Good morning. The investigation into agricultural giant Archer Daniels Midland’s (ADM) accounting issues tied to its nutrition segment has made headlines over the past few years.
ADM announced on Tuesday that it has entered into a settlement agreement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to resolve its investigation into ADM’s prior reporting of inter-segment sales, without admitting or denying any wrongdoing. As part of the settlement, ADM agreed to pay a $40 million penalty.
According to the SEC, ADM engaged in years of profit-shifting that made its star nutrition segment appear to meet ambitious growth targets, even as demand softened and margins declined. Three former top executives, including two past CFOs, have been charged. Two have settled, while Vikram Luthar, CFO from 2022 to 2024, is preparing for a courtroom fight as he denies the charges.
“ADM has implemented significant changes to its financial leadership team and financial controls,” the company said in a press release on Tuesday. Monish Patolawala has served as ADM’s EVP and CFO since Aug. 1, 2024. He previously held the CFO role at 3M. You can read my article about ADM and Luthar here.
ADM (No. 50 on the Fortune 500) is one of the latest high-profile financial scandals involving large public companies. Despite existing regulations and safeguards, fraud continues to occur. But can AI come to the rescue?
Technology tools ranging from advanced analytics to artificial intelligence are increasingly being used to detect and prevent fraud—and they’re already in use today. A recent paper published in the Academy of Accounting and Financial Studies Journal explores the role of AI in reducing risks and enhancing financial security through fraud detection in accounting. The researchers found that maintaining detailed audit trails of AI decision-making processes ensures transparency and traceability.
However, AI is not a standalone solution; it must be integrated with robust internal controls and human oversight to provide optimal protection against fraud and strengthen financial security, according to the research findings.
Ultimately, it comes back to having a human in the loop, and when it comes to accounting procedures and compliance, the buck stops with the CFO.
Sheryl Estrada
sheryl.estrada@fortune.com
