2019 Global Treasury Benchmarking Survey

Leading treasury functions are considering how to incorporate new technologies into their processes. The areas of greatest opportunity include integrating data analytics and AI into exposure forecasting and analysis. Payments and trade processes are considered significant opportunities for RPA and blockchain.

Get on the road to success by educating yourself and your team on the fundamentals of digital technology, while also partnering with IT teams and other relevant stakeholders to build and validate your digital treasury vision and roadmap.

Although the frequency of payment fraud is low, the risk is growing, and the consequences can be severe. Treasurers are likely to be held responsible in the event of a payment fraud incident and costs to an organisation’s reputation may far exceed losses in liquidity and hikes in insurance. Despite this risk, cybersecurity is only viewed as a critical risk by 20% of survey respondents.

How can treasurers escalate the importance of this risk area? Assert leadership to enhance cybersecurity defenses including prevention and recovery. Work collaboratively across functions, spotlighting vulnerabilities, advising colleagues and supporting the development of security programmes.

What skills are most important when envisioning the treasury function of the future? According to treasury leaders, strategic thinking capabilities, business partnering and technological affinity topped the list of skills needed to enable a modern treasury function.  However, there is a notable gap among treasurers, CEOs and CFOs on the need to hire a digitally savvy workforce.

How can treasurers future-proof their function? Upskilling current teams and considering digital capabilities in hiring decisions are critical starting points.

Pressure from the C-suite to increase asset efficiency is growing and treasurers should look for opportunities to improve balance sheet and overall capital management as ways to add value. They should aim to drive cash flow improvements across the enterprise, supporting working capital initiatives and improving long-term financial flexibility.

If another banking crisis were to occur, strength of relationship and alignment of strategy could significantly influence your organisation’s relationship with banking partners. How can you protect your relationship and the success of your treasury strategy? 

Conducting regular reviews of your banking relationships - including areas such as estimated wallet share compared to financing support received, investment in technology solutions and day-to-day service, can help protect your function against potential risks.

Survey findings suggest that too much time is spent on dealing with data accuracy, rather than working with the business. Treasury teams report that they do not have enough time with the business to understand foreign currency exposure. 

Resolving this challenge requires the development of a business partnership strategy to understand foreign currency risk. Further to that, using technologies such as data analytics and AI will help improve data accuracy and free up valuable time to better understand exposures