American Airlines, Stanford University, and World Bank Named Finalists for AFP 2025 Pinnacle Awards
Three major organizations are recognized for innovative financial solutions that enhance efficiency, transparency, and cost savings in treasury operations, setting new industry standards.
The Association for Financial Professionals (AFP) has announced American Airlines, Stanford University, and The World Bank as finalists for the 2025 Pinnacle Awards, sponsored by Truist. These awards recognize excellence in treasury and finance, with finalists selected by a panel of professionals based on forward-looking solutions that improve organizational efficiency and effectiveness. Voting is currently open to select the Grand Prize winner, who will be announced during AFP 2025, with Truist donating $10,000 to a charity of the winner's choice.
Pat Culkin, President & CEO of AFP, stated, "AFP is proud to recognize American Airlines, Stanford University and The World Bank for their leading innovations and practices. As part of our mission to drive the future of treasury and finance, we remain committed to highlighting forward-looking solutions that will inspire the broader treasury and finance community in its pursuit of excellence." Chris Ward, Truist Head of Enterprise Payments, added, "At Truist, we believe innovation in treasury and finance is essential to driving simplicity, speed and safety across the enterprise. We're proud to sponsor the AFP Pinnacle Awards and the AFP Payments Fraud and Control Survey for the second straight year, recognizing organizations that are reimagining how treasury and finance teams can expand their influence and create lasting value."
American Airlines partnered with GTreasury to develop a custom Collateral Management System that centralizes treasury operations, streamlines debt portfolio management, and achieves near-total global cash visibility. This industry-first solution integrates collateralized debt, fleet management, cash, FX, and investments into one platform, boosting automation from 50% to 90%, increasing cash visibility from 65% to 99%, and freeing up to 20% of the treasury team's time for higher-value work. It serves as a blueprint for organizations in asset-heavy industries.
Stanford University created UniRev©, a secure, scalable payments platform that modernizes transactions for over 300 campus merchants. By automating processes, improving compliance, and unifying merchant services, UniRev has delivered more than $1.3 million in annual savings while restoring confidence in central finance operations. The platform, which integrates with the university's branding and backend systems, is now being licensed to other universities and nonprofits.
The World Bank launched FundsChain, a blockchain-based solution that digitizes and tracks funds disbursed to developing nations. Replacing manual, paper-heavy reporting with end-to-end digital traceability, FundsChain enhances transparency, accountability, and trust, ensuring billions in global development financing reach intended beneficiaries. It has supported typhoon recovery in Manila, empowered 95,000 youth in Kenya with education and training, and assisted over 750,000 households in Bangladesh, with plans for expansion to additional projects worldwide.
AFP 2025, the premier conference for financial professionals, offers opportunities to learn new ideas, exchange best practices, and connect with peers. Participants can register for AFP 2025 by September 19 to save $274 on registration fees.