Every few months the internet resurrects a behavioural experiment. One of the more memorable ones involves a woman posing as pregnant while boarding a crowded train. The setup never changes: same woman, same passengers, same conditions. Everything is constant.. Until in some runs of the experiment, a man dressed as Batman enters through the door.

The results were striking: people were almost twice as likely to give up their seat when Batman was present. Apparently, capes still have a powerful psychological effect on the people.

And as absurd as it may sound, there’s a surprisingly accurate parallel within corporate treasury.

Treasury Also Suffers From “Invisible Problems”

Treasury teams deal with a parade of issues no one sees until they become catastrophic: liquidity cracks, FX exposures hiding in dusty spreadsheets, half-configured TMS modules, cash forecasts written in the blood of Excel formulas from 2003. Inside the organisation, these risks often feel like the pregnant women on the train: clearly deserving attention, clearly signalling the need for action, yet somehow ignored because everyone is “busy” or assumes someone else will take care of it.

Treasury knows the risks exist. Treasury flags them. Treasury asks for help.
But unless something dramatic happens, stakeholders stay glued to their figurative seats.

Enter the Treasury Batman

The treasury version of Batman doesn’t wear armour or brood on rooftops. But the effect is real.

When a respected external signal enters the room – a benchmark report, a regulatory deadline, a treasury adviser, an independent scan, or even an internal project framed differently – suddenly everyone pays attention. Not because the underlying issue changed, but because the presence of a “hero” forces people to recognise it.

Examples:

1. The TMS That Does 10% of What It Could Do

A company buys a shiny TMS. It uses it for cash visibility and payments… and that’s it.
Treasury keeps insisting there’s more value, but IT, Finance, and Operations shrug. Then an external expert walks in, points at unused modules like FX, IHB, guarantees, API connectivity, and suddenly everyone sits forward.

Yep. Batman effect.

2. The FX Exposure No One Wanted to Own

Treasury waves the red flag: “We have unhedged exposures.”
Management says: “Let’s discuss next quarter.” Then rating agencies tighten requirements, or auditors ask that one painful question, and suddenly the board wants a hedging strategy by Tuesday.

Batman again.

3. The Cash Pooling Project That Magically Becomes “Priority One”

Treasury asks for a centralised cash pool for two years.
Pushback: “Too complex. Too many banks. Let’s revisit later.” Then a consultant draws a diagram on a whiteboard, adds a number with six zeroes in “savings,” and somehow everyone remembers they love liquidity optimisation.

Batman. But with PowerPoint.

Why the Batman Effect Matters for Treasury Leaders

Treasurers are often overlooked heroes. They keep the financial bloodstream pumping, protect the company from risks it doesn’t even notice, and quietly avert crises that never make headlines.

But internal heroics go unseen. People respond to symbols, framing, and credible external cues. That’s not ignorance, it’s human nature.

So rather than rage at the system (tempting), treasury leaders can harness the Batman Effect in the following ways:

Use Outside Signals

Regulatory deadlines, benchmarking, ratings, peer comparisons.
Humans take problems more seriously when they’re validated externally.

Bring in a Neutral Voice

A single outside expert can shift an entire discussion.
Treasury might say something for five years; a consultant says it once and leadership nods thoughtfully.
Annoying? Completely.
Effective? Always.

Make the Risk Visible

People act when consequences become tangible.
Dashboards, heatmaps, scenario models, cash-at-risk visuals… sometimes a diagram is the cape.

Show the Opportunity, Not Just the Pain

Treasury’s Batman Effect is strongest when you connect improvements to measurable gains: lower funding costs, reduced FX volatility, improved forecasting accuracy, higher yield on excess cash. Everyone love heroes, but heroes who save money? Even more!!!

So, What’s the Lesson?

Treasury doesn’t need a cape, but it does need visibility.
When the complexity of treasury work remains hidden, so does the urgency. Show the problem in a way people can’t ignore and suddenly your organisation is full of volunteers giving up their metaphorical seats. And if you ever need an actual Batman to nudge things along… well, let’s just say treasury consultants have worn stranger outfits to get a project moving.

A Subtle, Totally Not-Heroic CTA

If your organisation could use a little Batman Effect – whether for a TMS audit, FX review, liquidity optimisation or cash-pooling transformation – Pecunia brings the external clarity that gets stakeholders moving.

Quietly. Efficiently. No cape required.