14 October, 2026: Ahead of Global Ethics Day on 21 October, the latest survey by ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) has shown a dramatic increase in the number of professional accountants that rank AI use as the leading ethical challenge - cited by 61% of respondents, up from 32% in ACCA’s 2024 survey.
According to the report, Navigating ethics for trust, both ethical leadership (43%) and ethical culture (39%) remain in respondents’ top three ethical challenges. The 2026 survey draws on 1,178 responses from finance and accountancy professionals across 135 countries, with roundtable discussions adding qualitative depth.
The report shows a profession that remains strongly grounded in the fundamental principles – but working in conditions that are becoming more pressured, complex and difficult to navigate in practice. 50% of respondents agreed that ethical challenges have become more difficult to resolve in the last three years, and 53% report witnessing unethical behaviour in that period.
Sundeep Jakhar, Head of Public Affairs – India at ACCA, said: 'As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in financial decision-making, ensuring its responsible use while upholding professional ethics is emerging as a critical priority for the accountancy profession. This report highlights that while AI can enhance the quality and efficiency of work, its use must be underpinned by human judgement, transparency and clear accountability.'
'For India’s evolving financial ecosystem, this underscores the importance of equipping finance professionals with the skills and practical guidance to navigate emerging ethical challenges, alongside fostering organisational cultures that encourage ethical leadership and responsible decision-making. Ultimately, trust in the profession will depend not just on technological capability, but on how consistently ethical principles are applied in practice.'
The report includes a toolkit that provides a practical 10-step process for applying the International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (IEBSA Code) in real situations.
Other key findings from the survey data include:
1. 89% agree ethical capability in the profession remains strong – but it depends on continuous professional development.
2. Trust in the profession is grounded in strong ethical standards (46%), transparency (38%), and independence (36%).
3. Enabling ethical behaviour in practice is a shared responsibility – with ethical culture and leadership acting as core conditions for ethical action. In the survey, ethical leadership and ethical culture remained among the top ethical challenges in both 2024 and 2026.
Sundeep Jakhar added: ‘Ethics has always been at the heart of the ACCA Qualification. We’re stepping that up still further when we introduce our redesigned qualification next year, which has ethics integrated throughout to help future generations navigate emerging challenges.’
