The Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Pakistan (ICMA International) has announced an online webinar focused on the practical application of artificial intelligence in finance, giving finance professionals an opportunity to explore how AI tools can support everyday work. Organised by ICMA’s Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) Branch Council in collaboration with the National CPD Committee, the session is titled “AI in Finance: Tools, Prompting and Orchestration.” It is scheduled for Saturday, October 31, 2026, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM Saudi Arabia time, corresponding to 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM Pakistan time. The webinar will be conducted online through Zoom and is designed for participants who want to understand how AI can be used in finance without needing a technical background. According to ICMA’s announcement, the session will cover selecting suitable AI tools, writing effective prompts and connecting tools to automate finance workflows. The institute has listed the event as providing two hours of continuing professional development (CPD), making it relevant to accountants, management accountants, finance executives and other professionals seeking to develop their understanding of emerging technologies. ICMA has described participation as requiring only the attendee’s time, indicating that no registration fee has been specified in the announcement.
The webinar will feature Saad Lakhani, an ACCA professional, as the speaker, while Zia Mustafa, FCMA and a member of the KSA Branch Council, will serve as host. Its planned focus reflects the growing interest in applying AI to tasks such as financial reporting, data analysis, document preparation, budgeting and routine administrative work. Selecting an appropriate AI tool is an important first step because different platforms offer different capabilities, limitations and data-handling arrangements. Finance professionals may use AI assistants to summarise information, draft explanations, organise research or help prepare initial versions of reports, but the usefulness of these applications depends on the quality of the information supplied and the way outputs are reviewed. The session’s emphasis on prompting is also relevant because clear instructions can help AI systems produce more useful responses. Effective prompts generally define the task, provide relevant context, specify the expected format and explain any restrictions that the output must follow. In a finance environment, these practices can help professionals structure repetitive tasks and prepare more consistent working drafts. However, AI-generated calculations, financial interpretations and regulatory explanations still require appropriate verification, particularly where mistakes could affect reporting, compliance or business decisions. The webinar is intended to introduce participants to practical techniques rather than require them to have prior programming or AI development experience.
Another key topic is orchestration, which involves coordinating multiple tools or steps to complete a workflow. Instead of using an AI assistant for a single isolated task, professionals can explore how different stages of a process may be connected, such as gathering information, summarising documents, preparing a draft and checking the resulting output. For finance teams, this approach could help organise repetitive processes and reduce manual effort in activities that follow a predictable sequence. Examples might include preparing preliminary summaries of expense records, organising supporting documents or generating an initial narrative to accompany financial data. The specific demonstrations or tools that will be covered during the ICMA session have not been detailed in the announcement, so no particular software platform or automated finance solution can be confirmed. The broader concept nevertheless has practical relevance as organisations consider where AI can assist employees while retaining appropriate human oversight. Finance professionals also need to consider confidentiality when using external AI services, particularly when working with customer information, internal financial statements, payroll data or commercially sensitive records. Organisations should follow their applicable data-protection policies and avoid submitting restricted information to tools that have not been approved for such use. Reviewing outputs for accuracy, maintaining clear accountability and preserving human approval for consequential decisions remain important considerations when introducing AI into finance workflows.
ICMA’s announcement highlights the institute’s role in providing professional learning opportunities around changing business and technology practices. For accountants and finance professionals, understanding AI tools can complement established expertise in accounting standards, financial analysis, internal controls and management reporting. The aim is not simply to use new technology, but to identify tasks where it can offer practical assistance without compromising accuracy or professional responsibility. The two-hour webinar offers participants an introduction to tool selection, prompt writing and workflow orchestration in a format intended for both technical and non-technical audiences. The event will take place on October 31, 2026, with the session running from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM Pakistan time. Further details about the registration process, joining instructions and any participation requirements should be confirmed through the official registration page. As AI becomes increasingly relevant to routine business processes, sessions of this kind can help finance professionals understand the available capabilities, identify appropriate use cases and approach adoption with a clearer view of the controls required for responsible use.
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