Digital solutions present great opportunities for cash management.
Digital solutions play a key role in the everyday cash management operations. Whether used for process optimization, enhanced bank communication, or real-time payments, the aim is always to increase efficiency without compromising security.
Many SMEs can gain even more from the potential that these solutions offer. The wide range of opportunities arising from cash management digitalization were also a point of interest at the fourth Credit Suisse Entrepreneurs' Conference 2021.
The fourth Credit Suisse Entrepreneurs' Conference 2021 (only German) took place from November 8–10, 2021. Leading experts in the fields of business, research, politics, and sport shared their views on the economic future of Switzerland. This led to exciting panel discussions and breakout sessions on topics such as innovative power, increasing digitalization, new working environments, and many more.
Did you miss the event, or would you like to watch something again? Replays of all the talks, panel discussions, and breakout sessions are available on the virtual platform.
Optimizing payment transactions with digital solutions
Experts Andreas Lutz and Janko Hahn discussed (DE) how digital solutions facilitate everyday treasury operations at the Entrepreneurs' Conference. The consensus: Rapid advances are being made in the area of cash management digitalization, driven by various factors including the continuous optimization of processes, regulatory requirements, and the increasing threat of cybercrime.
The experts
- Andreas Lutz is Chief Executive Officer of Fides Treasury Service AG
- Janko Hahn is Head of Treasury Operations at Autoneum Management AG
For Janko Hahn, the issue of security is of equal relevance for every company. Regardless of the size of the company, there are similar challenges to navigate regarding treasury management, for example, the definition of processes or the approach to bank connectivity.
Ultimately, it always comes down to systems, system landscapes, interfaces, and exchanges with banks and other partners in the market. Generally speaking, a higher number of interfaces means greater complexity and an increased number of gateways for cybercriminals – not to mention a higher manual workload for the treasury team.
Digital solutions provide protection against attackers
Companies have to reduce their vulnerability to attack to ensure payment transactions remain secure. "Putting this into action will involve using fewer systems, standardizing payment processes, and minimizing the number of essential interfaces," says Janko Hahn.
Andreas Lutz agrees and also recommends working with external payment transaction service providers that specialize in processing payment files. Nowadays, it is a key requirement for treasury management that employees have a fundamental understanding of automation, standardization, and process harmonization.
The wide-ranging benefits of digital solutions in cash management
Security may well be one of the greatest benefits that digital solutions contribute to the payment process. No less important is the increase in efficiency, transparency, and stability that has been enabled by digitalization.
According to Andreas Lutz, process automation is a must. Digitalization is also a valuable asset when it comes to cross-border communication and collaboration – an area that is becoming increasingly topical thanks to remote working and flexible working models.
This demonstrates how digital solutions serve as enablers for new business models. With this background in mind, it can be assumed that digitalization will continue to accelerate and play an increasingly central role in cash management in particular.