The Citizens 2026 AI Trends in Financial Management report shows accelerating AI adoption among U.S. midsize companies and private equity firms as realized ROI increasingly matches expectations. Agentic AI has emerged as a major catalyst in 2025, with most firms planning deployment in 2026 for use cases such as fraud detection, cybersecurity, and financial planning and analysis. More companies are bringing AI development in-house while maintaining outsourced AI for fraud monitoring, especially in PE. Average reported AI ROI reached 35% in 2025, nearing success thresholds, and nearly all firms using agentic AI report gains in efficiency and productivity. Customer satisfaction has become a leading metric of AI success, and PE firms are prioritizing AI maturity when evaluating portfolio investments.

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