For decades, transaction banking was a profitable but largely ignored corner of the banking industry. Then Covid happened. Today, bank chiefs see it as critical to everything they do. Given the challenges ahead – collaborating with fintechs and embedding ESG principles in global supply chains – the revolution under way in this business is unstoppable.

Growing treasury demand for advisory services from banks suggests that investment in predictive analytics applications at the latter is starting to bear fruit.

Rising interest rates have driven demand for more efficient liquidity structures.

Patents are a high-profile demonstration of a bank’s commitment to innovation, but they are not the only option for those looking to encourage new ways of thinking.

As the treasury sector reflects on another eventful year, Euromoney looks at likely developments for the next 12 months.

The leading transaction banks are taking a proactive approach to balancing the conflicting demands of chief financial officers – who are prioritizing cost reduction – and treasurers, who are focused on increasing operational efficiency.

Geopolitical and economic turmoil has taken its toll on cash management strategies during 2022. Leading transaction banks emphasize the value of investment in technology as they navigate a choppy market environment.

Rising interest rates and macroeconomic uncertainty mean that corporate cash balances are at very high levels.

Smaller firms are expected to pull back on expenditure as recession risk rises.

Simplicity remains the watchword for treasurers trying to increase returns on their cash reserves.

Businesses are tying up cash in payroll that could be used to boost working capital.

Patchy inter-company loan administration could leave corporates exposed to breaches of transfer pricing guidance.

Artificial intelligence has revolutionized cash-flow forecasting at educational services provider Pearson.

Euromoney speaks to Benjamin Seal, vice-president of treasury at US-based Cenveo, about how accurate cash forecasting has helped to address the supply-chain challenges posed by the global pandemic.

Changing bank may sound stressful, but coupled with a change of financing strategy it has enabled packaging supplier Albéa Group to achieve substantial cost savings.

Nicolas Cailly, head of payments and cash management at Societe Generale, is responsible for growing the French bank’s cash-management franchise. He tells Euromoney why the bank’s new treasury offering is a step forward for TMS implementation.

Sustainable account allows corporates to measure the impact of the sustainable finance assets their deposits are referenced against.

Gerard Tuinenburg, director systems, processes and transactional banking at Unilever treasury, explains how the company is improving its cash forecasting efficiency through enhanced use of treasury data.

This year’s cash management survey sees banks looking beyond purely pandemic-related challenges to focus on sustainable finance and investment in technology.

Widespread use of digital currencies will reshape the way liquidity is managed, but it will also force banks and corporates to move away from long-established practices.

Societe Generale’s decision to launch a joint treasury management solution with Kyriba is just the latest example of banks and technology vendors collaborating to offer more sophisticated treasury functionality.

Shell’s treasury department has provided the impetus for a dividend payment execution modernization programme that is saving the company millions of dollars every year through reduced FX exposure and lower bank fees.

Digitalization may be a hot topic in the treasury world, but many financial institutions remain unconvinced that the benefits justify the cost and disruption involved in moving away from in-house servers or manual signatures.

The ongoing market and economic impact of Covid-19 is likely to trigger a more active approach from corporates to their cash strategies.

Banks are refining their sustainable cash-management offerings, seeking to align their corporate sustainability strategies to financing and treasury actions.

Large-scale working from home has raised the spectre of internal fraud, and treasury departments are finding it harder to conduct effective investigations.

Unpredictable receivables together with difficulty accessing traditional sources of liquidity have forced treasury teams to explore all possible sources of working capital during the coronavirus crisis.

Defining the boundaries of accuracy is crucial to useable financial forecasts. Experts are, nevertheless, reluctant to advocate omitting data that has previously proved of no value.

The mechanics of treasury forecasting have come under intense scrutiny during the last nine months as corporates seek to optimize their cash management.

Corporates have much to gain from getting their subsidiary capital structures right. The key to success could lie in reducing complexity and prioritizing debt.