From Risk-Averse to Risk Aware: Treasury’s Strategic Pivot

This month’s Inside Treasury4 digs into the biggest shift happening in treasury right now.

As 2025 wraps up, one thing is clear: treasury is undergoing a fundamental shift in how it operates, partners, and delivers value. In our recent expert interview with Tracey Knight Principal at Real Treasury, we explored the growing mandate for treasury leaders to move beyond control and compliance, to actively enable innovation.

Tracey underscored a key theme that we’ve heard echoed across AFP, EuroFinance, and McKinsey’s recent finance outlooks:

Treasury teams must evolve from risk-averse to risk-aware if they want to remain relevant in a rapidly digitizing economy.

This shift isn’t just semantic. It signals a broader transformation in how treasury approaches technology, liquidity visibility, forecasting, and data strategy. As AI, digital assets, and real-time infrastructure become part of the treasury toolkit, treasurers must lead—not lag—on adoption and integration.

Plus — this month’s upcoming events, top treasury jobs, and more inside.

Expert Interview: Tracey Knight on Treasury’s Strategic Evolution

Tracey Knight, Principal at Real Treasury, brings a practitioner’s perspective, sharpened by decades of experience across corporate treasury, consulting, and solution design. Tracey recently sat down with our Chief Product Officer, Ed Barrie, to discuss how treasurers can evolve into leaders.

3 Takeaways from Tracey Knight and Ed Barrie’s Conversation:

1. Liquidity is Fragmenting & Visibility Must Keep Up

Liquidity now lives in a far more diverse ecosystem than even five years ago. Treasurers are tasked with tracking cash not only across traditional bank accounts, but also in virtual accounts, embedded wallets, merchant processors, and even stablecoins.

“Where’s my cash?” is no longer a simple question—and treasury technology must be equipped to answer it in real time.

Tracey emphasized that visibility and control are no longer negotiable, even as liquidity moves beyond the boundaries of the banking system.

2. Automation Starts with Better Data

While automation and AI remain hot topics, Tracey pointed out a core truth: they’re only as good as the data behind them. Treasury teams that are still operating from spreadsheets or manually aggregating data are unlikely to see meaningful gains from AI—until foundational data challenges are addressed.

“We’re finally getting closer to solving cash forecasting,” she shared, noting that improved data integration across business functions is unlocking more accurate, real-time insights.

3. Strategic Treasury Requires a Shift in Mindset

Tracey called for treasury teams to evolve their soft skills alongside their systems. While technical fluency matters, traits like curiosity, adaptability, and risk awareness are becoming the real differentiators.

“We need to move from being risk-averse to risk-aware,” she explained. “Treasury shouldn’t be the department that says no. It should help the business move faster—safely.”

She also warned against waiting for a crisis or leadership change to drive innovation. Treasury has the opportunity—and responsibility—to lead proactively.

Listen to the full interview below:

The Business Case Builder: How to Get Your CFO to Approve Better Treasury Tools

As year-end planning and 2026 budget reviews take center stage, treasury leaders are once again preparing to justify investment in better tools and smarter systems.

And let’s face it, as year-end planning ramps up, so do the questions:

“Do we really need a TMS?” “Can’t we just do it in Excel?”

To help you build a compelling case—one your CFO will actually say yes to—we put together a short guide outlining how to:

Define the problem in business terms
Align with strategic priorities
Quantify the value
Make a clear, credible ask

It’s built for treasury teams gearing up for 2026 budget cycles, RFPs, or internal approvals.

Read the guide →

PS: If your CFO is asking for AI use cases internally, but treasury is still managed in spreadsheets… it’s time to rethink your tech stack.

Upcoming Events

December 9th: RMAFP Winter Happy Hour
December 16th: Virtual ISO 20022 Masterclass | Earn 1.2 CTP credits
May 6th-7th, 2026: Treasury4 Client Retreat

Click here to see the full list of upcoming Treasury4 events.

🚨 Hot Treasury Roles Open Now

Treasurer | Boston Children’s Hospital | Boston, MA | Apply Here
Treasurer | Ketjen Corporation | Hybrid- Houston, TX | Apply Here
VP, Treasury | Sabre Corporation | Southlake, TX | Apply Here
Director, Treasury | PGA of America | Frisco, TX | Apply Here
Treasury Director | Edwards Lifesciences | Irvine, CA | Apply Here
Treasury Manager | REGENT | Beverly Hills, CA | Apply Here
Treasury Finance Specialist | Stripe | New York, NY | Apply Here
Director Finance and Treasury Operations | NFPA | Remote | Apply Here
Director of Tax and Treasury | Flock Safety | Remote | Apply Here
Director of Treasury | Pekin Insurance | Hybrid-IL | Apply Here

Wrapping Up: Risk Aware, Ready, and Resourced for 2026

If there is one takeaway from Tracey Knight’s insights and the challenges facing treasury teams today, it is this: the tools you invest in for 2026 will shape your ability to lead through complexity and change.

As budget planning wraps up, now is the time to make the case for the tools (like Treasury4) your team actually needs. Not just to keep up, but to lead.

Thanks for reading, and thank you for being part of the conversation this year. We will see you in 2026!