Treasurers today face growing pressure to deliver solutions that are not only faster and smarter, but deeply connected across the value chain. Their work doesn’t just support their own organisations – it shapes outcomes for clients, suppliers and partners. Expectations of banks and fintechs are rising, making open, honest conversations across the financial ecosystem more critical than ever.
Below, we explore how treasurers are raising the bar for banks and fintech partners, why customer-centricity matters, and what we can learn from global developments.
Great banking starts with understanding the client. Treasurers sit at the heart of this process, turning business strategy into client journeys, managing suppliers and keeping liquidity aligned with board priorities. It’s a role that demands skill, insight and strong relationships.
Treasurers juggle competing priorities: balancing legacy systems with new platforms, simplifying processes, and responding to requests from across the organisation. Innovation often benefits sales or procurement, but treasury teams are left managing the complexity. Here, banks can play a dual role: adviser and connector. It’s not just about building clever solutions, it’s about co-creating with clients, testing ideas together and helping them see the value. Sometimes, that even means helping them connect the dots inside their own organisations.
Customer-centricity means focusing on what matters: helping clients achieve better outcomes. It’s not about chasing every trend or reacting to market noise. It’s about designing, testing and delivering solutions that work. The best transactional bankers know their clients so well, they can anticipate needs before they’re voiced.
Clients expect much more than technical expertise
Clients expect much more than technical expertise, they want banking partners who understand their entire ecosystem. Banks now deliver value not just to direct clients, but also help those clients serve their own customers and suppliers.
Seamless integration is key: real-time payments, digital solutions and embedded services, all working together, even as legacy infrastructure remains. Banks and fintechs are no longer competitors; they’re partners. Open banking, APIs and data-driven platforms are breaking down old boundaries. Banks must compete for relevance, using data not just to inform, but to create new value.
For example, by spotting patterns in cross-border payments and overlaying FX market data, banks can suggest smarter payment routes – saving costs and improving supplier journeys.
Clients increasingly want a single-entry point to a suite of services: FX, payments, cards and data insights. Banks can act as integrators, connecting new services and making life easier for corporates.
As the financial environment evolves globally, there’s immense value in understanding how different regions tackle similar challenges. Some markets, like Australia, move fast and test new ideas quickly. The UK, in contrast, faces the challenge of modernising legacy infrastructure in a mature economy.
Emerging markets often leapfrog traditional systems. India’s UPI has transformed payments, while in the US, technology is making cheque processing easier for treasurers. The lesson? Stay informed, look outward and learn from markets that adopt change quickly.
London remains a global fintech hub, with deep talent and strong institutions. The challenge now is to scale innovation – accelerating progress while keeping clients at the centre.
Clients increasingly want a single-entry point to a suite of services
The future of transaction banking isn’t one-size-fits-all, nor is it just about digitisation. Treasurers will succeed by thinking holistically, collaborating strategically and driving customer-led innovation.
Three priorities stand out:
Treasurers should engage sales, marketing, procurement and IT to align treasury’s strategic role. Leverage team and system capabilities to support wider business goals.
Technologies like AI, advanced data analytics and APIs will shape the next wave of payments and transaction developments. But progress depends on banks and treasurers evolving together.
Barclays Bank PLC is registered in England (Company No. 1026167) with its registered office at 1 Churchill Place, London E14 5HP. Barclays Bank PLC is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority, and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Financial Services Register No.122702) and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Barclays is a trading name and trade mark of Barclays PLC and its subsidiaries. Find out about the Financial Services Register.