Pace Notes: Assessing the Ever-Changing World of Payments

In today's world, liquidity management is a key area of focus for corporate treasurers and institutional investors alike. Julien Fouré (Carrefour), Stéphanie Akhal, and Daniele Curci (Amundi) explore how various liquidity solutions can help corporates manage cash efficiently within a robust, risk-controlled framework. This candid discussion covers current market trends, short-term investment strategies, and practical ways to optimise cash while maintaining a focus on safety and performance.

Didier Vandenhaute (PwC) and Jan Dirk van Beusekom (BNP Paribas) reflect on the 10th anniversary of the Journeys to Treasury (JTT) report, exploring its evolution and the key moments that have shaped its status as a cornerstone of the European treasury community. The conversation also covers this year's report highlights, including emerging topics capturing treasurers' attention. Didier and Jan Dirk share insights on how JTT continues to provide foresight to assist treasurers in navigating change, and hints at the initiative's next steps in supporting European finance professionals.

For many mid-size companies, a TMS is neither necessary nor affordable — and that's often where the discussion ends. However, the value of equipping the treasury team to the same high standard as the rest of the organisation should not be underestimated, says Matthias Varenkamp (Cobase). Doing so, he believes, provides a clear path to future success. In this podcast, Matthias explains how achieving this level of capability is now both technically and financially more attainable for a much broader range of businesses.

In this episode, Danielle Johnson (Westpac) joins Vibhor Narang and Danielle Sharpe (Standard Chartered) to discuss the impact of the ISO 20022 transition on corporate and bank clients. They explore how multinational corporations and financial institutions are utilising ISO 20022 to revolutionise their operations, highlighting both the opportunities and challenges involved.

My Life in Treasury. Matt Grundy, Head of UK Treasury at Capital One Europe talks to TMI about the pressures, prospects, and possibilities he encounters within the UK subsidiary of this US financial giant.

Welcome to the latest edition of Liquidity Link Live, your exclusive market analysis provided by Northern Trust Asset Management, one of the world's largest cash managers. Tune in each month to discover the very latest insights on the UK, Eurozone and US markets. This edition was recorded on the 4th December 2025.

Real-time means different things to different treasurers, yet it consistently remains high on the agenda. Tom Alford (TMI) sits down with Steven Lenaerts (BNP Paribas) to explore why treasurers should view real-time as a catalyst for greater speed, insight and control. Steven identifies key real-time payment options, highlighting where they deliver meaningful value. He also examines how security, tokenisation and AI are shaping the next phase of payments innovation, and offers practical guidance for treasurers who recognise real-time's potential but need a clear path forward towards implementation.

Tom Alford (TMI) is joined by Jim Fuell and Mark Shemie (J.P. Morgan Asset Management), who explore what's currently top of mind for the investor community and how these priorities are being addressed across the industry. In this candid discussion, they examine the growing momentum behind corporate "step out" strategies, the market forces driving them, and the role technology now plays in execution, visibility and reporting. They also consider how digital innovations, including early-stage fund tokenisation, are beginning to shape investor behaviour and influence the future of short-term liquidity management.

Tom Alford (TMI) sits down with Veikko Koski (FinanceKey) to explore how the FinanceKey platform is helping treasurers build next-generation treasury infrastructure, automating workflows and improving control to make legacy systems shine. Veikko shares the story from the company's founding and the founders' skillsets to the research and evolution behind the platform, highlighting how FinanceKey is shaping treasury operations and expanding its product suite to deliver greater value to users.  

Tom Alford (TMI) sits down with Jukka Sallinen (Nomentia) to confront the reality of real-time treasury, where fragmented systems and legacy processes make achieving true cash visibility a persistent challenge. In this candid conversation, Jukka explains why complexity is here to stay as new tools and processes enter the treasury marketplace, and highlights how upgraded controls, together with the right technology partner, can help treasurers manage integration, reduce risk, and build truly connected, resilient cash management.