A liquidity view is only useful if it is live. Yesterday's position explains last night's decisions, not this morning's. For operations spread across countries and currencies, the goal is a dashboard that answers four questions at any moment: where the money is, what is committed, what is coming, and what is genuinely free.
Choose the metrics that matter
Most dashboards drown in numbers. Start with a short set: available balance per currency; pending outflows not yet settled; expected inflows with their timing; and net position after offsetting flows are considered. Add concentration — how much depends on a single partner or corridor — and cut-off proximity, since a payment's cost and delivery depend on the hour it is sent.
Build it from the ledger, not from feeds
A view is only as good as its source. Pulling numbers from several bank portals means reconciliation work and staleness. Recording operations in a double-entry ledger, each entry attributable to a principal, an agent and a policy version, gives one consistent source with an audit trail. Around ten currencies and per-unit reporting keep aggregation tractable, and offsetting flows can be netted before they ever leave, so the "free" figure is realistic rather than nominal.
Keep visibility separate from custody
A live view does not require holding the money yourself. Balances can remain with licensed partners while the network provides the consolidated picture. SUPA is not a bank and, before a banking licence, does not take deposits or hold client money in its own name. Visibility is a reporting capability; custody is a licensed activity. Keeping the two distinct is what allows treasury to see everything without pretending to hold it.
In short
- A useful view is live and answers where, committed, incoming and free.
- Concentration and cut-off timing belong on the dashboard.
- One ledger beats several bank portals for consistency.
- Visibility does not require taking custody of balances.
Design your operational view with the protocol → /protocol/