KUALA LUMPUR: Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly making its presence felt everywhere and the global payments segment is no exception.
According to HSBC’s Redefining Treasury Asia Pacific Voices of Treasury Report 2025, within Asia Pacific, treasurers in Malaysia expressed the strongest enthusiasm for AI, with 44% already finding it very useful for global payments.
HSBC Malaysia head of global payments solutions Anand Mukati says AI is helping treasurers forecast liquidity, optimise foreign exchange and route payments across markets.
“The opportunity now is to help Malaysian corporates use AI not just to process payments, but to turn them into actionable insights that drive business decisions.
The next leap for Malaysia will be combining innovation with robust governance and data quality, turning payments from transactions into intelligence,” he told StarBiz.
Anand said uncertainty had become a “defining” feature of the global economy, with the role of corporate treasurers evolving in this rapidly changing environment.
“As the payments landscape transforms, corporate treasurers are being called to reimagine how they operate, not simply to protect balance sheets but to enable growth, resilience and competitive advantage.
“Treasurers must not only become strategic partners but also learn and adapt more swiftly than the cycles they navigate,” he added.
In the report, it was stated that unpredictable markets arising from global financial volatility were at the top of Malaysian businesses’ minds, given their strong ties to international supply chains in the semiconductor and electronics sectors.
“This makes the country particularly susceptible to geopolitical changes and trade challenges, which treasurers must handle with care.
“Nevertheless, the country’s economy continues to remain cost competitive, which could bring benefits from shifts in trade supply,” it said.
The report also noted that the desire for instant payments, predictability, and yield optimisation is palpable among Malaysian treasurers.
“Real-time treasury to me comes back to predictability. To ensure that everything is within what we can predict, and my
treasury and liquidity is protected,” it quoted one treasurer as saying.
Anand said Malaysia is moving rapidly to align with the global AI transformation in payments.
“The country has built a strong digital foundation through the regulators and settlement agencies.
“AI is powering multiple aspects of the payment infrastructure including fraud detection, real-time analytics, cash flow forecasting, liquidity management and reporting and reconciliation.”
In 2026, Anand said the most effective treasuries will not only plan for uncertainty but will also cultivate the agility to adapt rapidly, with data and insight central to every decision.
“Growth must be proactive, therefore, treasuries should be designed for agility, capable of responding to shifts in tariffs, sanctions, and capital controls.
“Payments optimisation, real time liquidity management and automation are emerging as the pillars of that resilience,” he added.
Meanwhile, the report reiterated that despite the enthusiasm for real-time treasury, adoption is hindered by fragmented data connectivity and the different levels of technological sophistication among corporates.
It noted that the unknown risks associated with new technologies are also why cautiousness continue to exist.
“Treasury innovation is imminent but concern about unknown risks, cybersecurity, go with care and caution.
“Investing in technology requires careful consideration of cost and risk, as treasurers are accountable to their senior management for such investments.”
