What is cash visibility?
Cash visibility is the ability to see a company's cash balances and transactions across all its banks, accounts, currencies and entities in one place, ideally every day. It tells finance teams how much cash the group has, where it sits and what is moving, which is the starting point for forecasting, funding decisions and treasury control.
Also calledcash positioncash positioningglobal cash visibility
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- Covers
- All banks, accounts, entities
- Frequency
- Daily or intraday
- Feeds
- Cash forecasting and treasury
How cash visibility works
Growing groups often hold dozens of accounts at several banks in different countries. Without a central view, finance logs into each bank portal or waits for subsidiaries to report, so the group cash position is days old by the time it is assembled. Cash visibility tools connect to banks through APIs, open banking, Swift or file transfers, importing balances and statement data, often in the ISO 20022 camt.053 format, and convert them to the reporting currency. Transactions are categorised, for example customer receipts, payroll or tax, so the daily position feeds a short-term cash forecast. Daily visibility helps decide when to move cash between entities, pay down a facility or invest surplus balances, and it exposes unexpected movements quickly, which matters for fraud control. It is the base layer of a treasury management system.
Common questions
Why is cash visibility hard for groups?+
Accounts are spread across many banks, countries and currencies, each with its own portal and formats. Without automated bank connections, the group position has to be put together by hand.
How do companies connect their bank accounts?+
Through bank APIs and open banking, Swift messaging, or host-to-host file transfers that deliver statements in standard formats such as camt.053 or MT940.
What is the difference between cash visibility and cash forecasting?+
Cash visibility shows the actual position now. Cash forecasting projects it forward. Forecasts are more accurate when they start from a reliable daily position.
Software for cash visibility
PanaxAI cash visibility and forecasting across multi-entity groups.Profile →
EmbatReal-time treasury with automated reconciliation and forecasting.Profile →
CentimeAP, AR, forecasting and banking in one cash flow view.Profile →
Round TreasuryTreasury for startups managing cash, yield and runway.Profile →Part of Accountio’s accounting technology coverage · Glossary
