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AI in Finance: Governance Handbook for the CFO

Compliance, external auditors, and Decision Layer before August 2026. Free PDF download.

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What You Will Find in This Handbook

The EU AI Act classifies AI-assisted credit decisions as high-risk (Annex III No. 5b). 73% of organizations still lack a governance framework (ISACA 2024). This handbook closes the gap - with finance-specific frameworks, checklists, and a Readiness Assessment.

1

Why the CFO must lead AI governance in Finance - not IT

Governance ownership, role model, and CFO checklist.

2

Three types of financial decisions: Human, Rule-based, AI

The H/R/A framework with an Agent Readiness Score for each finance process.

3

EU AI Act: Requirements for the financial sector

High-risk delineation (Annex III No. 5b) with compliance checklist.

4

External auditors as governance partners

ISA 315, Auditor Portal, AI Literacy obligation since February 2025.

5

4 Finance processes in the Decision Layer

Accounts Payable, Travel Expenses, Financial Close, Fraud Detection - with Zero-Touch rates.

6

Finance Readiness Assessment (10 questions)

Where does your organization stand? Self-assessment with score and action recommendations.

7

90-day plan to get started

Inventory, Design, Pilot - structured path to the Decision Layer in three months.

Download for free

PDF, 28 pages. Delivered instantly by email.

EU AI Act Compliance Checklist (Finance)
H/R/A Decision Framework
Finance Readiness Assessment to fill in
90-day implementation plan
External Auditor Checklist (ISA 315)

5 Key Figures from the Handbook

5%

of annual revenue is lost to fraud worldwide

ACFE 2024

42%

of all invoices in accounts payable are still processed manually

Institute of Finance & Management 2024

88-95%

Zero-Touch rate with Decision Layer in finance processes

Gosign client projects

1:4-5

Investment ratio: 1 EUR technology = 4-5 EUR governance

McKinsey 2024

EUR 15M

Maximum penalty for violating high-risk obligations

EU AI Act, Art. 99

Who Is This Handbook For?

CFO / VP Finance

You are responsible for the AI strategy in finance and need a framework that convinces external auditors, legal, and the board at the same time.

Head of Finance / Accounting Manager

You implement AI-powered processes and need clear decision rules: What to automate, what not? How do you maintain audit assurance?

External Auditor / Internal Audit

You audit AI-powered financial processes and need transparency: Which postings does the agent process, which does a human? How does the audit trail work?

Finance Compliance / Legal

You need to implement EU AI Act requirements for financial processes and need a compliance checklist with concrete measures and ICS integration.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who is this eBook for?

For CFOs, Heads of Finance, Accounting Managers, external auditors, and compliance officers at organizations with 500+ employees that use or plan to use AI systems in financial processes.

What makes this handbook different from other AI guides?

Finance-specific governance focus: external auditor perspective, ICS integration, audit trail for audit assurance, EU AI Act compliance checklist, and a Finance Readiness Assessment you can fill in.

Is the eBook really free?

Yes. We only ask for your email address. You will receive the PDF immediately and optionally our monthly AI Governance Briefing.

How current is the EU AI Act information?

As of March 2026. Includes Digital Omnibus Package status (potential postponement of the high-risk deadline to December 2027) and current delineation: which finance processes fall under high-risk and which do not.

Book a consultation

We will show you the Decision Layer applied to your own finance processes. 30 minutes, free of charge.