How AI is Reshaping the Role of the Treasurer

After the 2008 financial crisis, when countries were busy changing their financial rules, corporate treasurers had a lot of important work to do. This situation also caused a significant shift in the role of a treasurer, which continues to change even today. With the uncertainty in the economy returning, having a strong treasury function is more critical than ever.

We spoke with a group of treasurers and CFOs from around the world to understand how these changes in their jobs are happening and how quickly. Organizations now realize that treasury plays a crucial role in keeping the company healthy. This evolution means that the treasury is not just another support function anymore. Successful treasurers are adding value to businesses, and their roles are becoming more strategic. 

In this blog, we will discuss how the roles and responsibilities of a treasurer have evolved over the years and how Artificial Intelligence is enabling treasurers to become more progressive business partners. 

The Evolving Role of the Corporate Treasurer

A treasurer is responsible for managing all the financial affairs of a business. Their role includes budgeting, financial planning, overseeing financial transactions, and ensuring compliance with financial regulations. They are also responsible for monitoring and reporting on the organization’s financial health and supporting the CFOs in informed decision-making. 

Traditionally, a treasurer’s role revolved around five core responsibilities:

1. Cash Management: Ensuring there’s enough cash to meet the company’s financial obligations.

2. Risk Management: Safeguarding the organization against financial risks like market fluctuations.

3. Investment Management: Making smart investments to maximize returns.

4. Financing: Securing funds for the company’s operations and growth.

5. Payment Operations: Ensuring accurate and timely payments to suppliers and creditors.

However, these roles have become increasingly challenging due to factors like globalization, complex financial instruments, and heightened regulatory scrutiny. treasurers today find themselves wearing multiple hats. They have become strategic partners to CFOs, playing a pivotal role in steering organizations toward success. Given below is a table that shows how each of these roles has transformed over time.

Treasurers today are required to have a broader skill set and a more comprehensive understanding of global financial dynamics to effectively manage their organization’s finances.

Empowering Treasurers’ Evolving Role with Artificial Intelligence.

It’s increasingly important for treasurers to blend traditional and evolved responsibilities to effectively handle new challenges and seize opportunities. Treasurers should aim to transition from being purely finance experts to influential figures in boardroom discussions. During this transformation, embracing AI as a strategic tool becomes vital. AI isn’t just a trendy term; it’s a game-changer that’s reshaping the treasurer’s role in significant ways.

Role of AI in Supporting Five Key Objectives for Treasurers

To ensure success in the boardroom this year, treasurers need to consider these key objectives that will not only enhance their role but also contribute significantly to the organization’s growth and stability. 

1. Strategic Cash Management

Objective: Ensure the organization has sufficient liquidity while optimizing cash usage for strategic investments and debt management.

How AI helps: AI-powered predictive analytics can provide real-time insights into cash flow patterns, helping treasurers forecast future cash needs accurately. It can also recommend the most cost-effective ways to manage cash, such as identifying opportunities to invest surplus cash or optimizing payment timing to reduce costs.

This gives treasurers the ability to confidently manage cash flow and provide data-driven recommendations for strategic investments and debt management, enhancing their influence in boardroom discussions on financial strategy.

2. Advanced Risk Management

Objective: Protect the company against a wide range of risks, including market fluctuations, cyber threats, and geopolitical uncertainties.

How AI helps: AI-driven risk modeling can assess various risk factors and their potential impact on the organization. It can swiftly process vast amounts of financial data, enabling treasurers to explore various scenarios and assess how different factors impact financial outcomes. AI also excels at detecting anomalies and unusual patterns in data, essential for spotting potential financial irregularities and reducing risks of fraud.

With AI treasurers can provide early warnings and data-driven risk assessments to enhance their influence in boardroom discussions on risk management and strategic planning.

3. Data-Driven Investment Strategy

Objective: Develop a data-driven investment strategy that balances returns with liquidity requirements in a complex investment landscape.

How AI helps: AI can analyze vast amounts of financial data, market trends, and economic indicators to identify investment opportunities and risks. Machine learning algorithms can optimize investment portfolios, adjusting strategies in real time based on changing market conditions. AI can also provide insights into environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors, aligning investments with sustainability goals.

Treasurers who can articulate data-driven investment strategies are seen as forward-thinking and capable of optimizing the company’s financial portfolio. Their ability to align investments with sustainability goals also resonates with boardroom discussions on corporate responsibility and long-term value creation.

4. Optimal Financing Solutions

Objective: Identify the most suitable financing options and optimize the organization’s capital structure.

How AI helps:  AI-driven financial modeling can simulate various financing scenarios, helping treasurers select the best funding sources and capital structure for the organization’s needs. AI can analyze market conditions and recommend the timing of debt issuances or refinancing to minimize costs. Natural language processing (NLP) can assist in contract analysis and negotiation.

Using AI, treasurers could have a more strategic approach to capital management, and funding choices enhancing their influence in boardroom discussions on financial strategy and resource allocation.

5. Seamless Payment Operations

Objective: Ensure efficient and accurate payment processes in an era of real-time payments and global transactions.

How AI helps: AI-powered robotic process automation (RPA) can streamline payment operations by automating routine tasks such as invoice processing, reconciliation, and payment approvals. Natural language processing can enhance communication with international partners and suppliers, reducing errors and delays in cross-border payments. AI can also detect and prevent payment fraud in real time.

This gives treasurers the ability to ensure an accurate and efficient payment process, increasing their influence in boardroom discussions on operational efficiency and risk mitigation.

How Can HighRadius Help?

HighRadius offers a cloud-based Treasury and Risk Suite that streamlines and automates treasury operations, including cash forecasting, cash management, and treasury payments. We have empowered the world’s leading companies, like Danone, HNTB, Harris, and Konica Minolta, to optimize their cash forecasting accuracy, make decisions faster with real-time bank data, and reduce bank fees.

Our Cash Forecasting Solution leverages advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) and integrates with banks and ERPs to get AR/AP data, improve ML prediction rates, and enable treasurers to achieve accurate, real-time cash forecasting. Businesses can forecast cash into any category or entity on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis with up to 95% accuracy, perform what-if scenarios, and compare actuals vs. forecasted cash. 

Our Cash Management Solution automates the reconciliation process between bank statements and internal financial records, reducing manual effort and errors and increasing cash management productivity by 70%. With our treasury and risk solutions, treasury professionals gain instant, personalized insight into their cash positions with unparalleled global visibility.

Our Treasury Payments Solution enables finance teams to centralize and automate outbound payments across entities, banks, and geographies while enforcing payment policies and mitigating fraud risk. With seamless ERP integration, multi-bank connectivity, and intelligent approval workflows, treasurers gain full control and visibility over payment processes, ensuring 30% reduction in bank fees, security, accuracy, and compliance at scale. 

FAQ

1. What does a treasurer handle?

A treasurer manages an organization’s finances, overseeing budgeting, financial reporting, and cash management. They ensure funds are allocated efficiently, monitor transactions, and maintain accurate records. Treasurers also make strategic financial decisions and manage investments to support the organization’s goals and stability.

2. How AI help in the role of a treasurer?

AI can assist treasurers by automating financial data analysis, predicting cash flows, optimizing investment portfolios, and detecting anomalies in transactions. It enhances decision-making, reduces risks, and increases efficiency in managing treasury operations, ultimately ensuring better financial stability and strategic planning.