Outgrowing the Spreadsheet

A global consulting firm recently engaged our Derivative Path team to evaluate how companies with significant commodity exposure can modernize their risk and derivatives infrastructure. Their motivation was clear. Across mid-sized corporate Treasury teams, there is still an overreliance on spreadsheets and internal tools that no longer meet the demands of today’s market environment.

This challenge is especially common among corporates with enterprise values between $3 billion and $5 billion. These organizations manage physical and financial commodity exposures, interact with multiple counterparties, and often execute trades through Futures Commission Merchants (FCMs) or select investment banks. Yet many still operate with fragmented tools and manual workflows.

Where Excel Falls Short

During our dialogue, the consulting firm reinforced pain points that Treasury teams share frequently:

• Fragmented workflows. Many firms rely on a patchwork of commodity trading and risk management (CTRM) systems, spreadsheets, and emails. Integration is manual, and Treasury carries the burden.
• Manual processes. Hedge execution, trade capture, and valuation are often handled outside of a centralized system, creating delays and inconsistencies.
• Inadequate visibility. Real-time insights into mark-to-market exposure, liquidity, and counterparty credit are difficult to access.
• No system of record. Excel remains the default, despite version control issues, audit risks, and data quality concerns.

This level of infrastructure creates risk. It also impedes Treasury’s ability to act strategically.

What the Modern Treasury Needs

The consulting firm described our platform as intuitive, visual, and easy to adopt. That feedback reflects our design intent. Treasurers are not asking for complexity. They want control, clarity, and confidence that the tools they use will scale with their business.

Treasury teams today prioritize:

• End-to-end automation from pre-trade analysis through post-trade reporting
• Integration with CTRM, enterprise resource planning (ERP), and accounting platforms
• Built-in controls for compliance, audit, and hedge accounting
• Real-time market and credit risk metrics
• Actionable dashboards that simplify internal communication

These features matter most to Treasury professionals with limited bandwidth and rising expectations.

Looking Ahead: The Role of AI and Automation

We also discussed the growing focus on generative AI. Large institutions are investing in ways to automate post-trade workflows using AI to replicate human blotter input or communications capture. While promising, these solutions remain immature and carry risk around data accuracy and hallucination.

For mid-sized corporates, the focus should remain on dependable technology. Modern Treasury tools should automate repeatable tasks, support governance, and simplify complexity. GenAI may play a role over time, but trust and precision must come first.

A Strategic Inflection Point

Treasury is no longer a back-office function. It is a strategic driver of value, resilience, and performance. The tools that support Treasury should reflect that mandate.

Replacing Excel is not just about modernization. It is about improving decision-making, reducing operational risk, and unlocking the full potential of the Treasury function.

If your current processes rely on spreadsheets, emails, and legacy systems, now is the time to ask whether they are helping you lead or simply keeping you afloat.

Let’s build smarter. Let’s move forward.