US boom sharpens inflation warning in October’s flash PMIs
by Ben Poole
Strong demand, rising backlogs and supply delays saw companies pass on higher costs to customers in October.
Best Practices & Benchmarking
Background
There is no such thing as general Best Practice, only Good Practices that might be worth using as an indicator of possible practices in your department. Similarly, Benchmarks are not absolute truths.…
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UK corporates struggle to put £1.12bn cash to work
by Ben Poole
82% of UK firms believe they are missing potential income by failing to optimise excess cash.
Finance teams spend a quarter of their day checking AI
by Ben Poole
US CFOs and finance leaders spend an average of 26% of their working day verifying or correcting finance-specific AI output.
US surge widens growth gap as global costs climb
by Ben Poole
September’s flash PMI surveys revealed an increasingly uneven global economy.
Corporate FX hedging hits record lows as rate outlooks split
by Ben Poole
Corporate finance teams in the UK and US cut both the amount and duration of their FX hedging in Q2.
Trade uncertainty pulls treasury deeper into supply chain decisions
by Ben Poole
Competitive advantage for corporates is becoming led by capability rather than location.
Cash management becomes the test of finance transformation
by Ben Poole
Finance leaders are being asked to modernise at speed while tightening their grip on cash.
Global growth proves resilient as inflation signals diverge
by Ben Poole
New economic data shows a more resilient picture of global growth than the geopolitical backdrop might suggest.
Europe’s payment mix widens as mobile acceptance surges
by Ben Poole
Companies across the euro area are adding payment methods faster than they are removing them, leaving finance teams to manage a broader mix at POS.
European CFOs turn defensive as uncertainty deepens
by Ben Poole
European CFO confidence has deteriorated sharply as geopolitical risk, energy costs, and margin pressures take hold.
July’s economic data puts forecasts back under pressure
by Ben Poole
The global economy regained some momentum at the start of the third quarter, while giving treasurers more moving parts to build into their forecasts.
Swift tackles hidden delays in cross-border payments
by Ben Poole
A new research paper has put numbers on one of the industry’s most persistent problems.
Policy uncertainty pushes FX into North American boardrooms
by Ben Poole
Policy uncertainty, dollar volatility and shifting rate expectations are delaying projects, reshaping supply chains and changing where firms operate.
Corporate growth exposes cracks in treasury infrastructure
by Ben Poole
As cash spreads across more entities and banks, treasury’s ability to see, forecast and control it struggles to keep pace.
Factory stockpiling masks fragile global growth in June
by Ben Poole
June's flash PMIs point to a world economy moving at sharply different speeds, with the Middle East conflict distorting both demand and costs.
Treasurers build cash buffers as stablecoins stall
by Ben Poole
Treasurers are keeping short-term portfolios anchored in traditional liquid assets and leaving stablecoins largely outside daily liquidity strategy.
Why CFOs should turn AI activity into measurable value
by Ben Poole
CFOs need to move beyond isolated AI pilots and build more disciplined finance road maps if they want to deliver measurable business impacts.
Why treasury matters in M&A
by Ben Poole
Cash visibility, trapped liquidity, FX risk, funding plans and banking structures are a few of the areas where treasury is essential.
War tests Sweden’s economic resilience
by Ben Poole
Sweden’s economy is set for a temporary slowdown, but low inflation, rising household incomes, public investment and a cautious Riksbank offer hope.
Middle East shock hits global growth and prices
by Ben Poole
Global business activity lost momentum sharply in March as the war in the Middle East rattled demand, confidence, supply chains and pricing.
Australia slowdown signals tougher operating environment for corporates
by Ben Poole
Australia’s economy is set to slow sharply over the next year as inflation climbs again, unemployment rises and interest rates stay higher for longer.
Global PMIs flash warning as war drives inflation spike and stalls growth
by Ben Poole
A surge in inflation and a clear loss of growth momentum has begun to filter through the global economy.
44% of Asian corporates add banks as trade shifts bite
by Ben Poole
Asian corporates are expanding their banking networks as shifting trade flows and technology advances reshape cash management across the region.
War clouds improving global business outlook as supply chains rebound
by Ben Poole
Firms entered 2026 with improving confidence and strengthening manufacturing demand, but war in the Middle East now threatens supply chains.