Editorial

Everything is connected

Treasury has long had a reputation for being somewhat detached from other functions within the organisation. But surveys show that treasurers are stepping into an increasingly strategic role – and treasury professionals who lack strategic skills may find themselves at a disadvantage where career progression is concerned.

This issue of Treasury Today Asia shines a spotlight on the increasing connectivity between treasury teams and other functions across the organisation. In The Corporate View, for example, Yvonne Teo, APAC Treasury Director of Brenntag, highlights the importance of engaging with both internal and external stakeholders, and explains how this can be formalised with initiatives to simplify treasury topics for non-treasury colleagues.

Building on this theme, our Treasury Talent article explores why the evolving role of the treasurer requires an expanded skillset, with soft skills like stakeholder management, emotional intelligence and effective communication all rising to the fore.

Likewise, there is a growing need for treasurers to understand topics that might sit outside their typical remit. In our Sustainable Treasury feature, we take a look at the important issue of physical climate risk. While treasurers may not be directly responsible for managing this risk, it is increasingly important for treasurers to understand key aspects of this topic, such as amplifying effects and stranded assets.

Continuing the theme of interconnectedness, much focus is being placed on the impact of slowing economic growth in China on other markets. We take a deep dive into the reasons for this slowdown, from structural concerns to the tariffs recently imposed on the electric vehicle and semiconductor sectors. We also explore why many corporates are opting for a ‘China plus one’ strategy, and what that means for other countries in the region.

Turning to payments, we discuss how the National Payments Corporation of India is working to extend the influence of its instant payment system, UPI, beyond Asia. Last but not least, our article on payment challenges looks at how open APIs and cloud-based systems are enabling interoperability between different payment systems.