Indian CFOs Harness AI, Sustainable Finance and Capital Optimisation to Accelerate Growth: DBS Global Survey

India – Business Wire India • Capital cost optimisation is a high priority for more than two-thirds of Indian businesses • Liquidity and FX management has become the second-highest priority for India’s CFOs Companies are starting to plan for the long-term effects of a shifting global landscape, even as they brace for continued rate volatility and potential supply chain reconfigurations in the near term. A new DBS report titled New Realities, New Possibilities surveyed 800 finance leaders, including Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) and corporate treasurers, across seven sectors and 14 markets[i] (including 80 from India), showing that businesses are recalibrating their long-term strategies to strengthen financial resilience over the next five years.

To better understand how finance leaders were steering their organisations amidst immediate-term developments, respondents were surveyed in two batches – before and after US trade tariff announcements in April. Findings showed that leveraging data-driven financial intelligence to strengthen decision-making remained a top priority for companies over the next five years, with respondents drawn to data visualisation and security monitoring tools to enhance treasury and finance functions. These tools help leaders navigate uncertainty more effectively with sharper sense-making and better threat anticipation, enabling more accurate cash flow forecasting and proactive capital strategies.

Key findings: India • About 79% of Indian CFOs and treasurers believe that Generative AI and AI-powered tools will help risk mitigation and enhance treasury operations.

• In India, 80% of businesses affirmed that sustainable trade finance solutions such as green bonds and ESG-linked loans will support green initiatives and compliance with green standards. India’s ESG debt market itself had reached Rs USD 56 billion in cumulative Green, Social and Sustainability (GSS) issuance by end-2024, reflecting strong investor appetite.

• Capital cost optimisation is a high priority for more than two-thirds of Indian businesses, who are proactively strengthening their capital structures to support expansion and financial agility. Bank partners play a critical role in assessing capital mix, identifying refinancing opportunities, and optimising funding costs to ensure long-term financial resilience.

• Liquidity and FX management has become the second-highest priority for India’s CFOs, highlighting the focus on financial stability and preparedness for long-term growth.

Divyesh Dalal, Managing Director and Country Head – Global Transaction Services, Corporate Banking – Financial Institutions and SMEs, DBS Bank India, said, “The new reality is increasingly being defined by uncertainty, and within this context, a discernible shift is underway for treasury and finance leaders who are not only strategic enablers for their companies, but also managers of business risk. These leaders are assuming enhanced responsibilities as they step up to guide business diversification and linked capital allocation, along with building resilient supply chains while keeping their overall institutional ESG principles in mind. This shift has made the role of a trusted banking partner even more critical as companies look for decision-making support to steer transformation and enable long-term resilience. As a leading Asian transaction bank, DBS is glad to play this role and aid organisational growth during one of the biggest trade re-alignments of our time.” Santanu Mitra, Managing Director & Country Head – Corporate Banking (Large and Midcap), DBS Bank India, added, “Businesses are grappling with the confluence of several larger trends which are accelerating simultaneously – the ubiquity of AI, climate change, geopolitical uncertainty and evolving trade complexities. As financial strategists, the treasury function is proactively looking to modernise as it integrates multiple agendas to unlock smarter, more sustainable growth. DBS works closely with our clients, going beyond banking to support them with advisory and customised solutions, backed by our strong Asian connectivity and advanced digitalisation. This report, New Realities, New Possibilities, is aimed at providing meaningful, future-focused insights to increase competitiveness in a rapidly changing macroeconomic environment.” The survey also assessed how effectively Indian companies are delivering on treasury priorities using DBS’s Strategic Effectiveness Indicator (SEI). This score reflects self-assessed effectiveness across seven dimensions: data-driven intelligence, treasury operations, capital optimisation, working capital, liquidity and FX management, green initiatives, and supply chain reconfiguration. Developed by DBS with EY, the SEI converts CFO and treasurer ratings into an aggregate score, offering a snapshot of strategic effectiveness. The SEI demonstrated that globally, most CFOs and treasurers assess themselves to be strategically effective about 64% of the time, while for India, the score stood at about 68%.

New Realities, New Possibilities is the third iteration of DBS’s ongoing thought leadership series tailored for treasury and finance professionals and builds on the findings of earlier reports. Each report aims to give finance leaders a deeper understanding of the evolving demands on treasury and finance teams, and how companies might capture opportunities amid these shifts.

Read the full report here: go.dbs.com/NewRealitiesReport [i] Sectors: Automotives, consumer products, energy and renewables, food and agribusiness, health and pharmaceuticals, industrials, technology. Markets: Australia, Europe (France, Germany, United Kingdom), Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Mainland China, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, United States of America, Vietnam. 80 CFOs were surveyed from India.

About DBS DBS is a leading financial services group in Asia with a presence in 19 markets. Headquartered and listed in Singapore, DBS is in the three key Asian axes of growth: Greater China, Southeast Asia and South Asia. The bank's "AA-" and "Aa1" credit ratings are among the highest in the world.

Recognised for its global leadership, DBS has been named “World’s Best Bank” by Global Finance, “World’s Best Bank” by Euromoney and “Global Bank of the Year” by The Banker. The bank is at the forefront of leveraging digital technology to shape the future of banking, having been named “World’s Best Digital Bank” by Euromoney and the world’s “Most Innovative in Digital Banking” by The Banker. In addition, DBS has been accorded the “Safest Bank in Asia“ award by Global Finance for 16 consecutive years from 2009 to 2024. In 2025, DBS Bank India was recognised by CRISIL - Coalition Greenwich as the Best Bank for Corporate Banking and Best Bank for Corporate Cash Management in India. Euromoney also named DBS Bank India the Best Digital Bank for SMEs in India in 2025.

DBS provides a full range of services in consumer, SME and corporate banking. As a bank born and bred in Asia, DBS understands the intricacies of doing business in the region’s most dynamic markets.

DBS Bank has been present in India for more than 30 years, opening its first office in Mumbai in 1994. DBS Bank India Limited is the first among the large foreign banks in India to start operating as a wholly owned, locally incorporated subsidiary of a leading global bank. As a trusted partner, DBS provides a range of banking services for large, medium, and small enterprises and individual consumers in India, focusing on a seamless customer experience that helps them ‘Live more, Bank less’. In November 2020, Lakshmi Vilas Bank was merged with DBS Bank India Limited. DBS Bank India is now present in Rs 350 locations in 19 Indian states.

DBS provides a full range of services in consumer, SME and corporate banking. As a bank born and bred in Asia, DBS understands the intricacies of doing business in the region’s most dynamic markets.

DBS is committed to building lasting relationships with customers, as it banks the Asian way. Through the DBS Foundation, the bank creates impact beyond banking by uplifting lives and livelihoods of those in need. It provides essential needs to the underprivileged, and fosters inclusion by equipping the underserved with financial and digital literacy skills. It also nurtures innovative social enterprises that create positive impact.

With its extensive network of operations in Asia and emphasis on engaging and empowering its staff, DBS presents exciting career opportunities.

For more information, please visit www.dbs.com.

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