Prior to adopting Ripple Treasury, Lebara operated without a centralized treasury management system, relying heavily on manual workflows. Personnel downloaded balances from multiple online banking portals and aggregated the data into disparate Excel spreadsheets.

This fragmented approach created significant challenges:

• ‍Control and Compliance Risks: Operational workflows featured clear segregation of duty gaps. In some regions, the same individual downloading bank statements also manually uploaded payment files. The absence of mandatory dual approvals created compliance vulnerabilities.
• Visibility Limitations: Cash positions were maintained in a spreadsheet, updated by staff logging into multiple online banking portals to download balances manually. In some regions, including one bank in India, updates arrived irregularly from a local contact. With no central repository, there was no guarantee figures hadn't been overtyped or missed entirely.
• No Audit Trails: When the treasury team was asked to produce historical cash positions for due diligence, compiling the data was slow, labor-intensive and carried no guarantee of accuracy.

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Lebara selected Ripple Treasury to replace its manual processes with a secure and automated financial management platform. The implementation focused on centralizing operations, improving data connectivity and establishing rigorous controls.

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Key components of the implementation included:

• Payments Automation: The organization transitioned to XML-based file formats to streamline payment processing. Centralized workflows reduced manual intervention and simplified the user experience across various countries.
• Cash and Bank Account Management: Ripple Treasury now serves as the single source of truth for all bank account master data. The system automatically processes SWIFT account statements to provide accurate daily cash positions.
• ERP Integration: The treasury team integrated Ripple Treasury with the Microsoft D365FI ERP, ensuring consistent data flow and seamless reconciliation.
• Risk Mitigation: The platform enforced dual approval processes for all payments globally. By automating these workflows, Lebara successfully closed previous control gaps and ensured proper segregation of duties.

The transition to Ripple Treasury provided Lebara with the strategic insights and operational security necessary for sustainable growth.

Real-Time Data Visibility

Consolidating bank data into a single platform gave the finance team immediate access to accurate cash positions. This visibility proved essential for satisfying private equity reporting requirements and supporting rapid decision-making.

Enhanced Financial Controls

Leadership successfully mitigated compliance risks by enforcing strict segregation of duties and automated approval chains. The control gaps that previously existed have been closed.

Streamlined Operations

The accounts payable team centralized payment processing, eliminating the need to navigate multiple banking portals. Users reported that the unified system made payment execution and approvals significantly easier.

"The transformation for Lebara was a lot more than just putting in place a TMS. It went hand-in-hand with the realignment of how payments are made." - Christine Francis, Head of Treasury at Lebara

By replacing fragmented spreadsheets with an integrated treasury management system, Lebara optimized its financial operations and significantly reduced enterprise risk. The partnership with Ripple Treasury delivered the visibility and control required by strategic financial leaders.

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Looking ahead, Lebara plans to implement Ripple Treasury's AI-driven Cash Forecasting module to further enhance its predictive capabilities and capital allocation strategies.