In today’s tightly interwoven global landscape, the ripple effects of geopolitical flashpoints, economic uncertainty, and technological disruption are more immediate and far-reaching than ever. From the shaky Israel-Iran ceasefire to AI-induced workforce displacement—and from a weakening U.S. dollar to mounting trade tensions—companies, whether local or multinational—are under pressure to adapt swiftly.

Corporate treasurers are navigating this volatility on the front lines. With financial systems deeply interconnected with governments, central banks, intergovernmental organizations, global supply chains, markets, and emerging technologies, the second half of 2025 will require sharper focus, agile planning, and proactive strategy.

Here are five key areas that treasury and payments professionals should be mindful of, as they are likely to influence business operations and growth through the remainder of the year and beyond:

Reassess supply chain risks amid geopolitical volatility

Geopolitical tensions—including the fragile Israel-Iran ceasefire and ongoing regional conflicts—pose heightened risks to cross-border trade and supply chain stability. Treasury professionals must be prepared to manage sanctions compliance, payment disruptions, currency volatility, and increased hedging requirements.

Supply chain finance solutions will continue to gain relevance, especially in industries dependent on raw materials or components from conflict zones. Scenario planning and real-time risk modelling will be crucial, as will treasury’s role in enhancing supply chain visibility, identifying alternative suppliers with lower tariff exposure, improving supplier liquidity, optimizing working capital, and safeguarding critical relationships.

Reevaluate FX hedging strategies as the U.S. dollar weakens

With interest rate differentials narrowing and investor sentiment shifting, the U.S. dollar has weakened this year. For multinational corporations, this affects everything from foreign exchange (FX) exposure and intercompany loans to earnings repatriation and procurement costs.

Treasurers should rethink their hedging strategies, adopt systematic hedging, and develop dynamic FX risk management frameworks that reflect these shifts. Opportunities may exist to strategically rebalance currency holdings or renegotiate supplier contracts in more favourable denominations.

Stay vigilant as AI-powered frauds are on the rise

Artificial intelligence (AI) is being used not only for fraud detection but also for successfully perpetrating payments fraud. The rise of AI-driven deepfakes—which now impersonate familiar or trusted colleagues, executives, board members, or business partners—is posing a growing threat  to corporations, particularly treasury departments, as they routinely manage large transactions, handle confidential and high-impact communications, and make strategic decisions under tight deadlines.

According to Regula’s Regula’s Deepfake Trends 2024 report, 92% of businesses experienced financial loss due to deepfakes. HR teams and recruiters are even encountering deepfake AI candidates during the hiring process, as digital fakes rapidly become convincing realities, seeping into overlooked corners of treasury and finance operations.

With AI-crafted deepfake content growing more sophisticated and scalable, traditional security controls may no longer suffice. In response, organizations must invest in AI-powered deepfake detection tools to verify the authenticity of digital content in today’s high-risk business environment.

Additionally, educating employees about the rise of digital impersonation—and training them to recognize red flags in manipulated or synthetic media—is vital. Beyond employee education, companies should establish a robust structure for identifying digital forgeries. This includes clear escalation paths, defined roles and responsibilities, and rigorous procedural controls to ensure accountability and enable swift action in the event of a breach.

Multi-rail real-time payments gain momentum

The shift toward real-time payments (RTP) is accelerating globally, and in the United States, a key trend is reshaping the landscape: the rise of multi-rail strategies for RTP.

As noted in the June 2025 Real-Time Payments Tracker® Series report by PYMNTS Intelligence, in collaboration with The Clearing House, gone are the days of ‘either/or’ when it comes to real-time payments.

The report states that U.S. financial institutions are increasingly adopting a multi-rail strategy for real-time payments—leveraging both the RTP® network (the instant payments system from The Clearing House) and the FedNow® Service (the instant payment service developed by the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank). Rather than choosing between the two, banks are realizing greater value by integrating both.

The PYMNTS report further highlights that this multi-rail approach has become more the norm than the exception, with 58% of U.S. banks now enabling instant payments through both the RTP network and the FedNow Service.

This growing adoption underscores a broader industry movement toward leveraging each network’s strengths.

As the report adds: “This shift reflects rising consumer expectations for seamless, always-on payment experiences. It also highlights the need for resilience, flexibility and broader market reach. With each network offering unique strengths and catering to different audiences, multi-rail instant payment strategies provide a key advantage in a rapidly evolving financial ecosystem.”

Growing demand for B2B virtual card payments

A new study from Juniper Research found that the value of global business-to-business (B2B) virtual card payments will reach US$14.6 trillion by 2029, representing 83% of the total virtual cards market globally. This marks a notable increase from 2025, when the B2B sector is projected to comprise 76% of the $5.2 trillion market. 

This growing demand for virtual cards in B2B payments is being driven by their emergence as a more streamlined, faster, and reliable alternative to checks and ACH payments. In addition to enhancing operational efficiency, virtual cards offer accounts payable (AP) and accounts receivable (AR) departments a range of valuable benefits.

The June 2025 Business Payments Tracker® Series report by PYMNTS Intelligence, in collaboration with WEX, explains: “Virtual cards, for example, offer a compelling solution for accounts payable (AP) teams. With features like enhanced security, improved spend management, and the ability to earn supplier rebates and discounts, virtual cards enable buyers to streamline AP processes and boost profitability. At the same time, these tools deliver advantages to suppliers’ accounts receivable (AR) teams, such as faster payments and improved cash flow.”

Given these advantages, more suppliers across industries are expected to recognize that the long-term benefits of adopting virtual commercial cards far outweigh the costs—making the shift to virtual cards an increasingly compelling and strategic move.

In conclusion, as the second half of 2025 unfolds, corporate treasury and payments professionals are operating in a business environment shaped by volatility, innovation, and transformation. From navigating geopolitical instability and currency fluctuations to combating AI-driven fraud and adopting emerging payment technologies, the role of treasury has never been more central to organizational resilience and growth.

The convergence of rising virtual card adoption and multi-rail strategies for real-time payments signals a clear move toward speed, security, trust, and operational efficiency. At the same time, external risks—from digital impersonation to supply chain disruptions—demand a more adaptable, tech-enabled, and risk-aware treasury function.

By staying ahead of these trends and embracing data-driven, forward-looking strategies, corporate treasury and payments professionals can not only mitigate risk but also unlock new value across global operations—ensuring their organizations remain competitive, compliant, and future-ready in a rapidly evolving financial ecosystem.