The needs of today’s treasury and finance teams are increasingly complex. Supply chains are being rewired, geopolitical tensions remain elevated, tariff regimes are evolving and corporates are recalibrating how they operate across borders.
According to Parneci, this is creating an environment of uncertainty and complexity. “Our clients are increasingly cautious, reassessing their investment plans and commercial strategies to adapt to these changes.”
As a result, optimised transaction banking is proving the lifeblood to support ongoing operations.
To tackle this shifting environment, corporates want integrated global solutions that deliver consistency across jurisdictions while meeting local regulatory requirements. And with supply chains spanning both developed and emerging markets, finance teams require a partner that can provide end-to-end support, from cash management and trade finance to clearing and supply chain finance.
Societe Generale’s approach, explained Parneci, is a unified, digital-first offering designed to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing market.
Adapting to changing treasury needs
Speed and transparency are now non-negotiable in the transaction banking environment.“Real-time visibility and control over liquidity have become essential, as companies strive to optimise working capital in a dynamic environment,” said Parneci.
To add to the challenges this creates for corporates, the industry is experiencing a wave of regulatory and technological disruption.
For example, Escaffre points to the upcoming European Instant Payments Regulation, calling on banks to enable instant payments. “This requires significant technical and operational upgrades,” she explained, “and we have invested extensively in building a robust infrastructure that supports 24/7/365 operations and high-volume processing.”
Meanwhile, globally, the adoption of ISO 20022 is reshaping messaging standards. While it enhances interoperability and unlocks richer data, it also introduces complexity for corporates managing multi-market operations, added Escaffre.
To support clients, Societe Generale has built out extensive API capabilities, including its X-BORDER API, which enables instant FX execution across 40 currencies from a single account. In turn, this improves speed and transparency.
Managing cyber, tech and ESG pressures
At the same time, cybersecurity remains one of the biggest risks as payment volumes grow and fraudsters become more sophisticated.
Societe Generale has responded with artificial intelligence (AI) based fraud detection, secure digital signature tools and protected document exchange platforms.
But technology is only part of the equation. “We take an advisory approach,” said Escaffre,“levering our banking experience to help clients assess payments ecosystem vulnerabilities. Together, these measures safeguard our clients and reduce operational risk.”
The push towards sustainability adds a further layer: companies want transaction banking tools that also help them measure, benchmark and communicate ESG performance.
With this in mind, Societe Generale’s Sustainable Global Transaction Banking Framework – one of the first dedicated to GTB solutions in the industry – provides clients with tools to assess and monitor the environmental and social impacts of their day-to-day working capital, trade and liquidity management. Alongside this, the bank offers training, advisory services and implementation support to ensure clients stay compliant, resilient and future-ready.
Aligned and focused on solutions
In an environment defined by accelerating expectations, the ability to combine global reach with local insight is a clear differentiator.
Parneci points to Societe Generale’s integrated model, which delivers a unified transaction banking offer across more than 40 countries. This allows multinational clients to operate with confidence, supported by consistent service standards and deep local expertise.
By bringing together the full spectrum of transaction banking – across cash management, payments, FX, trade and supply chain finance – clients benefit from faster decision cycles and more seamless support.
Digital innovation is another pillar of Societe Generale’s value proposition, added Escaffre. The bank’s SG Markets platform provides a modern, intuitive ecosystem for treasury operations, offering real-time capabilities, strong operational reliability and round-the-clockmonitoring. “Our infrastructure supports instant payments with 24/7/365 monitoring and assistance, capable of handling very large transaction volumes.”
Risk management excellence further strengthens the proposition. AI-driven tools and advanced authentication safeguards protect clients from rising fraud and cyber threats.
Ultimately, this new era of global trade and supply chains demands a mix of global scale, local expertise, digital leadership, ESG integration and a partnership-driven approach to navigate volatility, enhance resilience and capture new opportunities in the years ahead.
