Cash & Liquidity Management
Published  3 MIN READ

Smart Treasury: Top Tips for Future-Proofing Your Department

‘Smart treasury’ is no longer just a future consideration for companies: corporates of all sizes are already embarking on their digital journeys and reaping the benefits. In our recent podcast, Victor Penna, Global Head of Structured Solutions, Standard Chartered, and Olle Malmgren, Executive Director Structured Solutions Development, Europe, Standard Chartered, explained how treasurers can make the most of smart treasury programmes – and avoid potential pitfalls.

Smart treasury will mean different things to different corporates – particularly when you consider their size, sector and the ecosystem in which they operate. Yet ultimately, a smart treasury should automate day-to-day operational processes, freeing up team members to focus on more strategic tasks. Technology is usually at the heart of a smart treasury – especially in gaining deeper insights from data and supporting the wider business in its digital transformation and growth journey. But how can treasurers use smart technologies to maximum effect?

Seven steps towards a smart treasury

1. Create – and update – your own smart treasury blueprint.

“One of the most common misconceptions is that every smart treasury is going to look the same,” said Penna. “In reality, different treasuries are supporting different types of businesses – ranging from large multinationals operating in a hundred markets to smaller businesses in perhaps just one market. Automation and digitisation are applicable to every size of treasury, in every industry, but creating your own smart treasury blueprint is vital. This doesn’t mean that you can’t adopt best practices from peers and banking partners, but it is prudent to build your smart strategy around the specific needs of your business.”