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Treasury management systems (TMS) are bespoke tools that reduce risks to your cashflow and bottom line.
Last updated: 08 December 2025
Do I need a treasury management system (TMS) or is Excel enough? For businesses with simple, predictable payments, Excel will do the job. However, if you have lumpy cashflow, multiple currency exposures, or lack the bandwidth to manually update rates daily, a treasury management system (TMS) like SmartHedge PRO is essential. This technology automates the mark-to-market valuations that spreadsheets often get wrong and visualises risks to your cashflow in seconds rather than hours.
Table of contents
- Why spreadsheets aren’t enough to manage currency risk
- What is SmartHedge PRO?
- How SmartHedge PRO helps visualise cashflow
- Manual reporting vs TMS platforms
- Are treasury management systems expensive?
- FAQs
Why spreadsheets aren’t enough to manage currency risk?
Traditionally, treasury teams have managed their hedging requirements with simple reporting software. Common tools like Excel are widely available and low cost, after all. But spreadsheets require a massive amount of effort to maintain and, in the ever-changing world of currency, they will always become outdated the moment you close the document.
Manual error is a key risk too. One slip of the finger, one broken formula or incorrect cell can translate to a £100,000 exposure. For that reason, board-level executives are understandably jumpy when it comes to spreadsheet hedging. Mistakes can erode your credibility and pressure your team to spend hours manually validating the data.
With responsibilities and knowledge centred around one or two key people, many companies we talk to find too much strain is place on their Finance Director. Who will be there to pick up in the pieces in case of illness or annual leave? That’s where manual treasury procedures fall down.
What is SmartHedge PRO?
SmartHedge PRO is a treasury and FX risk management platform. The solution was designed for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in the UK with international payment requirements. Built for finance teams, CFOs and other decision-making stakeholders, SmartHedge PRO helps businesses build comprehensive hedging strategies that eliminate risk and make sense of confusing markets.
The businesses we speak to struggle to accurately forecast their cashflow. More that that, some lack the basic functionality to pull reports and instead spend countless hours fetching, validating, and circulating data. SmartHedge PRO automates core risk management tasks, giving businesses greater clarity and allowing them to reclaim time and effort previously spent on manual tasks.
Click here to explore our SmartHedge PRO hub.
How SmartHedge PRO helps visualise cashflow
SmartHedge PRO provides an instant snapshot of your cashflow. Thanks to our dashboards, which pull in live valuations and consolidate your FX contracts across counterparties, you can find exactly how your cashflow stands in a matter of seconds.
Plus, our advanced modelling features allow businesses to game out the impact of different exchange rate scenarios. Wondering what would happen if the pound fell by 5% keeps many finance directors up at night. SmartHedge PRO allows you to assess the impact of any scenario, delivering models and reports that are available with one click a button.
It is part of parcel of international business to face inconsistent payment timelines. Not knowing when a customer will pay or when your liabilities will come due is a core problem for many.
Manual reporting vs TMS platforms
The table below provides an overview of the benefits of TMS platforms with traditional currency management. As you can see, programmes like Excel are easy to set up, but they do not come close to matching the features of any decent TMS.
| Task | Excel / Manual Reporting | SmartHedge PRO (TMS) |
| Valuation | Manual lookup of rates (Time consuming) | Live mark to market feeds |
| Forecasting | Static rows and columns | Dynamic drag and drop timeline |
| Risk Analysis | Requires complex formulas | Stress test sliders (e.g., “What if GBP drops 10%?”) |
| Time Required | Hours per week | Minutes per week |
| Cost | Free (but risky and time-consuming) | Free for Smart Currency clients |
Are treasury management systems expensive?
Some providers want you to shell out an arm and a leg for access to their TMS platforms. This is particularly true for banks, which like to claim that their software is so advanced that you can justify £50,000 to use it.
Smart Currency Business wraps the cost of our services into our broader corporate offering, meaning all the companies we work with have unrestricted, no-strings access to SmartHedge PRO. We see our advanced treasury solution as a value-add, something that your team can benefit from without breaking the bank.
So yes, some treasury management systems are expensive (ludicrously so, in some cases). But SmartHedge PRO offers the same precise control and forecasting capabilities without the cost barrier.
Open an account with Smart Currency Business today to benefit from our advanced treasury management system.
FAQs
What is a treasury management system (TMS)?
A treasury management system (TMS) is a piece of software that allows businesses to track and manage their exposure to risk. Some are aimed to manage all corporate payments, but SmartHedge PRO specialises solely on currency and cashflow risk.
What are the benefits of a treasury management system (TMS)?
TMS platforms are bespoke solutions designed to mitigate currency risk. Because of this, they offer unique tools and features that manage exposures far more efficiently. Finance teams can gain a deeper of the risks they face as well as save time and improve reporting by using a TMS.
How much does SmartHedge PRO cost?
Unlike many bank-provided treasury systems which charge high annual license fees, SmartHedge is provided as a value-added service at no subscription cost to Smart Currency Business clients.
Do I need Treasury Management Software if I already use Excel?
For simple, predictable payments, Excel can work. However, spreadsheets rely on static data and manual updates, which creates ‘Spreadsheet Risk.’ A Treasury Management System (TMS) like SmartHedge automates live mark-to-market valuations and risk analysis, eliminating human error and saving a significant amount of time.
Can I use treasury software if my cash flow forecasts are uncertain?
Yes. The system is specifically designed for businesses with ‘lumpy’ or uncertain cash flow. You can use the drag-and-drop timeline to input rough estimates, allowing you to visualize your credit utilization and weighted average rate (breakeven) without needing perfect forecast data.
