Treasury Management Should Have a Seat at the Strategic Planning Table

Treasury Management (TM) plays a critical role in how your bank grows, serves customers, and manages risk. Yet many TM leaders are still left out of strategic planning discussions. When that happens, the institution misses valuable insight into customer behavior, deposit strategies, and operational innovation. Treasury Management should have a seat at the strategic planning table

TM Connects Strategy to Execution

A strong strategic plan defines where the institution is going and how it will get there. Treasury Management provides the “how” for many growth objectives. TM leaders understand:

• Which business customers are the most profitable
• How to deepen those relationships through bundled services
• Where technology can improve customer experience and retention
• How payment trends are shifting across industries

Including TM at the planning table ensures that strategic goals (such as core deposit growth, digital transformation, or commercial client expansion) are grounded in operational reality.

The Financial Impact of TM

Treasury Management drives two key financial outcomes:

1. Core deposit stability. TM products like Remote Deposit Capture, Zero Balance Accounts, and Analyzed Checking strengthen long-term deposit relationships.
2. Non-interest income. Fees from ACH origination, wires, and fraud prevention services create a steady revenue stream that offsets margin compression.

Without TM’s input, the bank risks setting goals that don’t align with customer capabilities or market demand.

Strategic Risk and Compliance Insight

TM leaders also provide valuable input on operational and technology risk. Their experience with third-party vendors, digital onboarding, and fraud tools adds depth to risk management discussions. When strategic planning teams include TM, they gain a clearer understanding of:

• Vendor dependencies and integration challenges
• Cybersecurity and fraud prevention trends
• Regulatory expectations tied to payments and funds movement

Collaboration Builds Buy-In

When TM leaders are part of the planning process, they become advocates for executing the plan. They can align their product roadmap, training initiatives, and customer outreach with the institution’s long-term goals. That alignment creates consistency across departments and helps the entire organization move in the same direction.

Action Steps

• Invite your TM Director or senior officer to the next strategic planning retreat.
• Ask TM to present a short overview of current trends and customer opportunities.
• Include TM metrics such as commercial account penetration or fee income growth in your strategic scorecard.

A well-designed strategy integrates TM from the start and strengthens the foundation of your institution’s growth plan.

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