Highlights from AFP 2025: From Real-Time Payments to Resilient Cash

Jiko was back at the AFP conference this year, joining the action in Boston, partaking in speaking sessions on the exhibit floor and Tech Zone demos. The Jiko team helped lead conversations around safety, liquidity, and the role of technology in shaping the next era of cash management.

Not only did the team host thought-provoking sessions, they also walked away with new perspectives from practitioners across industries. This blog recaps the prominent themes observed from speaking sessions and important insights throughout the week.

Themes at AFP25

There were a handful of themes that surfaced across sessions and discussions on the ground that point to priorities for treasurers going forward, including:

Real-Time Data and Connectivity

Sessions throughout the conference highlighted how modern teams are prioritizing real‑time data, API connectivity, and automated workflows in an effort to reduce manual processes and friction.

Liquidity, Cash Forecasting, and Working Capital

Liquidity discipline was a recurring focus, with practitioners underscoring the need for better forecasting accuracy and stronger alignment between FP&A and treasury. On the dedicated and repeatedly packed FP&A stage, speakers addressed struggles to bridge operational data with treasury planning, gaps in risk preparedness, and unlock trapped liquidity, among others. 

Jiko’s very own Rachel Green and Xavier Audibert took over the stage on day two of the event, drawing a large crowd. Using data from Jiko’s 2025 Corporate Cash Confidence Survey Report, they covered industry sentiments towards a variety of traditional short-term instruments in the context of maintaining liquidity and safety in times of crisis, noting limitations of commingled fund structures. They then touched on the automation and workflow optimization provided by Jiko T-bill agents when it comes to managing cash in ultra-short-term T-bills, followed by a demo of the platform. The appetite for better forecasting tools and automated cash management solutions was clear after the engagement and feedback on the session. 

Real-Time Payments

The other very popular stage on the exhibit floor was the payments stage, where banks, platforms, and practitioners addressed the need for faster payments, solving cross‑border complexities, and the benefits of transitioning to real‑time settlement. 

These sessions touched on some of the payments-related challenges that (recently launched) JikoNet is uniquely built to solve. Fragmented rails can slow operations and increase costs, and treasurers across industries need reliable, unified systems capable of supporting round‑the‑clock activity. 

What was less discussed, however, were solutions designed to mitigate the counterparty and balance sheet risks that come with moving large volumes of funds through traditional payment networks. That’s where JikoNet offers a differentiated approach.

JikoNet is a regulated real-time settlement network where clients transact in U.S. dollars while earning the “risk-free” rate of government-backed T-bills. When a JikoNet transaction is initiated from one party to another, Jiko facilitates an instant on-us transfer by liquidating the sender's T-bills, sweeping the proceeds to the receiver’s Pocket as cash, and investing the funds in T-bills on behalf of the receiver, all in real time. This architecture eliminates traditional counterparty exposure at the bank level, enabling safer, scalable payments for institutions that prioritize both liquidity and security.

AI Adoption

Just like any other industry, treasurers are exploring AI solutions across almost all functions. Breakout sessions addressed AI’s growing role in treasury, where panelists discussed real-world applications, and on the exhibit floor, several vendors showcased AI-powered products and features. It was very encouraging to see the industry preparing to implement and govern AI, rather than fight it.

Takeaways for 2026

As 2025 draws to a close, treasurers are preparing for another year of economic uncertainty. In conversations throughout AFP, many practitioners echoed uncertainty about what lies ahead and expressed an emphasis on keeping corporate cash protected.

In an environment where markets can tighten quickly, the best strategy is one that safeguards liquidity, delivers yield, and remains agile. 

Jiko is uniquely built to provide safety and liquidity under any market condition, and has grown in traction with risk-conscious treasurers who are looking to protect corporate cash through any scenario. Jiko Pockets combine the functionality of a bank account with the safety and yield of direct T-bill ownership. Jiko’s model programmatically keeps clients invested in US T-bills, off-balance sheet, and without commingling funds or exposing cash to counterparty risk. All this, plus real-time payment, liquidity, and the “risk-free” yield of T-bills, makes Jiko Pockets a fundamentally safer, more efficient way to manage operating and reserve cash.

To learn more about Jiko, get in touch with the Jiko team.