Kyriba: Singapore CFO Business Optimism Falls 34 Pct In 2026

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 26 (Bernama) -- Kyriba’s CFO Risk Radar 2026 research revealed that business optimism among Singapore Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) fell 34 percentage points year over year, from 93 per cent in late 2025 to 59 per cent in 2026.

The decline was the largest across the nine markets surveyed by Kyriba, namely France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States (US), while only 16 per cent of Singapore respondents said their organisations can quantify financial risk exposure in real time or near-real time.

According to Kyriba in a statement, the findings reveal a widening gap between awareness of risk and the ability to assess its financial impact quickly enough to respond.

The report also found that economic optimism fell from 90 per cent to 61 per cent, a decline of 29 percentage points, with Singapore moving from being the most optimistic market in the survey at the end of 2025 to one of the least optimistic six months later.

The shift comes as Singapore faces a more uncertain global trading environment, with 85 per cent of Singapore CFOs citing tariffs as a significant concern, the highest country-level result recorded in the survey. The survey was conducted between May 26 and June 9, before the US imposed a new 12.5 per cent tariff on July 24.

Kyriba Vice President of Sales, APAC, Aidan McDonald said Singapore's finance leaders are not lacking awareness of risk but the visibility needed to respond with confidence.

“The challenge is not recognising that markets have become more volatile. It is understanding, in real time, what that means for cash, liquidity and financial performance. Finance teams should not have to choose between moving quickly and staying in control,” he said.

According to Kyriba, once a risk has been identified, only 15.8 per cent of Singapore respondents said they can adjust financial strategy on the same day, while the majority require between two days and a full week to respond.

In addition, 78.2 per cent of Singapore respondents reported experiencing some degree of financial impact in the past 12 months in connection with inadequate risk visibility or a delayed response to an emerging risk.

The findings are being discussed at KyribaLive Exchange Singapore, where treasury and finance leaders from multiple countries are exploring how organisations can close the gap between financial risk awareness and real-time decision-making.

-- BERNAMA