Nasdaq CFO Uses AI Belt System to Upskill Finance Team

Nasdaq has evolved beyond its roots as a stock exchange into a major provider of market infrastructure, software and risk-management technology to financial institutions. Chief Financial Officer Sarah Youngwood, who took the role in December 2023, views artificial intelligence as an embedded capability rather than a stand-alone initiative. Because finance controls large stores of corporate data, she sees an AI-first model as central to improving forecasting, capital allocation, invoice processing and day-to-day productivity, while retaining governance and human oversight.

Youngwood disclosed on June 24, 2026, that Nasdaq’s finance staff are earning martial-arts-style AI proficiency belts, with every employee required to reach at least white belt and 20% targeted to attain black belt over time. Youngwood expects to reach yellow belt in July. Externally, Nasdaq Verafin’s Agentic AI Workforce, launched on July 21, 2025, automates high-volume anti-money-laundering work. By June 2026, 650 financial institutions had adopted it, while Nasdaq was also applying AI to administrative work, planning and real-time financial forecasts.