Over 70% of Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) in Ireland expect their company's revenue to grow in the next year, new data shows.
The research carried out by Deloitte surveyed 1,280 Chief Financial Officers in 14 countries including 60 in Ireland.
It shows that 30% of financial lenders reported being more optimistic about the financial prospects of their companies than they were three months ago.
That's up from 28% in the Spring, and from 19% in Autumn last year.
Despite increases in optimism and confidence, the research shows that CFOs remain cautious.
Just over 30% said they expected increases in capital expenditure over the next 12 months, which is down from 37% in Spring 2025 and 42% in Autumn 2024. 18% predicted a decline, with 48% anticipating no change.
Companies surveyed said attracting and retaining skilled talent is the number one risk.
"CFOs in Ireland are signalling a phase of guarded growth," said Tom Hynes, Deloitte Ireland Partner in Technology & Transformation.
"Our survey shows they are managing continued uncertainty by protecting margins while positioning their organisations for sustainable success.
"Over the next year, we expect CFOs to continue balancing cost discipline with strategic investment in talent and accelerating AI adoption and automation, helping to increase their competitive advantage," he added.
