Fireside Chat with Jie Hua: Transforming Treasury & Balance Sheet Management at SMBC

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Building an Integrated, Strategic Treasury Function at Scale: A Fireside Chat with SMBC's Corporate Treasurer

This fireside chat features Jie Hua, Corporate Treasurer at SMBC, discussing how she led the transformation of the bank’s balance sheet management capabilities building an integrated treasury, liquidity, and FTP framework across the U.S. franchise. Jie outlines the challenges of moving from fragmented systems to daily, enterprise-wide data integration, hiring and developing a 100-person treasury team, and aligning U.S. operations with Tokyo headquarters.

Nov 24, 2025

Jie Hua, MD & GM; Head of Corporate Treasury Department, Americas Division & CUSO Treasurer/Co-Treasurer, SMBC Group

Tags: ALM, Treasury and Liquidity Risk

The views and opinions expressed in this content are those of the thought leader as an individual and are not attributed to CeFPro or any other organization

Jie Hua provides a behind-the-scenes look at how SMBC built a modern balance sheet management and treasury function from the ground up. When Jie joined, critical infrastructure - including GL-to-management-accounting links, QRM integration, FTP capability, and data governance - was fragmented or missing. He explains how he created a new centralized architecture, implemented daily liquidity and FTP analytics, and built a 100-person treasury organization with deep technical and analytical skills.

He discusses the importance of people leadership, fostering curiosity, cross-team partnerships, bridging cultural expectations between the U.S. and Japan, and ensuring treasury is viewed as a strategic partner to the business. Topics include liquidity risk management, balance sheet optimization, scenario analytics, AI-enabled forecasting, pricing discipline, and managing growth in a rapidly changing regulatory environment.

Jie concludes with career advice, emphasizing mentorship, comfort with ambiguity, learning beyond job descriptions, and building roles that evolve with both the market and the individual.

Jie Hua Bio

Jie Hua is to MD&GM; Head of Corporate Treasury Department, Americas Division (CTDAD) and CUSO Treasurer/Co-Treasurer for SMBC Group in the Americas. Jie is primarily responsible for Corporate Treasury to establish and enhance AD’s ALM, liquidity management, and capital management capabilities. Prior to joining SMBC, Jie worked in Citigroup Corporate Treasury, building out its global Funds Transfer Pricing system and led its implementationinNorthAmerica,EMEAandAPAC. Beforethat,Jieled Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review (CCAR) and Current Expected Credit Losses (CECL) teams at Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), and the related engagement with the Federal Reserve Board. Prior to RBC, she held various senior roles in Treasury Liquidity, FTP and ALM, Balance Sheet Optimization, and Financial Planning &Analysis at Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, and Merrill Lynch. Jie has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from University of Chicago and a Master degree of Business Administration in finance from University of Chicago.