Engagement Structure

A staged advisory model designed to preserve independence, analytical rigour, and decision credibility.

Tier 1

Settlement Architecture Diagnostic

An independent diagnostic documenting how your current FX settlement architecture actually works — and where costs, risks, and complexity are structurally created.

This engagement establishes a clear, defensible view of the current state before any decisions are made.

What This Delivers
  • Classification of your current settlement architecture
  • End-to-end mapping of FX execution, settlement, approval, and reconciliation flows
  • Quantification of structural FX costs and operational overhead
  • Identification of control gaps and governance risks
  • Clear separation of measured findings vs assumptions
What This Does Not Include
  • Optimisation recommendations
  • Provider selection or comparison
  • Future-state design
  • Implementation guidance

Purpose: To give finance leaders a documented, decision-ready understanding of the present system that can withstand audit, board, and regulatory scrutiny.

Tier 2

Architecture Requirements Specification

A provider-neutral specification defining what any future treasury solution must be capable of — based strictly on Tier 1 findings.

This engagement translates documented issues into clear requirements without selecting vendors or managing implementation.

What This Delivers
  • Capability requirements derived directly from diagnostic findings
  • Comparison of architectural patterns (not providers)
  • Evaluation criteria your team can use in procurement or internal design
  • Explicit documentation of trade-offs, constraints, and dependencies
What This Does Not Include
  • Provider endorsement or selection
  • Commercial negotiation
  • Implementation management
  • Execution oversight

Purpose: To allow internal teams to evaluate options confidently, using their own procurement processes, with a clear, defensible requirements baseline.

How Tier 1 and Tier 2 Work Together

TIER 1

Documents what exists and why it behaves the way it does

TIER 2

Defines what would need to change to address documented issues

Neither tier sells, selects, or implements solutions

This separation preserves independence and prevents vendor-led decision-making.

Architecture Decision Support Program

Two distinct support paths

Independent support after Tier 2, delivered through two clearly separated paths: episodic decision assessment and ongoing governance monitoring. ADSP preserves independence by separating decision review from continuous oversight.

Choose based on governance needs. Most organisations only realise they need this support after the first post-diagnostic decision creates downstream complexity.

Path 1: Decision Assessment (Episodic)

What this is

Independent assessment of a specific treasury architecture decision when it arises.

Typical Triggers
  • Adding or changing a bank or PSP
  • Evaluating a provider's proposed structure
  • Integrating new entities or flows after M&A
What You Receive
  • Short written assessment
  • Clear fit / misfit against documented Tier 2 requirements
  • Assumptions and limitations explicitly stated
What This Is NOT
  • Ongoing support
  • Execution guidance
  • Provider recommendation

Access model: Delivered on demand. Requires prior Tier 2 completion. This path is used only when a formal decision needs independent assessment.

Path 2: Governance Monitoring (Ongoing Oversight)

What this is

Ongoing independent oversight of your treasury architecture to ensure changes do not silently degrade cost, control, or governance.

What You Receive
  • Periodic governance check-ins
  • Written monitoring updates
  • Clear classification of change: No material change / Change identified / Further review recommended
Key Principle
  • Monitoring only
  • No decisions made
  • No actions directed
Purpose
  • Maintain defensible governance
  • Preserve audit and board confidence
  • Catch architectural drift early

This path exists even when no active decisions are being made.

Annual Architecture Health Check

(Included within Governance Monitoring or available standalone)

What this is

A structured refresh comparing current architecture to the original documented baseline.

What You Receive
  • Updated architecture snapshot
  • Identification of material drift
  • Board- and audit-ready documentation

Program Notes: ADSP is accessed through either Decision Assessment (episodic) or Governance Monitoring (ongoing). These paths are deliberately separated to preserve independence, clarity, and governance integrity. All ADSP work is advisory only and requires completion of Tier 1 or Tier 2.

Example Scenario

A UK-based business processes £18M annually across three banks and two PSPs following several acquisitions. FX costs appear to be increasing, but finance leadership cannot reconcile total FX cost or explain variance to the audit committee.

Before evaluating new providers or renegotiating rates, the organisation commissions a Settlement Architecture Diagnostic to document how FX execution, approval, settlement, and reconciliation currently operate — and where costs and control risks are structurally created.

The resulting documentation provides a defensible baseline for internal decision-making, procurement evaluation, and board discussion — without recommending vendors or implementations.

Why documenting the current state matters

Without a documented view of how FX costs and controls are structurally created:

01

Architecture decisions lack a defensible foundation

02

Provider evaluations lack independent foundation

03

Governance discussions become opinion-led

04

Audit and board scrutiny intensifies after decisions are made

Our engagements exist to prevent this.

Fabio Advisory Partners

Independent corporate treasury advisory focused on settlement architecture diagnostics and decision support for finance leaders

Fabio Advisory Partners Ltd

Registered in England & Wales: 16977421

Registered Office: 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9JQ

Registered with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) for data protection compliance.

Engagement Structure

  • Settlement Architecture Diagnostic
  • Requirements Specification
  • Decision Support Programme

2026 Fabio Advisory Partners Ltd. All rights reserved.

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Advisory services only. Fabio Advisory Partners Ltd is not a bank, payment institution, or custodial entity. We do not hold, custody, or transmit client funds. All settlement execution and fund custody are performed by FCA-regulated third-party providers under direct client agreements.

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