Cash forecasting vs Cash positioning: what is the difference?
Cash positioning counts what is held today, where and in which currency. Cash forecasting projects inflows and outflows forward to see where balances will be short or idle.
| Cash forecasting | Cash positioning | |
|---|---|---|
| In one line | Cash forecasting is projecting a firm's future cash inflows and outflows, by currency, account and date, to see where balances will be short or idle. For payment firms it drives how much to prefund, when to top up and when to borrow. | Cash positioning is the daily process of gathering balances and transactions across all bank and partner accounts. It shows how much cash is available, where and in which currency. |
| Read more | Cash forecasting | Cash positioning |
How they work together
A forecast is only as good as the position it starts from, which is why both start with balances at every bank, partner and wallet.
Where Polynopsis fits
Polynopsis starts from the live position: what is held, where and in which currency, plus money in flight. Forecasts that update as money clears are on its roadmap.
Polynopsis does cash positioning for payment companies: one live position across every bank, payout partner, exchange and wallet, also sent as a 7am snapshot in Slack and email.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between cash forecasting and cash positioning?
Cash positioning counts what is held today, where and in which currency. Cash forecasting projects inflows and outflows forward to see where balances will be short or idle.
What is Cash forecasting?
Cash forecasting is projecting a firm's future cash inflows and outflows, by currency, account and date, to see where balances will be short or idle. For payment firms it drives how much to prefund, when to top up and when to borrow.
What is Cash positioning?
Cash positioning is the daily process of gathering balances and transactions across all bank and partner accounts. It shows how much cash is available, where and in which currency.
Sources
- Principles for Sound Liquidity Risk Management and Supervision (September 2008) · Basel Committee on Banking Supervision
- Remitly Global, Inc. Form 10-K for fiscal year 2025 · U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR)
- International Money Express, Inc. Form 10-K for fiscal year 2024 · U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR)
- How to create cash flow forecasts and projections · J.P. Morgan
- What is a treasury management system? · Kyriba
Know where all your money is.
Polynopsis gives cross-border payment teams one live position across every bank, payout partner, exchange and wallet, including money in flight, and warns before a corridor runs dry.
About Polynopsis
Polynopsis is liquidity management software for cross-border payment companies. The name joins poly, many, and synopsis, a seeing together: one live view of money spread across many banks, payout partners, exchanges and stablecoin wallets, including money in flight, with a warning before any corridor runs dry.
Why it is called Polynopsis · About Polynopsis · Glossary · Corridor runway calculator