Building from a solid foundation: How Transaction Services empower APAC businesses for global expansion

Today’s corporate environment is hyperconnected, increasingly defined by growing uncertainty and sudden shocks. Geopolitical tensions, supply chain disruptions, and volatile global markets force businesses to rethink how they fund operations, manage liquidity, and mitigate risk in the near term and make strategic investment choices for the long term. 

Growth and innovation alone are no longer enough. To thrive in today’s volatile landscape, businesses need agile financial solutions that balance short-term resilience with long-term growth, built on dependable technology and supported by trusted advice. 

"In this era of heightened uncertainty, APAC CFOs and treasurers must navigate multi-dimensional risks such as protectionist trade policies, currency volatility, and working capital pressures. For companies operating across borders, robust transaction banking services such as multi-currency accounts, letters of credit, trade finance and working capital solutions are not just conveniences, but critical infrastructure that keeps factories running, goods moving, and suppliers and employees paid," said Shivkumar Seerapu, head of Transaction Services, APAC at ING. 

"To succeed in increasingly complex environments, leaders require more than basic banking services – they need a strategic partner that brings liquidity solutions, tailored sector intelligence, and proactive risk advisory," he added.

Transaction services form the backbone of financial resilience, enabling businesses to move capital seamlessly across borders, mitigate currency and counterparty risks, and monitor treasury positions. ING offers customised payments and collection solutions to help businesses address cash management issues in real time.

These tools are key enablers of international commerce, allowing companies to finance overseas activities, streamline cross-border transactions, and connect with global suppliers and markets.

Beyond payments and collections, optimising financial resources and maximising working capital can help businesses stay agile and resilient against different situations. For those with operations across different markets, each relying on multiple bank accounts and denominated in different currencies, linking many bank accounts into a unique system can be very time-consuming and burdensome.

ING’s liquidity management solutions provide the flexibility to assess cashflow across multiple markets through a single partner for improved oversight, control, and funds availability. Real-time visibility tools enable treasurers to optimize global liquidity, combining cash flows across all local and international subsidiary accounts to avoid idle cash and improve fund visibility across multiple markets.

“Our global liquidity management solutions—powered by Bank Mendes Gans (BMG)—provide businesses with seamless cash pooling and netting services across multiple currencies, countries, and banking partners. By automatically centralising cash surpluses and funding needs, we enable full offsetting and interest optimisation in over 30 currencies and 100+ countries. This gives companies complete visibility, control, and access to their cash—wherever it resides—across entities, borders, and currencies,” said Shivkumar.

In today’s volatile global trade landscape, businesses could face existential pressures—from supply chain disruptions to cash flow constraints. ING’s Trade Finance & Working Capital Solutions help mitigate these risks by bridging working capital gaps without straining the balance sheet.

“Our suite of customized trade finance tools—including Letters of Credit, Receivables Finance, and Supplier Financing—ensures liquidity even when buyers demand deferred payment terms. For example, semiconductor and electronic component manufacturers in Asia exporting to the US, but potentially affected by tariffs, can extend their payment terms to 60 days to maintain liquidity, while our financing solutions cover the cash flow gap,” said Seerapu. “While trade finance cannot overcome the risk of tariffs completely, it enhances liquidity to keep dealings smooth and suppliers paid and serves as an excellent tool to mitigate risks and maintain the stability of the global trade system,” Shivkumar added.

Every business has unique operational needs based on its market footprint and partners. This means that deep sector expertise – such as that which ING delivers in industries ranging from agriculture to energy to logistics – is essential.

“We are more than just a liquidity provider, we are country and sector experts that serve as strategic advisors to APAC CFOs and treasurers, partnering with them to mitigate financial risks and venturing into new markets with confidence,” explained Shivkumar.

In 2019, global consumer electronics firm Haier acquired Italian home appliance firm Candy. However, the company soon realised it faced several challenges in liquidity management, such as separated cash-pooling, multiple bank accounts at different banks denominated in different currencies, and high EUR financing costs.

As a longtime supporter of Haier’s global expansion, ING implemented a single-entity multi-currency cash pool, providing Haier with real-time cash visibility across all entities and regions, optimized working capital through intelligent cash deployment, and enhanced Haier’s financial agility to act swiftly on growth opportunities. The key outcomes included improved cash flow predictability, lower financing costs, and resilient supplier relationships, even amidst periods of market turbulence.

“At ING, we are proud to partner with global leaders like Haier as they pursue ambitious international growth. Today’s environment demands more than traditional banking—it requires a partner that blends global scale with local insight, innovation with stability, and financial strength with strategic vision. Our transaction services are engineered to help businesses navigate volatility, streamline operations, and capitalise on worldwide opportunities—transforming market challenges into competitive advantages while building long-term resilience,” said Shivkumar.

ING is committed to evolving its Transaction Services, continuously investing in innovative working capital solutions tailored for APAC businesses’ global aspirations. By prioritising digital accessibility and cutting-edge technology, we enhance efficiency while maintaining the reliability, security, and consistency that define our core offerings. This powerful combination—where tech-enabled agility meets trusted financial infrastructure and strategic partnership—empowers businesses to optimise liquidity, streamline operations, and succeed in an era of rapid change.