Treasury Contrarian View: Forecasting Accuracy Is Overrated
Cash forecasting is often described as the holy grail of treasury. Countless hours are spent fine-tuning spreadsheets, implementing new tools, and chasing the elusive “perfect forecast.” But here’s the contrarian view: forecast accuracy is overrated. What matters more is flexibility, adaptability, and decision-making agility. Why Forecast Accuracy May Be Overrated What Matters More Than Accuracy A Smarter Forecasting Approach Let’s Discuss We’ll feature insights from treasurers, CFOs, and forecasting tech providers—share your perspective below! COMMENTS Patrick Kunz, Treasury Masterminds Founder/Board Member, comments: “Couldn’t agree more with this contrarian view. I’ve seen too many treasurers obsess over a forecast being 95.3% accurate while the business around them is changing by the hour. You know what? The CFO doesn’t care about the decimal places, they care if you can react when the unexpected happens. Forecasts are always wrong (yes, always). The trick isn’t perfection, it’s agility. Can you re-forecast quickly? Can you explain the why behind variances? Can you give your CFO the confidence that, no matter what happens, treasury is on top of it? Understand your numbers. A treasurer who doesn’t know the story behind the numbers is just a number cruncher, a computer can replace that 😉 Story telling and internal relationship that help you tell this story -> irreplaceable. I’d rather have a 75% accurate forecast with a plan B, C, and D which is explainable than a 95% accurate one that’s outdated the moment it leaves Excel and I cannot sell to the CFO” Johann Isturiz Acevedo, Treasury Masterminds Board Member, comments: Forecasting is still something considered as important but no sacred , two things that we have learned over the last year is about the way that we respond changes and responsiveness. When we build forecast is important to include sensitives in term of flexibility and strategic insight. It is not the same to forecast in Egypt as if we forecast in Spain forecast in Egypt. We as treasurers and finance functions need to measure how to mitigate changes in our forecast and how to respond in each situation to avoid issues in our supply chain process and fix cost payment. Anticpation and way of pilot remain as king. Tanya Kohen, Treasury Masterminds Board Member, comments: Cash forecasts are never static. Customer payments slip, supply chains shift, and conditions change. The real value is not in hitting 95% accuracy at a single point, but in constantly adjusting as new information comes in. The level of detail matters. Invoice patterns and customer or supplier behavior give real insight, while historical bank deposits may look steady but can point in the wrong direction. By layering adjustments like due dates, payment behavior, seasonality, late payment probabilities, risk scores, and macro signals, forecasts become more realistic and more useful for decisions. From this perspective, accuracy is less important than agility. Treasury teams that see forecasting as a living process, not a fixed deliverable, are better prepared to manage liquidity, allocate capital, and respond quickly when things shift. Matthias Varenkamp, Account Executive at Cobase, Comments: At Cobase we see treasurers working with different banks, multiple ERPs and local payment systems. In that environment, even the smartest forecast model struggles, because the inputs are incomplete or outdated. Accuracy becomes a mirage. The real challenge is: Our view: Forecasting adds value when it’s built on consolidated, real-time data and tied directly to execution. That’s what allows treasurers to adapt and make decisions with confidence even when the forecast itself is “wrong.” 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.
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How Cash Management Automation Can Transform Your Business Operations
This article is written by our partner, Nilus In a world where every dollar counts and every hour matters, manual cash management is costing you more than you think. From missed optimization opportunities to delayed decisions and duplicated effort, outdated cash processes are dragging finance teams down. The good news? There’s a better way. Cash management automation helps treasury and finance teams to work faster, smarter, and with greater confidence. Whether you’re trying to reduce reconciliation headaches, optimize liquidity across entities, or support more agile forecasting, automation is the lever that turns tactical treasury work into a strategic advantage. In this post, we’ll explore the must-have features of automated cash management systems, explain how cash allocation software transforms liquidity planning, and show how finance leaders are using automation to shift from reactive reporting to proactive control. Key Takeaways Why Automating Cash Management Is a Strategic Advantage If your team is still reconciling cash across spreadsheets, toggling between bank portals, and manually allocating funds between accounts, you’re not just working harder; you’re flying blind. Manual processes slow everything down: decision-making, reporting, investment timing, and risk response. And as your organization scales, so does the complexity and the cost of getting cash wrong. Automating cash management doesn’t just clean up inefficiencies. It unlocks a new level of agility, insight, and control. Instead of playing catch-up with your cash flow, you’re anticipating issues and optimizing resources proactively. Here’s how automation delivers a strategic edge: In short, automating cash management doesn’t just make you faster, it makes you smarter. And in today’s unpredictable market, that intelligence is what separates you from the pack. Key Features of Cash Management Automation Tools The right automation tools do more than just digitize workflows; they fundamentally rewire how cash gets managed. Whether you’re a global enterprise or a high-growth company juggling multiple entities, modern cash management platforms act as the command center for your liquidity. They centralize cash data, automate recurring processes, and deliver timely insights to drive confident action. These tools aren’t just about speed; they’re about strategic enablement. Here’s what to look for in a cash management automation solution built for modern finance: Here are the must-have features that define a best-in-class solution: 1. Transaction Scheduling & Recurring Payments No more calendar reminders or last-minute logins to make critical payments. Automation tools handle recurring disbursements like payroll, leases, vendor bills, and tax payments with rule-based scheduling. This reduces the risk of missed deadlines, avoids costly late fees, and ensures your payment cycle runs like clockwork. You can also adapt schedules easily when vendors, amounts, or due dates change, without rebuilding your entire workflow. 2. Bank & Smart Safe Reconciliation Reconciliation doesn’t have to take days or even hours. Automation tools instantly match bank transactions, smart safe deposits, and internal records in real time. They flag mismatches the moment they occur, making investigations faster and reducing end-of-month surprises. This not only tightens controls and audit readiness but also significantly cuts down on manual labor across finance and store operations. 3. Cash Allocation & Liquidity Tracking Seeing your cash is one thing, optimizing it is another. Automated tools monitor cash by account, entity, and region, and reallocate it where needed most. Whether it’s funding APAC payroll from EMEA surpluses or topping up an investment account from a revenue windfall, cash gets where it needs to be, automatically. You stay within thresholds, avoid idle capital, and optimize yield without manual transfers. 4. Integrated Data Synchronization Disparate systems create blind spots. Cash automation tools sync bank feeds, ERP data, AR/AP platforms, and treasury systems into a single source of truth. This integration ensures that your forecast, actuals, and transaction details are always aligned and that your team is always working with real-time numbers. It eliminates spreadsheet jockeying and gives everyone access to the same, current view of liquidity. 5. Dashboards & Alerts Static reports can’t keep up with dynamic cash movement. Real-time dashboards visualize key metrics like available cash, net cash flow, and forecast variances across any dimension, region, currency, or business unit. Meanwhile, alerting rules notify your team of exceptions: when cash dips below critical thresholds, collections slow unexpectedly, or major payments hit. You stay ahead of issues and seize opportunities before they pass. These features work together to eliminate bottlenecks, reduce latency, and build confidence in your numbers. Benefits of Automated Cash Flow Management for Modern Finance Teams Finance leaders today are expected to be strategic advisors, not spreadsheet operators. Yet too often, they’re stuck troubleshooting reconciliations, chasing down data from different systems, or manually compiling liquidity reports. This reactive mode isn’t just inefficient, it’s risky. Automated cash flow management changes the equation. It arms treasury teams with the tools and insights they need to lead proactively, not just report retrospectively. Whether you’re navigating a liquidity crunch or preparing for growth, automation provides the real-time clarity and control needed to act with confidence. Here’s how it empowers modern teams: Real-Time Decision-Making You don’t make next month’s decisions with last month’s data. Automation tools show your cash flow, forecasts, and variances in real time. This means: Lower Risk, Higher Confidence Real-time reconciliation and anomaly detection help flag fraud, errors, and unexpected shortfalls before they become major issues. Automated workflows ensure: Time and Cost Savings Manual cash management takes time, hours a week per staff member. With automation, treasury teams can: How Cash Allocation Software Optimizes Liquidity Planning Even with real-time cash visibility, knowing where to move your money and when is a constant challenge. That’s where cash allocation software becomes invaluable. It bridges the gap between visibility and action by automatically distributing cash to where it’s needed most, based on logic you define and data you trust. This isn’t just about moving money around; it’s about making every dollar work smarter across your organization. Dynamic Fund Positioning Instead of letting cash sit idle in accounts, allocation tools move money based on: Scenario Modeling What if customer collections slow by 15%? What if you delay a capital project? Allocation platforms allow you to model…
Bank Capital Rules: Why Treasurers Should Care
From Treasury Masterminds Capital requirements for banks sound like something for regulators in Basel. Dry stuff, right? Not quite. For treasurers, they hit much closer to home — in your counterparty risk and in the price you pay for funding. Banks’ Cost of Capital = Your Loan Pricing When banks lend to corporates, they have to hold capital against that loan. The higher the regulatory capital charge, the higher their cost. That cost shows up directly in your spread. Here’s the catch: not all banks calculate that cost the same way. I’ve seen this play out in real life: two treasurers, same rating, same market, but debt pricing miles apart — purely because of how the bank models its balance sheet. Counterparty Risk Goes Beyond Default When we talk counterparty risk, it’s usually “will my bank survive a crisis?” But this is also about regulatory complexity. In short: the way banks manage capital determines how much risk you’re carrying, and how much you’re paying for it. Why the Bundesbank’s Push Matters The Bundesbank is pushing to simplify the EU capital framework. Fewer overlapping buffers, clearer distinction between what’s “usable in stress” and what isn’t. For treasurers, this could mean: That’s not a regulatory footnote. That’s directly relevant to how you manage your liquidity and debt portfolio. Takeaways for Treasurers Final Word Capital regulation may look like a bank issue. It’s not. For treasurers, it’s part of the plumbing that drives counterparty risk and funding cost. Ignore it, and you’re flying blind. Watch it, and you’ll know why one bank quotes you 100bps tighter than another. 👉 This is the kind of nuance corporate treasury teams need to stay sharp on. 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.
Danske Bank and FinanceKey Deliver Real-Time Treasury forEnterprise Customers
This Press Release is from our Partner, FinanceKey Copenhagen, September 2025: Danske Bank today announced a collaboration with FinanceKey to deliver real-time access to liquidity data, enabling CFOs and treasury teams to operate with greater speed, accuracy, and foresight. The collaboration underscores Danske Bank’s growing role as a key bank partner within the financial ecosystem – helping corporate customers unlock the full potential of embedding financial services within any system. This reflects a broader industry shift. According to PwC’s 2025 Global Treasury Survey, cash and liquidity management remain the top priorities for CFOs and treasurers, with 65% of organisations planning to expand API use in the coming years. Treasury teams are evolving from support functions into strategic decision-makers, requiring access to trusted, real-time data. “With our Premium APIs, we want to help financial teams predict the future, not just describe the past,” said Johan Wennerberg, Head of Cash Management at Danske Bank. “As part of our Forward’28 strategy, we are embedding financial services directly into the systems our customers already use. This approach is designed to make daily financial operations smoother, faster, and more resilient, enabling CFOs to make better decisions in a rapidly changing environment.” Real-Time Treasury at Scale As part of the integration, FinanceKey is piloting Danske Bank’s new Premium Account Transaction & Balance API, giving their joint corporate customers real-time visibility of liquidity across multiple accounts in a single dashboard. “Danske Bank’s boldness in embracing true collaboration is what sets this project apart,” said Macer Skeels, Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder of FinanceKey. “This is a real-world example of what happens when banks and fintechs stop talking and start building – not in isolation, but in collaboration with the financial teams who will use the technology. This is exactly the kind of approach the treasury technology ecosystem needs to deliver lasting value for customers.” Powering the Next Chapter of Financial Services This illustrates how financial services in the Nordic region are being reshaped by Premium APIs, real-time infrastructure, and ecosystem collaboration. Danske Bank’s integration services act as a single entry point for customers and third parties to seamlessly connect their systems with the bank – offering access to file solutions, regulatory APIs, and Premium API products that improve efficiency across payables, receivables, and reporting. “Through our Premium API pilot program, we’re co-developing solutions with customers and partners to ensure we address the real challenges financial teams face,” said Christie H. Kristensen, Integration Partnership Manager at Danske Bank. “This is how we support businesses in today’s data-driven economy: by providing the trusted infrastructure that enables smarter decisions.” By taking a platform-based approach and building a partner-led distribution model, Danske Bank is helping financial teams modernise operations and bridging the gap between finance and technology, breaking down data silos, and enabling agility. About Danske Bank As the preferred bank for Nordic corporate and institutional customers, Danske Bank release the potential in people and businesses by using the power of finance to create sustainable progress today and for generations to come. As the largest bank in Danmark, we are committed to using our expertise and size to drive scale – alone and in partnership with others – while creating volume by encouraging and inspiring our customers to use their power. About FinanceKey FinanceKey is a payment, cash management and banking connectivity platform built for enterprise finance teams. Companies use FinanceKey as their single source of real-time treasury data – either through its intuitive interface or by integrating its treasury API to power real-time workflows across existing systems. Trusted by global organisations, FinanceKey accelerates the shift to intelligent, connected treasury operations. Also Read
The key to cash flow visibility across multiple banks
This article is written by Nomentia What is cash flow visibility across banks? Cash flow visibility is the ability to see, in real time, how much liquidity a company has across all banks and entities. Many finance and treasury teams still rely on fragmented bank portals, spreadsheets, and disconnected ERPs. This creates delays, errors, and risks. Modern cash management solutions integrate with banks via APIs, SWIFT, or host-to-host connections, consolidating balances into a multi-bank dashboard. With real-time liquidity data, treasurers and finance managers can optimize working capital, reduce financing costs, and give CFOs reliable answers on cash positions. Gaining complete cash visibility across multiple banks sounds simple in theory, but in practice, it remains one of treasury’s toughest challenges. What is the difficulty in gaining complete cash flow visibility? For many organizations, answering the CFO’s most straightforward question—“How much cash do we have right now?”— is rarely simple. Liquidity is scattered across dozens of accounts, sometimes in multiple countries, often tied to different ERPs or legacy systems. Each bank has its own login, file formats, and reporting cycles. Finance teams spend hours logging into portals, downloading statements, and consolidating them manually in Excel. By the time a group-level report is ready, it is already outdated. This is more than an administrative headache. Treasurers and finance managers are expected to provide clarity and certainty, yet many operate with yesterday’s numbers. The stress is constant: CFOs and controllers demand reliable answers about available liquidity, short-term obligations, and funding options. Without consolidated visibility, treasury professionals are left in reactive mode. Consider a typical treasurer in this position: on a normal day, they manage to keep things running—balances are tracked, payments are executed, and forecasts are stitched together. But then the unexpected hits: tariffs rise overnight, interest rates change suddenly, or geopolitical events disrupt supply chains. Suddenly, cash needs to be redeployed quickly, liquidity buffers must be reassessed, and the CFO wants immediate answers. Without complete, real-time visibility, the treasurer struggles to react. Cash sits idle in one market while another unit faces a shortfall. Decisions become guesswork, and the gap between operational firefighting and strategic leadership grows wider. The risks of fragmented bank data A lack of visibility is not just inconvenient—it creates measurable financial and reputational risks: These risks compound in organizations with international subsidiaries, where currency exposures, regulatory requirements, and local practices add further complexity. The impact of limited visibility into bank balances and cash positions quickly becomes clear in daily operations. A subsidiary might be sitting on millions in idle cash while another entity is forced to borrow at high interest, creating unnecessary financing costs. Without a consolidated view, treasury misses the chance to redeploy liquidity efficiently or invest surplus funds. At the same time, staff hours are wasted collecting data from multiple bank portals, leaving little time for actual analysis. Oversight weakens too, as every bank applies its own approval processes and access rights, making consistent control almost impossible. For the CFO, the consequences are visible when liquidity reports arrive late or contain errors. And when a company operates internationally, these risks multiply — foreign currency exposures, regional compliance rules, and local banking practices all add layers of complexity that fragmented visibility cannot handle. Multi-bank cash visibility: Common barriers The obstacles to visibility are technical, structural, and organizational. Each bank communicates in its own “language,” using CSVs, MT940s, CAMT files, or even PDFs. Without harmonization, treasury teams are left to normalize formats manually. Integration between ERPs, bank portals, and treasury tools is often limited or nonexistent. In the lower maturity stages, many firms rely almost entirely on spreadsheets and online banking portals. Even companies that automate some feeds still struggle with partial visibility across only a subset of banks. Regional differences make matters worse. In the DACH region, EBICS remains widely used, but not all banks implement it consistently. In the Nordics, organizations maintain an agile and forward-looking perspective on the possibilities of APIs, yet many corporates lack the IT bandwidth to establish direct API links with every bank. In other markets, legacy host-to-host connections or SWIFT remain common but expensive to maintain. A mid-sized treasury team may find itself forced to juggle all these connectivity types at once. Organizational barriers add to the challenge. Local subsidiaries often control their own accounts, meaning group treasury cannot always access balances directly. Some companies even lack a consolidated inventory of bank accounts and authorized users. Without centralized oversight, it is impossible to guarantee that all accounts are monitored or that all data is captured in reports. The result is predictable: liquidity data is fragmented, reporting is delayed, and treasury is left one step behind. The value of a centralized multi-bank dashboard Treasury gains a real-time multi-bank dashboard that displays balances across all banks, currencies, and entities. Access rights and approvals are managed centrally, ensuring consistency and audit readiness. Automated statement retrieval means balances refresh throughout the day, providing up-to-date insight instead of yesterday’s snapshot. Comparison: Fragmented vs Centralized Visibility Fragmented Bank Portals Centralized Multi-Bank Dashboard Cash Visibility Manual, time-consuming Real-time, consolidated Productivity Time spent on logins & spreadsheets Automated, focus on analysis Controls Differ across banks Centralized, audited, secure Decision-Making Numbers might be outdated Confident, real-time insights From visibility to better decisions Real-time visibility changes how finance teams manage liquidity. When every account is visible at once, surplus cash can be redeployed immediately instead of sitting idle. Shortfalls can be anticipated and addressed before they trigger costly borrowing. Better visibility strengthens forecasting. Forecasts built on outdated or incomplete balances are unreliable. With accurate, consolidated starting points, short-term cash forecasts gain credibility and can be used to inform decisions on funding, investments, and risk hedging. Compliance and risk management also improve. A central dashboard enforces consistent oversight: all accounts are monitored, approvals are logged, and sanctions screening can be standardized. This reduces the likelihood of errors, fraud, or missed compliance requirements. In practice, this means treasurers shouldn’t settle for being tied to a single bank’s portal or processes. If one bank faces an outage or pushes up fees, visibility and payments shouldn’t collapse. With a…
From spreadsheets to AI
written by Jeroen Overmaat with his background of Sales at Kyriba Amsterdam, April 18, 2025 As a Dutch Sales Account Executive who joined Kyriba five months ago, I’ve witnessed firsthand how treasury management is undergoing a remarkable transformation. The days of managing corporate treasury through spreadsheets are rapidly becoming history, replaced by AI-driven platforms that are revolutionizing how businesses manage their liquidity. Kyriba, valued at over $3 billion , has emerged as a leader in this transformation, processing an astounding $15 trillion in payments annually across 170 countries. I am truly humbled that I was able to join them, recently. But what truly sets Kyriba apart isn’t just our scale – it’s our ability to deliver measurable results. Let me share some real-world examples: one of our clients, HCSC, unlocked $9 billion in investable capital, generating $155 million in returns . Another client, Cenveo, improved their forecast accuracy from 65% to 93% . These aren’t just numbers; they represent real business transformation. The secret sauce? Our AI-powered platform that’s reshaping treasury management in five key areas: Recent industry benchmarks (Kyriba’s Value Engineering Survey with 2,000+ client engagements and the argest Enterprise Liquidity Benchmarking Database with over 1,600+ complete results), show organizations achieving: As someone who regularly engages with CFOs and treasury teams, I’ve noticed a shift in conversations from “Why should we transform?” to “How quickly can we start?” The answer lies in Kyriba’s comprehensive platform approach, which has evolved beyond traditional treasury management to become what we call a “liquidity performance platform” . Looking ahead to 2025, we’re seeing increased focus on AI integration, real-time risk assessments, and enhanced data security . The future of treasury management isn’t just about automation – it’s about intelligent, data-driven decision-making that drives business growth. According to Kyriba’s latest predictions, CFOs will increasingly focus on enhancing liquidity risk management, driven by volatile interest rates and global market uncertainties . This aligns with academic research showing that AI-driven treasury management can reduce operational risks by up to 90% through improved forecasting accuracy . The rise of what researchers call “Liquidity Performance Management” is particularly intriguing. A recent systematic literature review highlights how machine learning algorithms have evolved beyond simple automation to provide strategic insights . At Kyriba, we’re seeing this materialize through our AI-driven platform that not only predicts cash flows but also optimizes working capital and detects potential fraud patterns in real-time. Perhaps most significantly, corporate liquidity is reaching unprecedented levels, with American enterprises holding $3.5 trillion out of combined revenues of $16 trillion – a 20% liquidity-to-revenue ratio that’s the highest since pre-COVID 2021 . This creates both opportunities and challenges for treasury teams, making the role of AI-powered platforms increasingly critical for strategic decision-making.The question isn’t whether to embrace this transformation, but rather: How long can your organization afford to wait? [Author’s note: As a Dutch native working in fintech, I’ve tried to bring both my European perspective and technical expertise to this discussion. The transformation in treasury management isn’t just a trend – it’s a fundamental shift in how businesses operate in our increasingly digital world.] Stay sharp. Stay skeptical. Disclaimer Alert Folks, let’s get a few things straight: this article is my own personal take on the matter, and it’s as personal as your grandma’s secret cookie recipe – unapproved by anyone but yours truly! So, consider this article as my solo journey into the quirky world of tech, where my (sales) creativity dances with analysis. If it makes you chuckle or raises an insightful eyebrow, that’s awesome! If it makes you scratch your head in bewilderment, well, that’s part of the fun too. But remember, dear readers, this is all in good fun, and it doesn’t constitute official tech doctrine or employer-approved wisdom. It’s just me, my thoughts, and a touch of humor thrown into the tech mix. About the author The author is a seasoned Sales Account Executive at Kyriba Netherlands, where he helps organizations optimize their financial operations through cloud-based treasury, payment, and risk management solutions. With over 30-years of enterprise technology sales experience, Jeroen combines his deep understanding of the Dutch market with his passion for helping businesses transform their financial processes. Based in Arnhem, where he often finds inspiration cycling along the city’s beautiful nature reserves of the Veluwezoom, Jeroen has built a reputation for developing strong, lasting relationships with key decision-makers across the Netherlands’ enterprise landscape. Although recently started at Kyriba, his customer-centric approach and strategic insights have consistently helped organizations navigate the complexities of digital transformation that so many modern treasury management and financial risk mitigation departments currently face. As a technology enthusiast with extensive experience in enterprise software, Jeroen is passionate about helping businesses leverage innovative solutions to optimize their liquidity and streamline their financial operations. His collaborative approach and ability to understand unique customer needs have made him a valuable resource for companies looking to modernize their treasury and risk management practices. Jeroen has wrote many articles / blogs with his own personal view on the matters. There is no consistency in the cadence of his publications, he publishes when he feels like it. You can find these articles on his LinkedIn profile. Articles used: Here are the key sources referenced in the article: Kyriba corporate website and resources: Academic Research: Industry analysis: Customer success stories: These sources provide comprehensive validation of the trends, statistics, and success metrics discussed in the article. All data and insights are current as of 2025. 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.
Treasury Contrarian View: Treasurers Are Not Finance’s Strategic Partner (Yet)
Treasurers often say they have “a seat at the table” and act as strategic advisors to the CFO. Industry conferences echo the same mantra: treasury is strategic. But here’s the contrarian view: In many companies, treasury is still seen as an operational function—not a true strategic partner. And admitting that might be the first step toward change. Why Treasury Isn’t Seen as Strategic (Yet) The Path to Becoming Strategic Let’s Discuss We’ll gather views from CFOs, treasurers, and finance leaders—join the conversation and share your perspective! COMMENTS Lee-Ann Perkins, Treasury Masterminds Board Member, comments: My answers are from the point of view of the treasury maturity model. While I wholeheartedly agree that treasury should, and deserves to be a trusted strategic partner, the reality from my perspective is that most smaller companies are not there yet. If the industry adopts a Chief Treasury Officer, we may get the traction and support we require. Do you agree that treasury is not yet a true strategic partner? Why/why not?Yes. Day-to-day cash ops, reconciliations, and compliance consume capacity; under-resourcing keeps treasury reactive, siloed from commercial teams, and off-key decision agendas, which are traits of an operational, not strategic, function. What steps have you seen treasury teams take to elevate their role?Elevate the function by strengthening operations by clarifying roles with a RACI matrix, segregating duties, and automating to free capacity. Manage real-time liquidity/FX data and scenario planning, which enables us to translate analytics into board-ready narratives. The aim is to prove ROI through lower FX costs, optimized liquidity, and innovative financing. What would it take for Treasury to consistently earn a seat at the strategic table?CFO sponsorship and funding; distinct front/middle/back-office roles; a modern, treasury-owned data stack; a standing C-suite/board cadence that turns exposures into business stories; and KPIs that tie actions to enterprise value. Bojan Belejkovski, Treasury Masterminds Board Member, comments: I agree treasury is often seen as operational rather than strategic. But let’s be honest, part of the problem lies outside treasury. There are still CFOs who don’t truly know what treasury is, what it should do, or how it can evolve as a discipline. If leadership defines treasury narrowly as cash positioning and compliance, the function will never be seen as a partner. The turning point comes when treasurers begin owning real-time data, using AI to move from reactive reporting to predictive insights, and translating liquidity and risk into business-impact narratives. That’s when value becomes undeniable. But it also requires organizations, and CFOs in particular, to expand their view of treasury. Strategic partnership is a two-way evolution. Lorena Pérez Sandroni, Treasury Masterminds Board Member, comments: In my opinion, despite the evolution of treasury technology and access to data, many teams remain bogged down by manual processes, fragmented systems, and limited resources. But the real barrier isn’t just tools—it’s mindset. Too many treasury managers are reluctant to step out of their operational comfort zones. They focus on reporting exposures, reconciling accounts, and managing compliance, but struggle to “sell the story” behind the numbers—the strategic insights that could influence business decisions. Treasury has a unique vantage point: it sees liquidity risks before they materialize, understands the financial pulse of the company daily, and has access to data that could shape forward-looking strategies. Yet, without strong leadership to elevate these insights, treasury remains reactive, not proactive. To change this, we need a new kind of treasury leadership—one that: Until we, treasury leaders, embrace this shift, the function will continue to be seen as operational support rather than a strategic partner. The opportunity is there—but it requires courage, vision, and a willingness to lead beyond transactional routines and into enterprise-wide impact. Jessica Oku, Treasury Masterminds Board Member, comments: Q1: Do you agree that treasury is not yet a true strategic partner in most organizations? Why or why not? Yes. Many treasuries are still trapped in the “Operational Quadrant” of the Strategic Treasurer Impact Matrix (STIM framework I developed); managing transactions, reconciliations, and resolving daily liquidity issues. This drowns out their ability to be visible as strategic partners. We need more treasuries to move from back-office operators to a forward-looking enabler of growth and resilience. Q2: What steps have you seen treasury teams take to elevate their role? The most successful teams intentionally move into the “Influence & Insight” quadrants of the STIM framework. They automate repetitive tasks, implement real-time visibility tools, and deliver scenario modeling, funding strategies, and risk insights. They show how cash, liquidity, and funding decisions directly impact growth or resilience, and leadership listens to them. Q3: What would it take for treasury to consistently earn a seat at the strategic table? 2 things: visibility and voice. Visibility comes from dashboards, clear KPIs, and proactive communication. Voice comes from bringing insights, not just numbers, that shape business decisions. 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.
Modernizing Treasury: The Hidden Costs of Sticking with Legacy Tools
This article is written by Treasury4 Legacy Treasury Tools get the job done … for the most part. What does it take to get there and what are you missing out on? Is there enough value in modern tools to motivate early adoption? The Long Road of Legacy Technology Legacy treasury tools are built to be flexible, but that flexibility comes at a cost. Setting up a new treasury management system (TMS) involves a long road of blueprinting, designing, gathering requirements, and implementation. The flexibility offered by most legacy systems is powered by blood, sweat, some tears, and often comes at a significant cost. This process also takes numerous months or even years to complete, depending on the scope. For far too long, this has been the norm. The Cost of Implementing a Treasury Management System There are two primary costs typically associated with setting up a TMS: These costs are critical. With the length of these implementations, estimates are rarely fixed bids and often run long and go over budget. Asking for and justifying the incremental cost is always a challenge. This happens because legacy TMS providers have various departments and teams with differing motivations. Their sales teams are motivated to sell the product and often get compensated on the recurring license, while the implementation team is measured by billable hours and utilization. These motivations usually only align when the implementation team has an existing backlog, which is rarely the case. Beyond the costs, implementing a TMS results in a significant toll on the internal treasury team. Doing both their daily work and project work often leads to burnout and multi-phase projects being halted due to the stress or cost of the project. This, combined with the reality that users only begin deriving value from the project after multiple phases of testing and completion, can cause a significant amount of stress. Doubling the amount of work for your treasury team can also lead to delays or cancellation of future phases — often for functionality that you have already licensed but can’t use without further implementations. A Refreshing Approach with Modern Treasury Tools With modern tools, this road is clearer. With banks, there is always some level of uncertainty, as their motivation often depends on who the client is. This deviation, however, is single digit weeks rather than multiple months as seen with legacy platforms. Key relationship banks are often the first to get connected and at the end of the day, these are the banks that bring the greatest value. This means that while the integrations are in progress, treasurers can begin using a modern treasury management system immediately and start getting value. Most users even find that using the new system alongside their legacy processes for the week or two of transition to be interesting and informative as they can clearly see the improvement. Reporting in these modern tools is flexible, allowing for real use of these modern platforms. This flexibility empowers users to embrace modern reporting tools, automating numerous manual processes that used to require periodic downloads and manual manipulation via spreadsheets even with a legacy treasury platform. Furthermore, these modern tools allow for custom reporting owned by treasury users without input from IT, so the business can action adjustments to standard reports and make necessary tweaks to truly embrace these systems and maximize value. Modern treasury tools vary with what functions are live for customers. Often, FX, debt and investment offerings are provided later. Given that these new platforms are typically built to integrate, this information can be integrated from various sources, including ERP, accounting, or treasury systems to provide a complete picture of cash even when source data comes from various sources. Choosing to implement a modern TMS is not an easy decision for many who have dealt with manual processes and numerous spreadsheets to perform treasury operations, particularly those who have been burnt by aggressive timelines and missed milestones with other technologies. Embracing modern technology, growing with the provider as they build out their platform, and being a trailblazer is a leap of faith in many ways. When treasury teams take the leap, however, they can reap the following benefits: 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.
Treasury Table Amsterdam: Bridging AI, Technology and Treasury
From Treasury Masterminds Last week, on September 11, the Treasury Table Amsterdam gathered a select group of corporate treasurers for an evening of fine dining, great conversation, and meaningful exchange. Co-invited by Treasury Masterminds alongside hosts Gurjit Pannu, Christian Sobkowski, and Rodel van Rooijen from Palm, the table brought together leaders eager to explore one of the hottest topics in our field: Bridging AI, Technology and Treasury – Real-Life Use Cases. Unlike theory-heavy conferences, the Treasury Table thrives on intimacy and honesty. Over dinner, treasurers shared what’s actually working for them, where the real opportunities lie, and what challenges they’re solving with technology right now. Real-life use cases from the table The conversations quickly moved from hype to hands-on: Where (and how) to start – a mini project plan One of the biggest questions of the evening was: “Where should treasurers start with AI and tech projects?” Two practical answers stood out: Mini project plan for treasurers: Why it matters The key takeaway? Technology and AI aren’t abstract buzzwords anymore. They are practical tools treasurers are adopting to improve speed, accuracy, and decision-making. The consensus at the table was clear: those who embrace these innovations now will shape the future of treasury. Looking ahead The evening proved once again that treasurers learn best from each other—sharing real stories, successes, and lessons learned. At Treasury Masterminds, we’re proud to facilitate these conversations, helping the community stay ahead of change while keeping things practical and real. Until the next Treasury Table—cheers to the future of treasury, where data, connectivity, and AI work hand in hand. 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.