American Airlines, Stanford University, World Bank Named Finalists for AFP 2025 Pinnacle Awards

The Association for Financial Professionals has named American Airlines, Stanford University, and The World Bank as finalists for the prestigious 2025 Pinnacle Awards, sponsored by Truist. These awards recognize excellence in treasury and finance operations, with finalists selected by a panel of industry professionals based on forward-looking solutions that improve organizational efficiency and effectiveness.

Voting is currently open to select the Grand Prize winner, which will be announced during AFP 2025. Truist will make a $10,000 donation to a charity of the winner's choice. The recognition highlights how innovative financial solutions can drive significant operational improvements across diverse sectors, from aviation to education and international development.

American Airlines partnered with GTreasury to develop a custom Collateral Management System that centralizes treasury operations and streamlines debt portfolio management. This industry-first solution integrates collateralized debt, fleet management, cash, foreign exchange, and investments into a single platform. The system has boosted automation from 50% to 90%, increased cash visibility from 65% to 99%, and freed up to 20% of the treasury team's time for higher-value work. This innovation provides a blueprint for other asset-heavy organizations operating in complex environments.

Stanford University developed UniRev©, a secure and scalable payments platform that modernizes how more than 300 campus merchants handle transactions. The platform automates processes, improves compliance, and unifies merchant services across departments. UniRev has already delivered more than $1.3 million in annual savings while restoring confidence in central finance operations. The solution serves as a Center of Excellence that integrates seamlessly with the university's branding and backend systems, and it 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. By replacing manual, paper-heavy reporting with end-to-end digital traceability, FundsChain enhances transparency, accountability, and trust in global development financing. The platform has already facilitated typhoon recovery in Manila, empowered 95,000 youth in Kenya with education and training, and supported more than 750,000 households in Bangladesh. As the World Bank plans to expand FundsChain across additional projects worldwide, it establishes new standards for transparency in public financial management.

Pat Culkin, President & CEO of AFP, stated that the organization remains committed to highlighting forward-looking solutions that inspire the broader treasury and finance community. Chris Ward, Truist Head of Enterprise Payments, emphasized that innovation in treasury and finance is essential to driving simplicity, speed, and safety across enterprises. Participants can register for AFP 2025 by September 19 to save $274 on registration fees for the premier conference for financial professionals.