What Treasury Will Look Like by 2028

Treasury is entering a reset period.

The combination of economic volatility, API-driven connectivity, and AI-powered forecasting is changing what “good” looks like. The next three years will redefine the operating model for mid-market finance teams.

Here’s what’s coming - and what to do now.

1. One-Person Treasury Becomes the Norm

Most mid-market companies already run treasury with 0-2 FTE. That won’t change. What will change is the leverage of that one person.

Instead of spending hours on reconciliations, a single treasurer will oversee real-time dashboards, automated sweeps, and AI-generated forecasts. “Lean treasury” won’t mean reactive anymore - it will mean highly leveraged.

Implication: Don’t hire for headcount. Hire for analytical judgment. The grunt work will be done by machines.

2. Forecasting Moves From Static to Adaptive

Forecasting is a mix of short-term positioning and longer-term scenario planning. But Excel can’t handle rolling updates, multi-entity granularity, or live scenario testing.

AI-driven forecasting changes that. Models will continuously update, learn from variances, and alert you when liquidity assumptions break. By 2028, forecasts won’t be a quarterly ritual - they’ll be a living system.

Implication: Stop defending Excel models. Build processes that expect forecasts to evolve daily.

3. Cash Visibility Becomes Instant

Fragmented banking is still the biggest operational drag. Ten bank portals, 20 subsidiaries, multiple currencies - controllers know the pain.

APIs are collapsing that complexity. Treasury platforms now connect to 20,000+ banks, pulling balances into one source of truth. Within three years, “logging into banks” will sound as dated as faxing wire confirmations.

Implication: Don’t tolerate blind spots. Real-time cash visibility should be a baseline, not a luxury.

4. Treasury Expands Into Strategy

Historically, treasury was about control: reconciliations, compliance, no surprises. Control is non-negotiable.

What’s changing is the scope. As automation handles the basics, treasury will be judged on capital deployment:

• How much yield did you capture from idle balances?
  
• How early did you spot an FX exposure?
  
• How confidently can you fund M&A without over-drawing?

Implication: The role shifts from reactive “steward” to proactive “allocator.” Treasury’s credibility will hinge on ROI, not just accuracy.

5. Conversational Treasury Assistants Emerge

By 2028, treasury teams won’t just have dashboards. They’ll have assistants.

Imagine querying: “How much liquidity do we have available for a $10M acquisition without breaching buffers?” - and getting an answer in seconds.

This isn’t science fiction. Early versions already exist. In three years, conversational AI will be standard in treasury platforms.

Implication: Train teams not just to consume reports, but to ask better questions. AI will provide the answers.

The Takeaway

The next three years will separate teams that cling to manual processes from those that embrace leverage.

Manual treasury won’t survive. The future is:

• One-person teams, massively leveraged.
  
• Forecasts that adapt daily.
  
• Real-time visibility as a baseline.
  
• Treasury judged on ROI, not just control.
  
• Conversational AI as a standard tool.

The mandate is the same as it’s always been: control and confidence.The method is about to change completely.