INTHEBLACK May 2026 - Magazine - Page 10
FAST FOCUS
1. Partnership: Cultivate relationships with entities
such as technology providers, banks and other partners
that prioritise security and thoroughly screen all new
vendors before establishing payment relationships.
2. Assessment: Conduct a thorough inventory of
payment flows and map overall organisational risk profile
by identifying high-risk scenarios such as new vendor
relationships, changes to existing vendor banking details
and unusual payment requests.
3. Technology: Seek automated systems that can verify
vendor identities, validate banking information and flag
suspicious patterns without creating bottlenecks.
Keep humans in the loop to weigh questions about ethics
and risk.
CFOS FACE CYBER RISK
As the rate of cybercrime continues to grow across the
globe, the threat is no longer an IT issue but an enterprise
continuity risk. Data from The Cybersecurity Guide for CFOs
from Eftsure shows cybercrime losses hit US$16 billion
(A$22.33 billion) at the end of 2025.
How can CFOs strengthen payment controls without
sacrificing efficiency? The report outlines a five-point
control framework.
4. Process: Establish clear workflows and mandatory
protocols for any changes to vendor banking information.
When legitimate urgent payments occur, ensure they
trigger heightened scrutiny rather than bypassing controls.
5. People: Conduct regular, targeted training to help
teams recognise red flags and foster a culture where
questioning suspicious payment requests is not only
acceptable but expected.
Read the guide
GEN AI UPTAKE OUTPACES POLICY
Professionals are integrating generative AI into their workflows at a rapid rate. Results of the 2025 Generative AI in
Professional Services Report from Thomson Reuters shows the percentage of respondents who said their organisations
are actively using GenAI almost doubled to 22 per cent in 2025, compared to 12 per cent in 2024.
50 per cent said their organisations are either creating plans to use GenAI or deciding whether or not to do so.
However, the rise in general GenAI usage has not translated to widespread guardrails around its use. More than half
of respondents said they believed their organisations had no policies around GenAI at work, whether standalone
or as part of a larger technology policy.
Meanwhile, about two-thirds said they had received no GenAI training at work.
Read the report
10 INTHEBLACK May 2026
