Corporate treasury is playing an increasingly critical role in supporting growth, yet many treasury professionals are being asked to lead transformation with systems that have not evolved at the same pace. The role of treasury has evolved far beyond financial stewardship. Today’s treasury leaders are expected to drive resilience, unlock growth and make faster, more strategic decisions.
However, behind the scenes, many are still navigating fragmented banking relationships, disconnected payment systems and limited visibility over their own cash. Over time, in pursuit of growth, treasury teams have added new accounts, providers or banking partners to manage risk and operate across multiple markets. While intended to support expansion, many of these new additions have had the side effect of adding significant operational complexity.
Today’s treasury leaders are expected to drive resilience, unlock growth and make faster, more strategic decisions.
Recent research from Adyen and Boston Consulting Group reveals the average enterprise now manages more than 40 bank accounts, works with around 12 payment providers, and has relationships with five to six banks.
This level of fragmentation is increasingly becoming a strategic challenge for treasury teams, limiting visibility, tying up working capital and slowing down decision-making. As a result, how money moves through a business is becoming a key factor in how efficiently it can operate and grow.
Treasury professionals are at the centre of this challenge. Nearly half (48%) of CFOs report that liquidity visibility and forecasting is their biggest challenge. When data is spread across different banks, providers and systems, gaps emerge. This lack of centralisation makes it harder to maintain control and increases the risk of errors in approvals and transaction checks.
Treasury teams often spend significant time tracking accounts, managing relationships and overseeing payment flows, leaving less time for higher-value activities such as improving forecasts or making better use of funds. As a result, treasury management can become more reactive, with teams focused on locating information rather than acting on it. This impacts the wider business and slows down decision-making at critical moments.
... capital that could support growth is underutilised
Fragmentation can also constrain how capital is deployed. When funds are spread across multiple providers, accounts and regions, they are harder to manage as one pool. This often leads to money sitting idly in one place or being duplicated buffers across accounts, reducing operational efficiency. Consequently, capital that could support growth is underutilised, with one in four businesses reporting issues with optimising liquidity and working capital.
Payment flows add further pressure. Even with better technology, many organisations still face challenges around the speed and reliability of payments. In fragmented setups, delays are harder to manage, and forecasting becomes less accurate.
Innovations such as multi-currency IBANs, which bring together cross-border payments and treasury management, can provide treasury teams with the clarity and agility needed
To address this, treasury teams are starting to focus on integration. Instead of managing liquidity in silos, the focus is shifting towards integrated payment processes and achieving end-to-end visibility over finances.
There is clear momentum behind this shift. Around 74% of CFOs want more integrated solutions, and 88% expect to reduce the number of providers they use. While traditional banks were once dominant, their compliance structures, internal politics, risk-averse models and reliance on clunky legacy technology have hindered their ability to respond quickly and solve fragmentation.
In contrast, fintechs, with their client-focused and solution-driven culture, have worked to develop solutions that can help treasury teams by automating financial processes, integrating disparate functions and providing real-time insights. To enact these changes effectively, treasury professionals need streamlined, integrated solutions that support smarter, faster decision-making by providing a unified view of financial flows.
New centralised platforms are filling this gap. Innovations such as multi-currency IBANs, which bring together cross-border payments and treasury management, can provide treasury teams with the clarity and agility needed.
Corporate treasury is no longer a back-office function; it is a strategic lever for growth. But for many, in its current fragmented form, it can limit how quickly organisations are able to move.
The tools to fix this now exist. Integrated, centralised platforms are no longer a future ambition but a present-day necessity for treasury teams who want to move faster, deploy capital more effectively and stay in control as their businesses scale. The real question is no longer whether treasury needs to evolve, but how long companies can afford to operate with fragmented treasury.
Laurent Descout is CEO and founder of Neo
