BEYOND CASH MANAGEMENT
Treasury stretched
By Laura Demars

Companies are calling on treasury departments to do more than analyze cash and manage risk. In a survey conducted by the Association for Financial Professionals in the US, 91% of respondents said the role of the treasury department is expanding. Some of the tasks treasury is assuming include assisting in mergers and acquisitions, SEC compliance, business-continuity planning, and management of employee benefits other than pension plans. More than a third (37%) of the companies surveyed say they have expanded treasury staffing to take on the additional workload, and another 27% have increased the use of outsourcing. The expansion has changed the view of treasury as a cost center at some organizations: 45% of the finance executives polled say the treasury department is expected to earn revenues for the company.