U.S. finance leaders are cautious on growth, but AI could change that

Coface’s 2026 risk survey finds 57% of U.S. finance and risk executives would rather reject an opportunity than build the case for it, even as 80% say AI could improve decision-making. The findings suggest U.S. companies have the governance to grow, but a cautious culture is slowing them down.

Why it matters: - U.S. finance and risk leaders may be holding back expansion even when the business case exists. - The survey suggests AI could help speed decisions, but only if companies trust the data feeding those tools. - The gap between risk control and growth is becoming a competitive issue, not just an internal process problem.

What happened: - Coface’s 2026 Risk Survey: Risk Management from Risk Control to Growth Engine found 57% of U.S. finance and risk executives would rather turn down an opportunity than build the case for it. - The survey found 80% of U.S. finance and risk leaders are betting on artificial intelligence to help them say yes more often. - The research covered 1,250 senior finance and risk leaders across 13 countries, including 150 in the U.S. - Coleman Parkes conducted the survey in February 2026 among business decision-makers at medium to large companies with at least $50 million in revenue.

The details: - 57% of U.S. executives say saying no feels safer than building a case for yes, above the global average of 50%. - When entering a new market, only 17% of U.S. leaders start by looking for a path forward, while 31% start by looking at what could go wrong. - Just 33% say they are comfortable entering a new market without a complete view of the risks. - 33% name slow decision-making as the single biggest obstacle to growth. - 66% point to internal risk aversion as a growth barrier. - 65% say commercial ambition and risk discipline are fundamentally at odds, slightly above the global average of 62%. - Risk teams are involved at the idea stage in 29% of U.S. firms, compared with 24% globally. - 78% say leaders balance growth and risk. - Only 28% see risk teams as growth partners, while 42% describe them as trusted guardians against downside. - 51% expect risk and finance to become strategic growth partners within three to five years. - 71% say translating risk into commercial trade-offs is critical. - 66% want risk teams to flag opportunities, not just problems. - 76% of U.S. firms have clear decision rights. - 71% link their risk appetite directly to growth strategy. - 80% say AI-driven insights and early warning signals are a top priority. - 68% want predictive data built into daily workflows instead of a separate system. - 31% say data quality varies significantly by market, making comparison across the business harder. - 67% want partners that help them say yes to more opportunities safely. - 59% want protection that enables bolder decisions. - Globally, only 12.6% of companies have shifted to a growth-oriented model. - Among that group, 70% involve risk teams from the earliest stages of decision-making, compared with 58% on average.

Between the lines: - The survey points to a structural mismatch: U.S. companies have the governance frameworks for growth, but many still use risk functions mainly to stop bad decisions. - AI is emerging as the fix for hesitation, but the report suggests technology cannot overcome weak or inconsistent underlying data. - Coface North America CEO Christina Montes de Oca said AI alone will not solve the problem and that companies need better intelligence and organizational confidence to act on it. - Coface helps 100,000 businesses across about 200 markets protect against customer nonpayment through trade credit insurance and other risk services.

What's next: - U.S. companies are likely to keep pushing AI deeper into finance and risk workflows as they look for faster, more confident decisions. - The bigger test will be whether leaders use AI to support more growth decisions, or simply to document why they said no. - If data quality improves and risk teams gain more commercial influence, the survey suggests more firms could shift from risk control to growth engine.