Speed Is the Biggest Change in Liquidity Management: J.P. Morgan Payments

Quick Summary

Mali Bartlett, Managing Director, Liquidity & Account Solutions at J.P. Morgan Payments, says the biggest change for multinationals operating across more currencies and markets is speed. Payments move faster, businesses run around the clock and expectations of real-time information have risen sharply. Liquidity management therefore has to become more dynamic, shifting from managing deposits to managing the movement of money, supported by online banking and APIs.

What has changed most about liquidity management?

Bartlett's answer is one word: speed. A few years ago, treasury teams had more time to gather information, assess positions and make decisions. Today payments move much faster, businesses operate around the clock and expectations around real-time information have dramatically increased.

It is no longer enough to ask how much cash a company has. Treasurers need to know where it is, what currency it is in, whether it is accessible and how quickly it can be mobilised when the business needs it.

What does that mean for how liquidity is managed?

Bartlett says what she hears from many clients is that liquidity management needs to become more dynamic. It is less about managing deposits and more about managing the movement of money across multiple markets and currencies in response to changing expectations.

The opportunity is a world where liquidity structures react to information in real time and automatically position cash where and when it is needed, without relying on manual interventions or fixed end-of-day processes. It is about moving beyond visibility to helping treasurers act faster and with greater confidence.

Which tools help treasurers see and act?

Asked about tools that bring everything into one place, Bartlett points to the suite of offerings within J.P. Morgan's online banking platform, J.P. Morgan Access, which gives clients greater visibility of their deposit positions.

That is amplified through API connectivity, allowing information to flow in real time, alongside other APIs that help with the maintenance and execution side. She says clients are making increasing use of this toolkit.

FF NEWS TAKE:

Bartlett's shift from "how much cash do you have?" to "where is it and how quickly can you move it?" captures the real-time era in one line. The practical implication for treasury teams is that end-of-day thinking is running out of road. Visibility and API-driven connectivity are becoming the baseline, and the differentiator is how quickly a team can act on what it sees.