Top risks and controls for Treasury
The Treasury register lists 36 key risks and 72 best-practice controls across 6 units: Asset Liability Management, Capital Markets, Corporate Treasury, Derivatives, Foreign Exchange, Money Market. Use it to identify risks, benchmark your existing controls or start a risk and control self-assessment (RCSA).
A bank's treasury department is in charge of overseeing all of the institution's financial assets, including investments, funding, and liquidity.
In order to detect potential risks that could affect the bank's financial stability and performance, it is crucial for the treasury function to frequently undertake risk assessments.
These dangers can include, among others, market turbulence, credit risk, liquidity risk, and operational risk.
The treasury function can proactively detect and manage these risks by conducting routine risk assessments, maintaining the bank's financial stability and reducing possible losses.
The treasury function must conduct risk assessments on a regular basis since they are frequently mandated by regulations.
Units covered
Asset Liability Management: key risks and controls
Accountable for managing the bank's balance sheet, including the control of funding, liquidity, and interest rate risks.
| Risk | What can go wrong | Best-practice controls |
|---|---|---|
| Credit risk | Banks face the risk that borrowers will default on their loans, which can impact the value of the bank's assets. Banks must manage their credit risk by diversifying their loan portfolio and monitoring borrower creditworthiness. |
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| Interest rate risk | Banks face the risk that changes in interest rates will impact the value of their assets and liabilities differently. For example, if interest rates rise, the value of the bank's fixed-rate loans will decrease, while the value of its deposits will remain the same. This can lead to a mismatch between the bank's assets and liabilities, which can negatively impact profitability. |
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| Liquidity risk | Banks must ensure that they have sufficient liquid assets to meet their short-term obligations, such as deposit withdrawals. Managing liquidity risk involves holding an appropriate level of cash and short-term investments. |
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| Market risk | Banks face the risk that changes in market conditions, such as economic downturns or fluctuations in currency exchange rates, will impact the value of their assets and liabilities. Banks must manage market risk by diversifying their asset portfolio and monitoring market conditions. |
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| Operational risk | Banks must ensure that their asset-liability management practices are effectively implemented and that they have appropriate systems and processes in place to identify and manage operational risks, such as errors or fraud. |
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| Regulatory compliance | Banks must comply with various regulations related to their asset-liability management practices, such as stress testing and liquidity requirements. Failure to comply with these regulations can lead to fines and reputational damage. |
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Capital Markets: key risks and controls
Accountable for overseeing the bank's capital market operations, which include trading in securities, issuing debt and equity, and managing the bank's investment portfolio.
| Risk | What can go wrong | Best-practice controls |
|---|---|---|
| Counterparty risk | Banks face the risk that their counterparties, such as other banks or financial institutions, will default on their obligations. Banks must manage counterparty risk by diversifying their counterparty exposure, monitoring counterparties' creditworthiness, and negotiating appropriate contractual terms. |
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| Liquidity risk | Banks must ensure that they have sufficient liquidity to meet their obligations related to capital market activities, such as margin calls and settlement payments. |
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| Regulatory compliance | Banks must comply with various regulations related to their capital market activities, including disclosure requirements, risk management guidelines, and reporting obligations. Failure to comply with these regulations can lead to fines and reputational damage. |
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| Talent management | Banks must attract and retain skilled professionals with expertise in capital market activities, including trading, risk management, and portfolio management. |
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| Technology and operational risks | Banks must ensure that they have appropriate systems and processes in place to manage technology and operational risks, such as cyber threats, system failures, and errors in trading activities. |
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| Volatility and uncertainty | The capital markets are subject to frequent fluctuations and uncertainties, which can impact the value of investments. Banks must manage the risks associated with market volatility, including credit, liquidity, and market risks. |
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Corporate Treasury: key risks and controls
Accountable for overseeing internal treasury activities of the bank, such as capital allocation, funding, and cash management.
| Risk | What can go wrong | Best-practice controls |
|---|---|---|
| Capital management | Banks must manage their capital structure to optimize their capital position and meet regulatory requirements. This involves managing the bank's equity and debt financing, as well as monitoring capital adequacy ratios. |
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| Credit risk management | Banks must manage the risks associated with their own credit exposure, including monitoring the creditworthiness of counterparties and managing the bank's credit portfolio. |
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| Interest rate risk management | Banks must manage the risks associated with changes in interest rates, including the risk of asset and liability mismatches. This involves managing the bank's interest rate sensitivity, as well as hedging interest rate risk through derivative instruments. |
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| Liquidity management | Banks must ensure that they have sufficient liquidity to meet their obligations while minimizing the cost of funding. Managing liquidity involves optimizing the bank's balance sheet and managing the bank's cash flows and cash positions. |
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| Regulatory compliance | Banks must comply with various regulations related to their internal treasury activities, including risk management guidelines and reporting requirements. |
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| Talent management | Banks must attract and retain skilled professionals with expertise in internal treasury activities, including liquidity management, capital management, interest rate risk management, and credit risk management. |
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Derivatives: key risks and controls
Accountable for overseeing the execution of derivative transactions, risk management, and adherence to legal and regulatory requirements in the bank's derivatives business.
| Risk | What can go wrong | Best-practice controls |
|---|---|---|
| Complexity and transparency | Derivatives activities can be complex, and the underlying risks may not be transparent. Banks must ensure that they have appropriate governance and risk management frameworks in place to manage the risks associated with derivatives activities and communicate these risks to stakeholders. |
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| Counterparty risk | Banks face the risk that their counterparties, such as other banks or financial institutions, will default on their obligations related to derivatives contracts. Banks must manage counterparty risk by diversifying their counterparties, monitoring their creditworthiness, and negotiating appropriate contractual terms. |
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| Market risk | Banks face the risk that changes in market conditions, such as interest rates, currency exchange rates, and commodity prices, will impact the value of their derivatives positions. Banks must manage market risk by using appropriate risk management techniques, such as hedging and diversification. |
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| Operational risk | Banks must ensure that they have appropriate systems and processes in place to manage operational risks related to derivatives activities, such as system failures, errors in trading activities, and legal and documentation risks. |
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| Regulatory compliance | Banks must comply with various regulations related to their derivatives activities, including reporting requirements, risk management guidelines, and disclosure requirements. Failure to comply with these regulations can lead to fines and reputational damage. |
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| Talent management | Banks must attract and retain skilled professionals with expertise in derivatives activities, including trading, risk management, and product development. |
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Foreign Exchange: key risks and controls
Accountable for managing the bank's foreign exchange exposure, which includes risk management, the execution of foreign exchange transactions, and hedging techniques.
| Risk | What can go wrong | Best-practice controls |
|---|---|---|
| Credit risk | Banks face the risk that their counterparties, such as borrowers or depositors, will default on their obligations related to foreign currency transactions. Banks must manage credit risk by monitoring counterparties' creditworthiness and using appropriate credit risk management techniques. |
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| Exchange rate risk | Banks face the risk that changes in exchange rates will impact the value of their foreign currency positions. Banks must manage exchange rate risk by using appropriate risk management techniques, such as hedging and diversification. |
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| Operational risk | Banks must ensure that they have appropriate systems and processes in place to manage operational risks related to foreign currency activities, such as system failures, errors in trading activities, and legal and documentation risks. |
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| Political and economic risks | Banks face the risk that political and economic events in foreign countries will impact the value of their foreign currency positions. Banks must monitor these risks and adjust their foreign currency activities accordingly. |
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| Regulatory compliance | Banks must comply with various regulations related to their foreign currency activities, including reporting requirements, risk management guidelines, and disclosure requirements. Failure to comply with these regulations can lead to fines and reputational damage. |
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| Talent management | Banks must attract and retain skilled professionals with expertise in foreign currency activities, including trading, risk management, and product development. |
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Money Market: key risks and controls
Accountable for overseeing all short-term investment activities, interbank lending, and the administration of cash reserves in order to meet the bank's short-term liquidity needs.
| Risk | What can go wrong | Best-practice controls |
|---|---|---|
| Access to liquidity facilities | Banks may need to access liquidity facilities, such as central bank lending facilities, in times of stress. Banks must ensure that they meet the eligibility criteria for these facilities and have appropriate contingency plans in place. |
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| Managing cash flows | Banks must manage their cash flows to ensure that they have sufficient cash on hand to meet their payment obligations. This involves monitoring their cash flows and forecasting future cash needs. |
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| Managing deposit outflows | Banks rely on deposits to fund their operations and provide liquidity. Banks must manage the risk of sudden deposit outflows by diversifying their funding sources, monitoring their deposit base, and ensuring that they have sufficient liquidity buffers to meet unexpected outflows. |
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| Managing the use of collateral | Banks may use collateral, such as government securities or corporate bonds, to secure short-term funding. Banks must manage the risk associated with the use of collateral, including the risk of declines in the value of the collateral. |
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| Regulatory compliance | Banks must comply with various regulations related to liquidity management, including liquidity risk management guidelines and reporting requirements. |
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| Talent management | Banks must attract and retain skilled professionals with expertise in liquidity management, including cash management, forecasting, and risk management. |
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This register is a starting point for risk identification and benchmarking against international practice. Adapt the risks and controls to your institution's size, products, jurisdiction and regulatory requirements.
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A spreadsheet-ready CSV with every risk and control on this page, plus blank columns for control owner, inherent likelihood and impact, control design, operating effectiveness, residual rating and actions. We confirm your email with a 6-digit code, then email you the download link.
Frequently asked questions
What are the key risks in Treasury?
The main risk areas covered are Asset Liability Management, Capital Markets, Corporate Treasury, Derivatives, Foreign Exchange, Money Market. Each unit lists its key risks with a short explanation and the best-practice controls that mitigate them.
How do I use this register for a risk and control self-assessment?
Select the risks that apply to your units, map the listed controls to the controls you actually operate, rate inherent risk and control effectiveness, then agree actions for gaps. The free RCSA workbook on this page has the columns ready.
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