The term ‘treasury’ signifies money or wealth in common parlance. Treasury management means dealing with and looking after the flow and circulation of money in a business or company. The various activities and procedures that are carried out for managing the organisation’s money are known as treasury management.
It falls under the jurisdiction of a company's financial department. Hence, treasury management encompasses various tasks and activities such as risk assessment, making the right investments, cash flow analysis, day-to-day banking operations and so on. Treasury management is an integral part of every organisation and has great significance in the business world.
One can understand the importance of treasury management and how it can be beneficial for any organisation with the help of an effective CFO course. Read on to explore the essentials of treasury management and how it functions within a company.
What is Treasury Management?
The procedure and manner of handling the financial assets and resources of a company in order to achieve its strategic and operational objectives is known as treasury management. It incorporates an extensive array of responsibilities such as operational administration, supervision, cash handling, etc.
Treasury management is significant as it promotes the efficient utilisation of financial assets and the effective management of financial risk throughout an organisation. Treasury management creates a balance between immediate cash needs and long-term investment prospects. The handling and mitigation of risks that are connected with foreign exchange, strategic investment risks, exchange rates, and so on.
Key Components of Treasury Management
Treasury management encompasses some crucial components that nurture the financial stability and success of a company. The essential components are enumerated as follows:
Cash flow management
Since cash flow is of the utmost importance for any organisation, handling it appropriately is very important. It involves tracking the circulation of money through and out of the company’s accounts. As finance professionals, one needs to make sure that the company has enough cash at hand to deal with any emergencies that may come their way. Additionally, finance professionals can direct how the excess money can be used most efficiently.
The importance of cash flow in treasury management can be stated as follows:
- It helps maintain the solvency capacity of the firm.
- Effective cash flow ensures operational stability by allowing the company to make its due payments on time.
- Precise cash flow predictions help make better strategic decisions regarding financial resources and investment planning.
Liquidity management
Liquidity is another important factor of treasury management, which the companies need to keep track of. Liquidity management means keeping adequate funds and financial assets to meet any such requirements where funds are needed on an urgent basis. Organisations should always keep some amount of money in hand so that it can be used in emergency circumstances.
The importance of liquidity in treasury management can be stated as follows:
- Liquidity acts as a buffer in case of unforeseen expenses so that the business does not face any shortage of funds.
- Having a level of liquidity allows businesses to make capital investments and acquire assets.
- Liquidity in a company allows them to have greater operational efficiency and flexibility.
Risk management
Treasury management plays a very crucial role in identifying potential risk factors within a company, assessing them and eliminating the financial threats that the company may come across.
The financial risks that a company generally face are stated as follows:
- Market risk is a very common financial risk that occurs due to various factors like fluctuations in exchange rates, changes in market dynamics, interest rates, etc.
- Another common financial risk is that associated with credit. Credit risk is when the parties fail to oblige by their financial responsibilities.
- The risks connected with the internal procedures and techniques of the organisation, problems in the organisational system or human error are some of the recurring financial threats known as operational risks.
- Liability risk is a crucial type of financial risk where the company fails to meet the short-term financial duties and responsibilities.
Compliance and Regulatory Considerations
Treasury management demands strict compliance with financial guidelines and regulations as well as robust security protocols. The essential elements of data integrity and compliance, together with the regulatory backdrop, are discussed below.
Financial regulations
Treasury management is done by adhering to a set of financial rules and regulations. Such regulations may differ for the type of business and jurisdiction it falls under. Some general regulations that create a big impact on treasury management are:
- The USA’s Sarbanes Oxley Act is a famous financial regulation that creates strict provisions for financial reporting and control regulations within an organisation that deals in public trading.
- Basel lays down a foundation for provisions related to banking regulations to increase liquidity in the banking sector and capital adequacy.
- International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) provide a framework for global accounting standards that a lot of countries look up to so that they can frame their financial reporting and accounting regulations.
- US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) is a financial reporting standard used in the United States for regulating financial reporting and disclosure responsibilities.
Here is how financial regulations create a big impact on treasury management:
- Documentation and reporting: Treasury professionals must maintain documents of every important financial transaction. These records must be correct to adhere to the regulatory standards.
- Mitigating risks: Financial regulations generally include various techniques for analysing and dealing with potential financial risks. Such assessment guidelines keep the risk factor in check.
- Liquidity and capital requirement: Regulations concerned with the sufficiency of capital and proportions of liquidity have a great influence on treasury operations.
- Transparency: Transparency is an essential component for the various stakeholders of a company, such as investors, regulators, creditors and so on. Transparency within an organisation can be facilitated by regulatory compliance.
Data, security and fraud prevention
Data security is a crucial element of treasury management that protects the integrity of sensitive information. Data security is important because of the following reasons:
- Confidentiality: Confidentiality of information is maintained by restricting unauthorised access to confidential financial information.
- Integrity: Data integrity safeguards financial details against illicit modification or data tampering.
- Availability: Assuring information and financial platforms are accessible for supporting business operations.
Conclusion
Treasury management has proven to be an integral and beneficial aspect of the financial prosperity of a company. Without effective treasury management, a company will find it challenging to attain financial stability, gain optimal returns and maintain regulatory compliance. A senior finance professional like a CFO can guide a company better in achieving sustainable growth.
If you intend to work as a CFO shortly, an effective CFO course can help you gain a comprehensive understanding of your future role. You can consider signing up for the Chief Financial Officer Programme, ISB Executive Education by Imarticus, to excel as the financial chief of an organisation and secure lucrative salary packages.
