Citi survey finds 72% of corporates prioritise releasing trapped supply-chain liquidity

Nearly three-quarters of large corporates now rank releasing trapped liquidity as a top strategic priority for the next 12 months, as persistent supply-chain disruption pushes treasury teams towards cash visibility and working-capital optimisation.

A new Citi Institute and Citi Services study found that 72% of companies put releasing trapped liquidity among their leading priorities, up from 66% at the start of 2026. A further 64% said identifying how much liquidity is tied up in supply chains is an important driver of working-capital strategy, compared with 55% earlier in the year.

The findings point to a shift in the corporate response to supply-chain risk. After several years in which resilience strategies focused heavily on diversifying suppliers and sourcing locations, Citi said treasury teams are increasingly examining where cash is sitting across those redesigned networks and how quickly it can be released.

Cost pressure is reinforcing that focus. Some 68% of surveyed companies identified rising input costs as an influence on working-capital decisions, while 59% pointed to elevated interest rates. Both increase the cost of carrying inventory or leaving cash locked in receivables and other operating assets.

Citi’s proprietary flows also suggest that trade itself is continuing to expand despite disruption. Payment and receivable flows across its network increased 40% year on year during the first half of 2026, with growth recorded across all major regions tracked by the bank. Technology-related flows increased 50%.

Digital adoption is accelerating alongside the liquidity push. The proportion of respondents using artificial intelligence in trade operations has risen from 16% in 2024 to 45% in 2026, while almost half are evaluating distributed-ledger or blockchain technologies.

For working-capital providers, the figures suggest that corporate demand is increasingly moving beyond access to additional borrowing. The opportunity also lies in identifying and releasing liquidity already embedded in receivables, payables, inventory and cross-border cash structures.

Citi’s report draws on proprietary payment-network data covering tens of thousands of corporate clients together with a mid-year survey of more than 700 large corporates and 150 suppliers.