Open Banking and the Instant Treasury: The Future Is Already Here

John Fahlvik, Manager FIS Practice at SkySparc, explains how Open Banking will benefit the life of the Treasurer and become a standard procedure in Treasury operations of the future.

A new standard for Treasury operations

Open Banking continues to evolve rapidly, transforming how Treasurers access, move, and analyze cash data. The combination of regulatory change, API technology, and automation is creating what can now be called the Instant Treasury – a model where information and transactions flow in real time across banks and systems.

What was once viewed as a future vision is now an operational reality. Premium, real-time APIs are already available across most major banking partners, enabling treasurers to benefit from instant data exchange, faster decisions, and stronger control.

From batch to real time

As technology and regulation converge, the benefits of Open Banking to day-to-day treasury operations are expanding faster than ever. Treasurers can now access multi-bank data streams instantly, allowing for quicker, data-driven decision-making and near-perfect liquidity visibility.

Open Banking – and now Open Finance – is built on APIs. The industry’s transition from overnight batch processing to live, event-driven integrations is largely complete across leading European markets.

API adoption has also expanded beyond reporting and payments to include FX execution, liquidity management, and forecasting – making real-time data the new normal in treasury ecosystems.

Real-time cash visibility

API connectivity ensures that treasury systems display the latest account balances and transactions in real time – eliminating delays, file uploads, and manual reconciliations. This shift means treasurers no longer need to log in to multiple portals or wait for intraday MT942 files to update yesterday’s balances.

As APIs replace traditional bank portals, many institutions are redirecting investment away from web interfaces toward machine-to-machine connectivity. This transformation is redefining how treasurers interact with their banks, improving accuracy, security, and operational speed.

Payments in and out: instant by design

The move to API-based, 24/7 payment infrastructure is well underway. Regulatory and market initiatives such as PSD3, SEPA Instant, and SWIFT Go have accelerated the adoption of real-time payments across Europe and beyond.

Following full ISO 20022 migration, payment data has become richer and more structured, improving reconciliation, automation, and compliance. Treasurers who still rely on batch or semi-manual processes face higher transaction costs and slower responses – while those using instant-payment APIs gain efficiency and competitive agility.

Data insights for smarter decision-making

Data is now the connective tissue linking treasury, finance, and operations. APIs replace static file transfers with continuous, contextual data exchange between TMS, ERP, and trading platforms, creating a single, real-time view of cash and exposure.

The greatest benefit goes beyond automation: insight. Real-time data fuels predictive analytics and enables treasurers to anticipate liquidity gaps, optimize funding, and reduce risk exposure.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning models are increasingly embedded in treasury workflows, automating cash-flow forecasting, variance analysis, and anomaly detection – turning data into proactive decision-support rather than backward-looking reports.

Remaining challenges

Despite major progress, some gaps remain before full Open Banking standardization is achieved. API specifications and authentication methods still vary between banks and jurisdictions, complicating global implementations.

Commercial models also continue to evolve. Some providers are balancing the cost of maintaining secure, high-performance APIs with sustainable pricing. On the corporate side, a few treasuries still underestimate the measurable ROI of automation – though results now show tangible savings through faster reconciliations, reduced manual work, and improved liquidity precision.

The Instant Treasury is already here

Treasuries no longer need to wait. Premium APIs and embedded-banking capabilities are available today, enabling real-time data connectivity, payment initiation, and forecasting across multiple banks and platforms.

Even if global API harmonization is still in progress, treasurers can begin by integrating key banks and systems now – creating hybrid API strategies that deliver value immediately.

The future of treasury is real-time, connected, and data-driven. The Instant Treasury is not a vision for tomorrow – it’s a reality to embrace today.