Manual vs Automated Treasury Forecasting: What’s the Real Cost?
This article is written by Palm Introduction If you’ve ever lost a full afternoon chasing down missing bank files, fixing broken spreadsheet links, or double-checking cash flow formulas — you’re not alone.For many treasury teams, manual forecasting has been the norm for years. It’s what we know, what we inherited, and what still kind of works.But as your business grows more complex — more accounts, more currencies, more uncertainty — that once-reliable spreadsheet becomes harder to trust and even harder to maintain. And the real cost? It isn’t just time. It’s the opportunity you lose when your team is stuck in a loop of updates, rather than shaping strategy. This post explores what treasury teams are really giving up by staying manual — and what’s possible when you replace the routine with a tool built to do the heavy lifting. 1. Time: The Most Expensive Resource in Treasury What It Looks Like Today Most treasury teams spend an inordinate amount of time building and maintaining forecasting spreadsheets. Across dozens of companies we’ve interviewed, we found: Even small errors in these forecasts can result in significant misallocations of liquidity or missed opportunities for yield optimization. What Changes with Tools Purpose-built tools automate data collection and harmonization. Whether from ERPs, bank portals, TMS platforms, or spreadsheets, modern systems ingest real-time cash flow data and surface insights instantly. Key outcomes: 2. Accuracy, Consistency, and Confidence The Risks of Manual Forecasting Manual forecasting isn’t just slow — it’s risky. Common issues include: The result? Treasury teams report internal forecast variances of 10–20% regularly — particularly when business units operate in silos or when revenue is highly seasonal. Worse still, these inaccuracies erode trust from senior stakeholders like the CFO or board. Forecasting with Tools Modern forecasting platforms bring consistency to the chaos: 3. Strategic Enablement vs. Survival Mode Manual processes keep treasury teams in a loop of survival: chasing data, correcting errors, and defending assumptions. There’s little room left for what treasury should actually do: advise, allocate, and anticipate. The Manual Trap The Strategic Shift with Tools Modern platforms flip the script. Real-time visibility enables: 4. Team Morale, Talent Retention, and Growth Manual forecasting doesn’t just drain hours — it drains energy. Top treasury talent doesn’t want to reconcile CSVs all day. They want to use their expertise to drive strategy, optimize cash, and support the broader business. The more teams stay stuck in manual loops, the higher the risk of turnover and disengagement. What Manual Processes Do to Teams: What Tools Enable: 5. Let’s Be Clear: Tools Don’t Replace Treasurers — They Free Them At Palm, we don’t believe technology replaces the human factor. Treasury is — and always will be — a function that relies on expertise, judgment, and business context. Yes, pulse checks and manual inputs still matter. Yes, a human lens is needed to read between the lines. But today, that expertise is too often spent cleaning spreadsheets instead of influencing outcomes. Modern tools aren’t about automating people away. They’re about giving treasury professionals back the time and headspace to work on the things that actually drive business growth: We don’t want to replace your treasury team. We want to amplify it. 6. Manual vs Tools Forecasting at a Glance Area Manual Setup With Automation Tools Time spent High — forecasting tasks represent a high percentage of weekly tasks Low — most inputs and updates are automated Data Quality Manually cleaned and restructured Auto-standardised and categorised Update Cadence Weekly, sometimes delayed Daily or live Scenarios Manual duplication + error-prone formulas One-click simulation Collaboration Email chains, duplicate versions Shared access, in-app reports Variances 10–20% forecast error common Reduced through standard inputs + variance flags Strategic Output Compliance-focused Decision-ready forecasts Morale Repetitive tasks, low engagement Strategic focus, ownership and clarity Conclusion: What’s It Costing You to Stay Manual? Manual forecasting might feel manageable — even necessary. But it’s not scalable, not accurate, and not aligned with the expectations facing today’s treasury teams. The organisations we work with aren’t replacing treasurers with tech. They’re elevating them by removing what gets in the way. If you’re still relying on spreadsheets, here are three questions to ask yourself: Also Read Join our Treasury Community Treasury Masterminds is a community of professionals working in treasury management or those interested in learning more about various topics related to treasury management, including cash management, foreign exchange management, and payments. To register and connect with Treasury professionals, click [HERE] or fill out the form below. Notice: JavaScript is required for this content.
Franklin
Treasury Trends for 2026: Building Smarter, Faster and More Resilient Treasury Functions
Written by Patrick KunzFounder/Board member, Treasury Masterminds When considering the treasury trends of 2026, the Treasury has never been more visible than it is heading into 2026. Markets remain unpredictable, supply chains twitch at the slightest disturbance, regulation swells like a badly managed ERP project, and CFOs want clarity in places where clarity is… optimistic. Treasury isn’t simply managing cash anymore. It’s shaping how organisations stay resilient, react quickly and plan confidently. The coming year will bring a set of trends that will define how modern treasuries operate and what constitutes “good” practice. 1. Liquidity Becomes a Strategic Infrastructure Layer The old idea that liquidity structures exist purely to “sweep surplus cash” is gone. In 2026, liquidity architecture becomes core financial infrastructure. Companies are redesigning their setup to deliver: Treasurers who treat liquidity as a design discipline rather than an administrative task will outpace competitors, especially in multi-market environments. 2. Treasury Trends of 2026: Forecasting Finally Grows Up Treasury forecasting has often been a mix of spreadsheets, instinct, and quiet despair. Not anymore.Volatility makes precision non-negotiable, and 2026 pushes organisations toward: The treasurer’s role evolves from “reporting variance” to “guiding business decisions.” 3. Technology Goes Modular Treasury systems are moving from monolithic giants to ecosystem architectures.Instead of ripping out and replacing entire landscapes, companies are layering: This modular approach reduces implementation pain, speeds up deployment and finally gives treasurers what they’ve been asking for: flexibility. 4. Treasury Trends of 2026: AI Moves Out of the Experiment Phase If 2024–25 were about pilots, 2026 is about production.AI becomes part of day-to-day treasury operations with use cases like: It’s less about replacing treasurers and more about reducing the work nobody wants to do, so teams can focus on strategy instead of digital housekeeping. 5. Banking Relationships Shrink and Intensify Treasuries are trimming their banking panels to improve pricing, streamline KYC, and reduce operational drag. At the same time, relationships with core partners are becoming deeper and more data-driven. However, regulatory realities mean that even with fewer banks, complexity doesn’t magically disappear. Treasurers will need sharper governance frameworks and better documentation to avoid falling behind. 6. The Talent Gap Becomes Impossible to Ignore Demand for treasury expertise keeps rising faster than supply.Technology accelerates. Regulation expands. Teams stay small. 2026 forces companies to rethink how they resource treasury: Treasury is becoming a hybrid model: lean internal teams supported by specialised external capability. 7. Treasury Steps Fully Into Its Strategic Role This is the big shift. Treasury’s voice is now required early, not as an afterthought.Whether it’s FX strategy, pricing, supplier terms, investment decisions or scenario planning, treasury is being asked to influence—not just execute. Companies that elevate treasury as a strategic advisor will navigate volatility far better than those who treat it as a reporting function. Treasury Trends of 2026: The Year Treasury Builds What’s Next The strongest treasuries next year won’t be the ones with the biggest tech stack or the most complex policies. They’ll be the ones that master simplicity, integration and clarity. A Note from Treasury Masterminds Treasury is changing quickly, but the best insights rarely come from vendor brochures or generic trend reports. They come from real treasurers sharing what works, what breaks, and what they’d do differently next time. That’s exactly what we’re building at Treasury Masterminds: a place to share practical knowledge, lessons learned, and real-world treasury stories. If there’s a topic you’d like us to cover in 2026, or if you have an article idea you want to contribute (solo or co-written), send it our way. The best content is the content that treasury people actually recognise as true. Also Read Join our Treasury Community Treasury Mastermind is a community of professionals working in treasury management or those interested in learning more about various topics related to treasury management, including cash management, foreign exchange management, and payments. To register and connect with Treasury professionals, click [HERE] or fill out the form below to get more information. Notice: JavaScript is required for this content.