TLDR: A recent EY India Corporate Treasury Survey 2025 highlights that Indian corporate treasuries are placing artificial intelligence (AI) and automation at the forefront of their strategic agendas. With 82% of treasury leaders prioritizing AI adoption, the sector is moving from pilot projects to real-world applications, driven by economic volatility and the need for enhanced efficiency and predictive insights. Cash forecasting has emerged as a leading application for AI-led transformation.
Indian corporate treasuries are undergoing a significant transformation, with artificial intelligence (AI) and automation identified as their paramount strategic priorities, according to the EY India Corporate Treasury Survey 2025. The comprehensive survey, which gathered insights from 85 treasury leaders across India, reveals a decisive shift towards technology-driven models to navigate an increasingly complex economic landscape.
The findings indicate that nearly half of the surveyed treasury leaders (approximately 47%) ranked the automation of treasury and banking operations as their highest investment priority. Furthermore, a substantial 82% of these leaders consider AI to be critical for their future strategy and are either planning or actively progressing towards its adoption. This underscores a clear movement within the industry from experimental AI pilots to concrete, real-world implementations.
Key areas benefiting from this technological push include cash forecasting, which has emerged as a high-impact application, with 26% of respondents already testing AI-led models. Other significant use cases gaining momentum include foreign exchange risk management (9%), trade finance (8%), and working capital optimization (6%), alongside anomaly detection. This transition signifies a broader aim to reduce operational bottlenecks, enhance accuracy, and free up resources for more strategic decision-making.
Hemal Shah, Partner and Leader, Treasury and Commodity Advisory – Risk Consulting, EY India, emphasized the driving forces behind this shift. “Economic volatility, regulatory shifts, and rapid digitization are forcing treasury teams to do more with less – automate without losing control, manage risk while enabling growth, and deliver predictive, real-time insights for strategic decision-making,” Shah stated. He added that “Future-ready treasuries will go beyond liquidity and compliance management to anticipate risks, shape capital allocation, and safeguard resilience.”
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While the enthusiasm for AI and automation is high, the survey also points to existing challenges, particularly in upskilling the workforce and integrating data effectively. These hurdles must be addressed to fully unlock the potential of technology investments. Looking ahead, EY envisions the “Treasury 2030” as a digitally native, real-time, and intelligence-driven function, staffed by cross-functional specialists proficient in both finance and technology. The report suggests that firms investing in robust platforms, streamlined processes, and skilled personnel will be better positioned to anticipate risks, accelerate decisions, and seize strategic opportunities ahead of their competitors. The survey also highlighted the foundational importance of domain knowledge (ranked very important by 50%) and technical skills (deemed vital by 52%) in the evolving treasury function, with leadership and change management also recognized as crucial for driving successful transformation.
