

Having a tool that presents data through multiple perspectives helps executives make better decisions faster, a veteran tech CFO says. 

By Robert Freedman • March 31, 2020

Payment recovery touted as source of working capital

Building a forensic audit into your source-to-pay process could put otherwise misspent money back into your pocket.

By Robert Freedman • March 26, 2020

More CFOs feeling the heat with ransomware

Cybersecurity is a finance issue that CFOs leave to tech colleagues at their peril, Anup Singh of network security company Illumio says.  

By Anup Singh • March 25, 2020

Survey: Smart data management by CFOs helps retain subscription customers

Reducing churn, especially while customers hard-hit by uncertainty are demanding value, starts with deciding what data to collect and when to collect it. 

By Robert Freedman • March 24, 2020

Rise in crisis-related employee costs tracks coronavirus outbreak

CFOs are being flexible on expense policies as employees rack up costs for canceled trips, remote working, face masks and other types of reimbursement requests that were once rare.

By Robert Freedman • March 17, 2020

CFOs confident going into coronavirus outbreak, survey finds

Thanks to the digital transformation of operations and a strong financial environment, CFOs think they're relatively well-prepared for COVID-19. But a global recession poses a real concern.

By Robert Freedman • March 16, 2020

Cloud is differentiator as CFOs grapple with coronavirus impact

Unlike in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks, when some lockdowns were imposed, CFOs today can organize their teams to operate remotely. 

By Suzanne Northington • March 12, 2020

CFO in the Know: Protecting capital in pre-revenue biopharmas

Last year, bankruptcies multiplied among early-stage drug companies, putting a premium on CFO finance management ideas. 

By Robert Freedman • March 10, 2020

How can CFOs stay ahead of tech, even if they're not tech-savvy?

The CFO can be the most influential executive when it comes to ERP, AI and RPA. But what if they don't come from a tech background?

By Jane Thier • March 5, 2020

Building a case for transforming your capital expenditure process

The real-dollar impact of having a cloud-based digital capital expenditure process can be substantial, which your colleagues outside of finance might not realize.

By Rich Feldman • March 4, 2020

Top 10 trends for CFOs navigating AI

Gartner Finance's newest research has assembled a list of 10 trends of which CFOs must be aware as they look towards digitizing their department.

By Jane Thier • March 1, 2020

Challenger bank hires first CFO as it ramps up growth

Minneapolis-based Branch seeks to grow its reach by taking a workplace-first approach, new CFO Brian Whalen says. 

By Robert Freedman • Feb. 27, 2020

Biggest new CFO priority? User experience.

As AI migrates closer to the mainstream, finance may be tasked with ensuring a positive user experience. But where does that leave the traditional CFO?

By Jane Thier • Feb. 27, 2020

As XBRL in financial reporting matures, focus is on accuracy

The ability to increase financial transparency with machine-readable tags is improving, but few means are in place to ensure data quality. 

By Ted Knutson • Feb. 25, 2020

Study: AI to play 'major role' in fraud prevention, consumer experience

A KPMG study found despite the time-consuming and often challenging deployment process, every company should take the time to invest and implement AI.

By Jane Thier • Feb. 23, 2020

The 'dark web' a fraud risk factor to financial data

Data like stolen credit and debit cards, including personal and corporate cards, are quick to show up on the dark web, said Emily Wilson of Terbium Labs.

By Jane Thier • Feb. 20, 2020

Catching rogue staff before they cost your enterprise a bundle

You can expect a cash leakage of up to 5% of revenue if your security system is built around little more than periodic audits, a security specialist says. 

By Robert Freedman • Feb. 20, 2020