TOOL OF THE YEAR WINNER………Citigroup's TreasuryVision landed with a splash in 2005–helping pilot partner PepsiCo Inc. achieve a single view of 100% of its global cash–and kept going from there. More than 40 clients now use the service, with nearly 200 more moving through the pipeline.

Beyond client growth, Gary Greenwald, managing director and head of global information products, reports the solution's functionality has also been expanding. Since its beta-testing with PepsiCo and then Tyco International Inc., TreasuryVision's data aggregation now sucks up information from all global banks, whether they are SWIFT-capable or even able to transmit electronically. Cash forecasting and foreign exchange modules were added in 2006, as were analytical tools to crunch data and spit out useful information or measure performance. TreasuryVision is even reaching into digital authorization for account signatories through a joint venture with IdenTrust.

But the best may be coming soon: optimization and execution models that will show a TreasuryVision user all the options permitted by company policy for using excess cash and the economic value of each alternative. A prototype is currently being tested today with one client, reveals Paul Galant, managing director and global head of cash management. "They might see that they have a 98% probability that $35 million will be available for 28 days and what the best use of that cash would be," Galant explains. "It gives them a real dashboard and business intelligence that informs choices and lets them execute with the click of a mouse.