Why financial visibility and the systems that power it are reshaping decision-making.

Opportunities can pass by in the blink of an eye — especially in today’s fast-paced business environment. To keep pace, leaders need more than a monthly or quarterly report of their financials. They need a real-time view of all their numbers so they can make informed decisions quickly and confidently.

“You can’t just look in the rearview mirror,” said Matt Crossin, president of Commerce Bank’s Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky market. “Finance teams need to be helping the business look forward — visibility enables that.”

Today’s C-suite executives expect the finance team to provide up-to-date forecasts, cash flow reports and other real-time data. “Waiting on financials or relying on guestimates doesn’t cut it when the market is changing quickly,” said Sebastien Solar, president of Commerce Bank’s Houston market.

“Dynamic times require dynamic decision-making, and dynamic decision-making requires real-time data,” Solar said. “If you’re relying on people for real-time data, that’s not real-time data.”

Why financial system investments are the “new arms race”.

More than half (52%) of C-suite executives surveyed by Forbes Research opens in a new window said speeding up their company’s digital transformation is a top priority in 2025, up from 40% in 2024. What’s more, those leaders reported placing a high priority on tech investments in both AI and advanced workflow solutions — two areas with significant opportunities for finance teams.

Financial systems technology has also evolved significantly in the past several years. Enterprise resource planning systems, automation and other tools make it possible for leaders to gain fast, accurate visibility into critical areas such as accounts receivable, working capital and procurement.

The prevalence and accessibility of this technology is prompting many businesses to upgrade their financial systems, according to Solar, and the Commerce team collaborates directly with business clients to help them automate, understand workflows and prepare for scalability.

“Everyone right now is investing in systems — and it’s an arms race,” he said. “But while most banks use a loan as their weapon of choice, ours is a whiteboard. We sit down with clients to understand workflows and help them leverage technology for rapid scalability — not just respond when they need capital.”

By investing in new financial system technology, companies often boost the efficiency of their finance teams. Automation, for example, can replace much of the manual work done in accounts receivable and accounts payable, freeing up employee time for higher-level tasks.

“This increase in efficiency is crucial when companies expect employees to do more with less and respond to changing market demands quickly,” Crossin said.

“Financial transformation used to be a ‘nice to have.’ Now, it’s survival,” he said. “When volatility is high, the best strategy is being agile — and good systems give you that agility.”

Best practices for investing in new financial systems.

Solar and Crossin have worked with many businesses as they adopted new financial systems. While the benefits of most new systems are clear, they said leaders often underestimate how complex a true digital transformation in a financial department can be.

“The biggest pitfall? Trying to go it alone,” Solar said, recommending businesses engage with professionals throughout the transition and provide employees with plenty of support before, during and after the implementation. “Once your team loses confidence in the ability to execute, it becomes a dangerous downward spiral.”

“Businesses that experience the smoothest transitions are those that take the time to review and improve the entire finance process before implementing new technology,” Crossin said.

“A lot of clients will say, ‘We’re just going to upgrade the system,’” he said. “But if you don’t fix the underlying processes and people structure, you’re going to end up with the same problems — just on a newer platform.”

Take the next step.

Commerce Bank offers more than capital to businesses looking to grow. Its business teams bring perspective, expertise and connection to tools that empower finance teams to better support current operations and long-term outcomes.

“We’re not just bankers,” Solar said. “We’re the general practitioners who know your full health chart. We bring intellectual, financial and social capital together to help you execute.”

It is a unique lens with which to improve financial visibility.

“The difference is we’ve seen what works — and what doesn’t — across hundreds of clients,” Crossin said. “We bring that lens to every conversation.”