In an environment defined by interest-rate volatility and supply-chain disruption, forecasting accuracy has become a strategic differentiator. Yet the data from GSCF’s Working Capital Leadership Report 2025 reveals a stark reality: only 4% of organizations have fully automated, real-time cash forecasting.
The majority are still operating with limited visibility. 53% rely on semi-automated forecasting with manual inputs, while 34% continue to use spreadsheet-based models. These approaches may have worked in a more stable environment, but they struggle under today’s conditions of rapid demand shifts and rising funding complexity.
This data gap has real consequences. Poor visibility makes it harder to anticipate liquidity shortfalls, optimize funding decisions, or respond proactively to disruption. It also forces treasury and finance teams into a reactive posture, managing cash after the fact rather than steering it strategically.
What sets the small cohort of high performers apart is not just technology, but mindset. Organizations with advanced forecasting capabilities are far more likely to report confidence in liquidity planning and faster decision-making cycles across finance, sales and operations.
As the report makes clear, forecasting is no longer a technical nice-to-have. It is the foundation on which resilient working capital strategies are built.
Key Takeaways
- Real-time forecasting remains rare, creating a widening gap between organizations that can anticipate liquidity risk and those that can only react to it.
- Reliance on spreadsheets and semi-automated processes is no longer just inefficient, it actively constrains agility in volatile markets.
- Data-driven maturity is becoming a strategic differentiator, not a treasury capability.
How GSCF Helps
GSCF’s Working Capital as a Service model combines technology, expert services and a Connected Capital ecosystem of alternative and bank capital to deliver visibility across all your global working capital programs.
With C4 (Connected Capital Control Center) coming soon, GSCF extends this visibility to the portfolio level, aggregating data across working capital programs, regions and funders into a single source of truth. This consolidated view improves forecasting confidence and enables finance leaders to assess liquidity position and exposure across the full working capital landscape rather than program by program.
Learn more: Download the Working Capital Leadership Report