Celebrating AutoFX: 10 years of treasury innovation

In 2026, Nordea marks 10 years of FX automation – a journey that has transformed not only how treasuries operate, but also what they can aspire to do. What began in 2016 as a simple rule-based spot-trading robot has grown into a comprehensive treasury autopilot used by thousands of companies across the Nordics and beyond. 

From early adopters to widespread use

In the early years, automation was primarily embraced by mid-sized and tech-driven corporates looking to apply the tools and strategies of larger peers. Automating time-consuming daily tasks like account monitoring, topping up balances or converting routine flows gave treasury teams valuable time back – freeing them to focus on more value-adding work. 

Today, the picture has changed. Adoption has broadened across industries and company sizes, and automation has become a standard item on the treasury agenda. At Nordea, this evolution has also deepened the collaboration between our FX and Cash Management teams to build sophisticated liquidity management solutions.

Clients are driving the next wave of innovation

Another shift is also underway. In the early days, Nordea had to promote automation and persuade clients that it was the right path forward. Today, it’s often the opposite—clients come to us with specific challenges, and we either adapt existing solutions or co-create new ones. Because our customer base is wide and deep, solutions built for one frontrunner can often be scaled to benefit many others. 

New examples include:

• Automating balance-sheet hedging, including accounts payable/receivable and intercompany exposures, to ensure consistent and efficient risk management
• Real-time ERP-driven workflows
• Invoice-based hedging at a scale impossible to handle manually
• Automation frameworks that ensure subsidiaries stay within group policy in fast-moving markets

What was once operational efficiency has become strategic enablement – providing capabilities that treasury teams couldn’t achieve manually.

Client stories: FX automation in practice

Looking ahead

As treasury functions and smaller finance departments become more digitised, supported by richer data, tighter integrations and new AI-driven processes – FX automation will continue evolving. What started with simple rules has become a sophisticated, flexible platform spanning liquidity management, hedging, API-based execution and beyond. 

The next decade will be defined by the same force that brought us here: partnership with our clients.