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Data privacy and security remains the leading priority for finance leaders for the third consecutive year, scoring 7.6 out of 10 in Protiviti’s survey of 902 finance professionals, while artificial intelligence jumped from 13th place in 2025 to sixth in 2026. Despite growing adoption, AI is primarily enhancing established finance processes rather than fundamentally transforming the function, with only 1% of respondents saying it is driving significant transformation. Among finance organizations using AI, 76% employ it for financial forecasting, followed by risk assessment and management at 67%, process automation at 56%, and compliance and regulatory reporting at 50%. Measuring returns remains a challenge, with 35% of respondents reporting they are at least moderately effective at assessing AI ROI, compared with 45% for broader business-transformation initiatives, prompting Protiviti to recommend stronger data foundations, advanced analytics, automation, and closer scrutiny of technology investments.

 

CFO

KFC has appointed longtime Yum Brands executive Amy Ellis Durini as its first global chief brand officer, effective November 1st, as the fast-food chain seeks to modernize its brand and strengthen its competitive position, particularly in the U.S. Ms. Durini will oversee global brand strategy, loyalty, retail, new concept development, and innovation, building on a June rebrand that introduced a refreshed logo, revamped stores, new menu items, and an expanded beverage offering. The 34,000-location chain is also increasing its focus on boneless chicken, sauces, and its Kwench by KFC drinks sub-brand as it looks to compete more effectively with rivals including Chick-fil-A and Raising Cane’s.

 

The Independent (UK)

Google Cloud and Accenture have formed the Accenture Gemini Enterprise Business Group to help companies deploy Google Cloud’s agentic artificial intelligence (AI) platform and generate stronger returns from AI investments. Google Cloud will help train up to 1,000 Accenture forward-deployed engineers who will work on-site with customers to identify business processes that can be redesigned with AI, build customized applications, integrate corporate data, and prepare solutions for broader deployment. The initiative addresses persistent challenges with enterprise AI adoption, including integration with existing systems, customization for specific business needs, and organizational change. Accenture chief executive Julie Sweet said many companies are struggling to translate AI investment into bottom-line impact. The partnership enters an increasingly competitive market as OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, and others expand similar forward-deployed engineering programs.

 

Wall Street Journal

Kroger is stepping up its turnaround efforts under new chief executive Greg Foran, who plans to cut costs and lower prices to revive sales growth after identical-store sales excluding fuel slowed to 1% in the first quarter, from 2.4% in the previous quarter and 2.9% in 2025. The retailer has agreed a $1.65bn acquisition of Giant Eagle, which would add around 200 stores and $9bn in annual sales, increasing Kroger’s sales by approximately 6% and expanding its presence in eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. Mr Foran has also rebuilt the senior leadership team following four executive departures, appointing three new executives, including two former Walmart colleagues. Kroger is due to report second-quarter results on September 11th, with analysts expecting adjusted profit of $646m on sales of $34.7bn, against a backdrop of higher inflation, weaker U.S. economic growth and pressure on consumers.

 

Cincinnati Enquirer

Sapien has raised a new funding round led by Neo’s Ali Partovi at a $180m valuation as the two-year-old artificial intelligence (AI) startup expands beyond financial planning and analysis into software designed to identify the operational drivers behind revenue, margins, cash flow, and profitability. Customers include Bayer, Carlex, Cooper Standard, Blink Charging, and Westgate Resorts, with Carlex reporting that Sapien identified a $2m EBITDA drag in an area previously believed to contribute $10m positively, as well as a separate $1.5m opportunity, with the analysis completed in about 20 minutes. Sapien, which has increased its headcount fivefold over the past year, is positioning its platform as a financial and operational system that can investigate business performance and uncover patterns rather than simply automate reports or provide dashboards.

 

Fortune

Canada has imposed retaliatory tariffs on roughly $20bn of U.S. imports, including clothing, cheese, metal parts and wood products, after trade negotiations collapsed and the U.S. introduced 50% duties on selected Canadian goods in August. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government has pledged to respond “dollar for dollar” to U.S. tariffs, raising concerns that further retaliation could increase costs for businesses and consumers on both sides of the border. President Donald Trump has threatened additional measures, including tariffs on Canadian auto imports, while also targeting Bombardier and suggesting further restrictions on bilateral trade, increasing the risk of a broader escalation between the two countries. Already, Sapporo Breweries is to shift some production from Canada to the U.S. in response to 50% tariffs on Canadian beer exports, with production of non-alcoholic beer for the U.S. market set to move by the first half of 2027. The Japanese brewer is also considering acquiring or building a West Coast brewery, or using contract manufacturers, as it seeks to expand its flagship brand in the U.S.

 

CNN

Bloomberg

CTV News

New York Times

Federal Reserve rate hike expectations have increased ahead of the September 16 meeting, with traders pricing a 58.4% probability of a 25-basis-point increase to 3.75%-4% after the U.S. economy added 162,000 jobs in August and unemployment held at 4.1%. Inflation remains above the Fed’s 2% target at 3.4%, prompting Macquarie, Bank of America, and UBS to forecast a September hike, with UBS expecting another increase in December. The shift comes as President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance intensify pressure on Fed Chair Kevin Warsh to lower borrowing costs, with Trump also threatening trade restrictions against countries with which the U.S. runs trade deficits if rates do not fall.

 

Fortune

U.S. aviation investigators are examining the speed, weather conditions and airport safeguards involved in an Amazon cargo plane crash at Miami International Airport that killed five people on the ground and injured five others. The 21 Air-operated Boeing 767 travelled around 1,300 feet beyond the paved runway, striking a van carrying seven people and an SUV. Publicly available data indicated the aircraft was travelling at 112 knots, or about 129mph, as it left the usable runway. The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate why the pilots did not perform a go-around, alongside the aircraft’s mechanical systems, crew experience and air-traffic control, and will assess whether the absence of an Engineering Materials Arresting System at the end of the runway contributed to the severity of the accident.

 

AP News

Reuters

Wall Street Journal

Accounting firms should apply the same benchmarking discipline they use for financial performance to recruitment, retention, and employee development, according to Accountests co-founder Giles Pearson. With hiring involving significant costs and people representing a critical asset for professional services firms, Pearson recommends tracking metrics including promotion rates, staff turnover, employee feedback, unused leave balances, and internal career development. Even without extensive industrywide HR benchmarks, firms can use their own historical performance to identify trends, detect early signs of burnout or dissatisfaction, and assess whether recruitment processes are improving. Pearson also suggests asking hiring managers six months after each appointment whether they would hire the employee again, providing a straightforward measure of recruitment quality that can help firms refine hiring and strengthen long-term profitability.

 

Accounting Today

A federal appeals court has ruled that the U.S. Constitution does not guarantee the right to clean drinking water. The decision by the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirms the dismissal of a 2022 lawsuit over alleged lead-contaminated drinking water in Jackson, Mississippi. The plaintiffs alleged the city knowingly allowed residents to drink unsafe water, and argued that the water contamination violated their constitutional right to bodily integrity under the 14th Amendment’s due process clause. A majority opinion by Judge Kurt Engelhardt said there was no historical basis to find such rights fall under that clause. “The Constitution does not provide redress for every governmental wrongdoing,” he said.

 

USA Today

Bloomberg

Industry trade body Eurometal has said the European industrial sector could lose around 300,000 jobs by the end of the year if the EU doesn't curb the replacement of European suppliers by Chinese manufacturers. The group warned that China is moving deeper into European supply chains by selling finished components, threatening production, investment, jobs, and industrial know-how. Eurometal argues that European producers face carbon costs and steel import tariffs that Chinese components often avoid. Alexander Julius, the president of Eurometal, told the Guardian: “China has made no secret of what it is doing. It is in their five-year plan . . . China doesn’t want to be a raw material supplier, it wants to be a finished product supply. They want to be in key product supply chains because they know that once they control the supply chain, they own the complete value chain.”

 

The Guardian

Billions of dollars linked to Iran are reportedly passing through U.S. correspondent banking accounts each year despite sanctions restricting most financial activity involving Tehran, highlighting the challenges Washington faces in policing the global dollar system. The Treasury identified about $9bn in Iranian funds that moved through American banks in 2024. Iran has used networks of shell companies, currency exchanges, and foreign financial institutions to obscure transactions ultimately cleared by U.S. lenders. The Trump administration is increasing pressure on foreign and American banks to identify suspicious activity, recently moving to restrict the UAE branch of Egypt’s Banque Misr from U.S. correspondent accounts after officials said it routed as much as $1.8bn for companies potentially connected to Iranian shadow-banking networks. However, tougher enforcement carries risks, including disrupting legitimate international banking, reducing U.S. visibility into Iranian financial activity, and encouraging greater use of alternatives to the dollar, such as the Chinese yuan and cryptocurrency.

 

Wall Street Journal

Volkswagen has announced plans to sell its Osnabrueck plant to Aurelius Capital and the German state of Lower Saxony, in a transition from car production to defense equipment manufacturing. An initial air defense project is planned for the Israeli firm Rafael Advanced Defence Systems. The move is part of the company's broader strategy to address challenges from Chinese competition and declining electric vehicle sales. Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume said: "With today's agreement, we are taking an important step towards opening up a new industrial future for the site." The deal aims to preserve 1,200 jobs and establish a long-term partnership with Rafael for air defense production in Germany and Europe.

 

France 24