Discovery Inc.’s finance chief in recent days faced the challenge of having to secure $30 billion in funding for its planned merger with AT&T Inc.’s media business in volatile markets and with a tight window.

Companies that previously locked in energy prices are being shielded from surging gas, oil and electricity markets, but that protection will fade as hedges expire and the costs of new ones catch up with today’s higher energy prices.

Finance chiefs and treasurers expect to earn higher interest on cash piles parked at banks once interest rates go up, but banks, awash with trillions of dollars in deposits, might take their time before they pay commercial customers more.

Companies are putting the brakes on planned initial public offerings and other equity capital markets transactions as investors pull back following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Cash-management company Brink’s Co. has halted all operations in Russia, including bank note transfers, to ensure it complies with newly introduced U.S. sanctions against the country, its finance chief said.

Cruise finance chief Bill Nash said he is learning from other ride-hailing companies as he works to finalize the cost structure of his company’s robotaxi venture.

Applied Materials Inc. is working to automate its finance processes to boost efficiency and free up employees for more analytical tasks. Here’s how.

Marriott International Inc. is working to slash its debt and is considering its options for $1.5 billion in maturities that will come due between now and the end of 2024, the hotel chain’s finance chief said.

Many finance chiefs have done their homework. They refinanced some of their companies’ debt maturities early and locked in cheap rates, making them less exposed to rising interest rates and higher funding costs. Executives at large U.S. companies, including General Motors Co., XPO Logistics Inc. and Levi Strauss & Co., said they aren’t overly concerned about tighter monetary policy, given that interest rates are set to rise from low levels.

Cory Hrncirik, who leads Microsoft’s Modern Finance initiative, told WSJ’s CFO Journal about the tools the company is using to streamline and simplify finance work, and why the organization still uses Excel for some tasks.