In The News

In this episode of the Level Up podcast, Nick Araco sits down with Matt Lane, Founder of Smart Lane AI and CFO of Yolo Federal Credit Union, to discuss the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on the CFO role and mid-market finance. This conversation is crucial for finance leaders seeking to understand how to practically implement AI to drive efficiency, foster innovation, and cultivat

The Reality of AI Adoption in Canadian Midmarket FinanceIn a recent piece by CFO.com, insights from a CFO Alliance roundtable in Toronto shed light on the unique challenges Canadian midmarket CFOs face in moving AI experiments into dependable financial processes. Nick Araco, CEO of CFO Alliance, noted that while there's an appetite for AI, finance leaders are encountering issues such as unreliable

In this episode of the Level Up podcast, Nick Araco sits down with Daniel Jasinski, Founder and CFO of the Payment Economics Institute, to discuss how finance leaders can unlock significant untapped value within enterprise payments. They explore how viewing payments as "capital in motion" can shift them from a back-office function to a strategic financial lever, impacting working capital and overa

The Hidden Cost of AI-Generated Financial QueriesIn a recent piece by CFO Dive, Casey Janick, an operating partner with The CFO Alliance and founder of CEL Capital, highlights a growing concern for finance leaders: the unintended workload increase stemming from AI-prompted questions from investors and boards. While Janick champions AI for automating processes and speeding budget analyses, he obser

AI Integration in Budgeting: A Member's PerspectiveIn a recent piece by CFO Dive, insights from BeSmartee CFO Mina Samaan, a member of The CFO Alliance, shed light on the evolving role of AI in the budget season. Samaan revealed that despite AI's promise of efficiency, it prompted his company to kick off budget planning significantly earlier than usual this year. The proliferation of AI tools over

In this episode of the Level Up podcast, Nick Araco sits down with Sandra Bustos, Founder and CEO of Meshly, to discuss the critical importance of data integrity and building "systems of trust" in finance, especially in the era of AI and automation. They explore why fragmented data creates significant risks and how finance leaders can move beyond reactive cleanup to become strategic drivers of bus

In this special compilation episode of the Level Up podcast, Nick Araco, Founder and CEO of the CFO Alliance, sits down with a panel of experts including Sumeet Agrawal, Sam Levy, Albert Ramos Jr., Valerie Martin, and Phoebe Bishop. Together, they explore what it takes to build a modern finance function that creates meaningful business impact, covering essential topics from data integrity to strat

Rillion has published its 2026 AI in Finance Report, based on research with 250 CFOs and finance leaders across the US in partnership with Sapio Research. Nick Araco JR is one of 16 contributors from across finance and AI.The report's central argument is what it calls the Finance AI Illusion — the gap between how far AI adoption has come in finance and how little has actually transformed underneat

As AI adoption accelerates, finance chiefs in Texas are grappling with "shadow finance" – unvetted AI tools and systems – highlighting a critical gap between innovation, governance, and measurable ROI, as discussed in recent CFO Alliance roundtables.Read the full article here.AI Adoption Outpaces GovernanceIn a recent piece by CFO.com, insights from CFO Alliance roundtables in Houston, Dallas, and

The Financial Accounting Standards Board has appointed Hillary H. Salo as its next chair, a move seen by CFO Alliance CEO Nick Araco as a signal of regulatory continuity and predictability for finance professionals. Salo’s deep roots within FASB suggest a consistent approach to accounting standards, despite potential political pressures.FASB Appoints New ChairAs reported by CFO Dive, the Financial

In this episode of the Level Up podcast, Nick Araco sits down with Ahmed Hassan, CMA, Chief Financial Officer of Vodacom DRC and Global Board Director for the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA), to discuss the evolving role of the CFO and how finance leaders can develop a comprehensive, 360-degree view of their organization to thrive amidst constant change.The Journey to Finance LeadershipA

Don Voss is joined by Janet Bradshaw and Casey Janick as CFO Alliance Operating Partners, tripling our capacity to make connections that count for our members.The CFO Alliance runs on one promise: Real peers, real answers, and a network that actually works, built by people who've sat in the seat themselves. Today we're making that promise bigger. We are pleased to announce that our Operating Partn

In this episode of Level Up, Nick Araco sits down with Leslie Griffith, Chief Financial Officer at Chickasaw Nation Industries (CNI), to discuss the invaluable lessons learned throughout her nearly two-decade tenure within the same organization. This conversation delves into how a long career path can become a profound proving ground for trust, judgment, and impactful leadership, offering a unique

The Evolving Role of the CFOIn a recent piece by CFO.com, the discussion centers on how the traditional metrics of success for CFOs—delivering results and strong financial performance—are now just one piece of a larger puzzle. Today, finance leaders have unprecedented opportunities to shape their professional reputations beyond the confines of company performance. The article highlights a signific

Active Listening: The Cornerstone of LeadershipAs reported by CFO.com, veteran NBC Sports Philadelphia broadcaster Michael Barkann recently shared his insights at an AchieveNEXT leadership webinar, emphasizing active listening as a critical, yet often overlooked, leadership skill for executives, including CFOs. Barkann, drawing from decades of interviewing athletes and coaches, highlighted that th

Three days in Tampa. Eight sessions. One theme that CFOs actually feel in their bones right now: execution.From June 15 to 17, members of The CFO Alliance gathered at the JW Marriott Tampa Water Street for the 2026 CFO Alliance Experience. The theme was The CFO Who Executes, and the room held up its end of the bargain. Every session was interactive. No one just sat and watched slides go by. CFOs w

In this episode of the CFO Alliance podcast, Nick Araco sits down with Chad Blackburn to discuss practical strategies for thriving amidst disruption, particularly through the lens of artificial intelligence and its impact on finance leaders.The Imperative for Business Leaders to Drive AI StrategyChad emphasizes that AI strategy cannot be relegated solely to the IT department. Instead, business lea

Read the full article: https://www.cfo.com/news/paystand-cfo-Scott-Bennion-on-why-banks-see-stablecoins-as-a-threat/823721/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202026-06-25%20CFO.com%20%5Bissue:86365%5D&utm_term=CFO%20BalanceAs reported by CFO.com, Paystand CFO Scott Bennion highlights a significant shift in the perception of stablecoins within the financial sector. While once

BERWYN, PA — April 2026 — CFO Alliance, the premier community for mid-market CFOs and finance leaders, today announced the addition of Don Voss as an Operating Partner, marking the first in a planned series of strategic appointments designed to strengthen peer-to-peer engagement and accelerate the organization’s mission of “CFOs Learning from CFOs.”In this role, Voss will serve as a peer, connecto

Growth doesn’t break because of bad ideas. It breaks when finance can’t keep up with ambition. So what happens when a seasoned operator fuses sharp financial leadership with AI-driven execution to turn clarity into a competitive edge?Subscribe and listen to LevelUp episodes on your favorite podcast platform!Albert Ramos Jr. is the Founder and Fractional CFO at Stratego, a firm that helps high-grow