Citi expands tokenisation, real-time tools for corporate treasuries

Its suite of digital services optimises cash positioning and cuts operational friction.

Citigroup, Inc. is accelerating its push into tokenisation and automation as corporate treasuries increasingly demand real-time access to liquidity and global cash visibility.

The bank’s latest suite of digital services aims to eliminate operational constraints caused by cut-off times, public holidays, and regional time zones.

“The lack of clear, real-time insight into cash positions across various accounts and entities can create several challenges including difficulty in cash forecasting, inefficient cash allocation and deployment, increased operational cost and risks, and impaired strategic decision-making,” Stephen Randall, global head of liquidity management services at Citi, told Asian Banking & Finance.

Best-in-class treasury operations are those with robust forecasting capabilities and a centralised liquidity pool, according to Citi’s November 2023 research. This has put pressure on banks to innovate and meet the evolving needs of clients.

“There is a demand for higher, quicker and more flows,” Randall said in an emailed reply to questions. Clients also want improved visibility and ease of reconciliation.

To address this, Citi has launched several initiatives, including Citi Token Services (CTS), Real-Time Funding (RTF), and 7-Day Sweeps, all meant to optimise cash positioning and cut operational friction.

CTS lets clients move cash instantly across borders without being constrained by holidays or banking cut-offs. “Asia has been a key focus for CTS, with two out of the four markets that are live today being in Asia—Singapore and Hong Kong,” Randall said.

Meanwhile, Real-Time Funding allows clients to transfer money across their Citi accounts globally in real time.

“For example, a client might need to make instant or urgent payments from their Citi Hong Kong account today, yet their funds are sitting in an account at Citi London,” he said. “RTF automates a real-time transfer across their Citi accounts so that they can make these payments when their business needs it without manually processing the account funding.”

RTF is live in Australia, Hong Kong, and the UK, with plans to expand into Singapore, Thailand, China, and Taiwan.

Citi’s 7-Day Sweeps service, which automates 24/7 liquidity management, is now available in the US, South Korea, and Thailand.

“Citi’s 7-day sweeps are actually processed and posted on holidays, reducing reconciliation overages and higher buffer of liquidity over weekends and public holidays,” Randall said.

He noted that treasurers are increasingly shifting from static liquidity structures—typically reviewed annually—to more agile systems that can respond to cash flow volatility. “They want their liquidity structures to be agile enough to support cash flow volatilities especially through market uncertainties stemming from the recent geopolitical and tariff-linked supply chain shifts.”

Clients are also turning to Citi for digital solutions and advisory support as they face risks related to interest rates and foreign exchange.

Randall said one key benefit of automation and digitalisation is gaining timely access to important data on global cash positions, which helps clients make better decisions. He added that Citi Treasury Diagnostics, the bank’s global benchmarking tool, can show clients how their treasury operations compare to best practices.

Citi offers advanced programming interfaces such as Balance Inquiry and Payment Status, along with integration support, to help clients optimise their treasury systems.

Randall said solutions like Citi Treasury Diagnostics could help clients benchmark their treasury practices and unlock further improvements through automation.

Clients should then make use of technology-based services from banks and system providers to eliminate people-dependency, engineer better processes, automate, and digitalize, he added.