Journeys to Treasury 2019-2020: Shaping the Treasury of 2025

Journeys to Treasury combines vision and practicality to offer a realistic view of treasury challenges – and opportunities - of today and tomorrow. How can treasurers leverage best practices and new technologies to take the treasury function beyond an operational centre of excellence to a strategic business partner?

The treasury – and the treasurer - of 2025 will look very different to that of today. Treasury is becoming more relevant as the need to manage liquidity and risk internationally becomes more important and visible at Board level, and more strategic as it becomes more deeply involved in the commercial aspects of the business. As treasurers extend their reach and influence, the skills requirement is changing while the combination of data and available technology is creating valuable new opportunities.

Embracing change can be daunting, and treasurers may often think that other treasuries are ahead of their own. Rather than taking an idealised view of treasury, the Journeys to Treasury report acknowledges the reality that although some treasuries have digitised more fully than others, everyone has organisational, human, technology and budget constraints that shape their priorities and capacity.

In the fourth edition of Journeys to Treasury, BNP Paribas, PwC, SAP and the European Association of Corporate Treasurers (EACT) come together once again to explore some of the priorities that treasurers have identified, and which are shaping the treasury of today and tomorrow:

Payments and Collections. As digital business models emerge, new payment methods are proliferating. Treasurers can play a key role in supporting business units by proposing new payment and collection methods to differentiate the experience of customers and suppliers.

FX Risk Management. Managing foreign exchange (FX) risk remains one of treasurers’ highest priorities, and FX volatility can make a major difference to earnings. 

Technology Enablers. With expanding technology opportunities and lower barriers to adoption, treasurers have an unprecedented ability to automate processes and enhance decision-making. However, the success of these endeavours relies on high quality data. To get the best from new technology, treasurers and their partners across the business need to adopt a data-driven mindset. 

The Future Treasury. Treasury is still a relatively new profession, yet has become increasingly important as corporations expand their international reach. In a fast-changing business and digital environment, and with an expanding set of responsibilities, how can treasurers prepare for the future? 

This year’s report shares the findings of in-depth workshops attended by experts from the four Journeys to Treasury partners, complemented by practical insights, case studies and interviews with nine leading corporate treasurers.

To download a copy of the report, please visit www.journeystotreasury.com