Bringing Precision and Transparency to Bank Pricing Strategy

Published: September 26, 2025

The way banks structure prices for their corporate treasury clients can appear to be something of a dark art for many. Nanda Kumar Sreedharan, Senior Vice-President Software Sales, SunTec Business Solutions, turns the spotlight on this sometimes hazy topic and reveals the potential for significant improvement for both bank and corporate client.

In commercial banking, pricing has traditionally been a delicate balance of science and instinct. However, in today’s high-stakes environment where a single mispriced deal can cost millions, relying on instinct alone is no longer sufficient. Banking’s dependence on internal data sources such as past deal records, rate sheets, and inputs from siloed business units is an inward-looking approach. And it’s one that is often reactive and disconnected from real-time market dynamics.

There is also significant complexity to navigate. According to Redbridge Debt & Treasury Advisory, based on the sheer volume of AFP Service Codes alone, it estimates there are approximately 2,500 ways to price transaction banking. It argues that costs are almost impossible for treasurers to decipher and track. And while a single product or service fee increase may seem small, total fees across an organisation can escalate rapidly annually.

Billing evolution

For banks, in fast-moving arenas such as treasury management and commercial deposits, pricing can shift weekly, and margin pressures leave little room for error. Relying on outdated references is risky. What’s needed is a new view of the market landscape. Today, the competitive edge lies in intelligence: not just having data, but leveraging it in real-time.

Increasingly, banks are turning to real-time market intelligence and pricing benchmarks to bring accuracy, agility, and confidence to their pricing strategies. Modern benchmarks have evolved beyond static quarterly reports. They now function as dynamic, real-time pricing intelligence resources that provide comprehensive market rates across segments, geographies, and client profiles. The most significant advancement is embedding these insights directly into the daily tools used by bankers and pricing teams.

For example, a relationship manager pricing a complex treasury deal can instantly see how peer institutions are pricing similar deals for comparable clients, within their pricing platform. This eliminates guesswork and outdated spreadsheets, grounding every negotiation in market-aligned data. Product managers also benefit by using benchmarks to analyse trends, recalibrate offerings, anticipate demand shifts, and efficiently manage annual price reviews.

Defensible data, actionable intelligence

Real-time benchmarks are transforming pricing governance too. With increasing scrutiny from regulators, auditors, and customers, banks need more than intuition; they need defensible data. Benchmarks provide an auditable trail that documents how prices are set, why exceptions occur, and how profitability is maintained.

Benchmarks also enhance agility. Pricing teams can quickly respond to competitive moves, rate changes, or client demands. This agility is a strategic advantage. Banks can identify underpriced segments, adjust fee structures, and launch promotions swiftly and confidently.

The good news is that FIs don’t need to overhaul everything to capture this value. Focusing on fewer than 10 high-impact areas such as risk-based pricing or product and service management, can yield 70-80% of the total value.

Negotiate with confidence

For corporate treasury clients, bank real-time pricing capabilities translate into new levels of transparency, accuracy, and speed. Treasurers need to know that their rates are competitive and defensible, not based on outdated spreadsheets, quarterly reports, or intuition.

By showing how rates are set against peer benchmarks and adapting quickly as markets move, banks can offer their corporate clients the transparency and confidence they need to negotiate fees effectively, manage liquidity with precision, and demonstrate value back to their boards.