In the face of new regulatory rules, research by the recruitment firm of Robert Half UK has revealed that the need to comply is the top priority for nearly half (48%) of financial firms' chief finance officers for 2018.

In a year where legislation from the European Union such as MiFID II, the second Payment Systems Directive and the General Data Protection Regulation all come into effect, it is the first time in three years that the regulatory environment has risen back to the top of the CFO agenda in the Robert Half surveys. Second on the list is the need to prepare for Brexit (43%) as the Government's exit negotiations continue. The need to retail talented people, to maintain cash flows and to manage the effect of automation and new digital technology on the finance function were each identified by 39% of respondents.  

The top three priorities for CFOs in 2018, then, were as follows.

• Meeting compliance and regulatory demands (48%).
• Preparing for uncertainty surrounding Brexit (43%).
• Retaining key talent (39%).
• Maintaining cash flow (39%).
• Managing the impact of automation (39%).

Despite these problems, the research shows that most CFOs remain positive in outlook, with 84% confident about their companies' growth prospects and 89% making investments that allow them to respond to these challenges.