What will be the Treasury Trend of 2023?

30-11-2022 | treasuryXL | LinkedIn |

As 2023 is approaching, we explored what Treasurers are particularly looking forward to in treasury for next year. What will be the Treasury Trend of 2023? Are treasurers curious to know what is going to happen in the area of Market and FX Risk Management, or just what the developments are going to be in e-commerce related to Treasury? Or will the understanding of APIs in Treasury be the story of 2023, or the role of Treasury within companies? We sought it out!

We thank Huub Wevers and Kim Vercoulen for sharing their views with us.

What will be the Treasury Trend of 2023?

As 2023 is approaching, we explored what treasurers are particularly looking forward to in treasury for next year. What will become the trends in treasury management next year?Are treasurers curious to know what is going to happen in the area of Market and FX Risk Management, or just what the developments are going to be in Ecommerce related to Treasury? Or will the understanding of APIs in Treasury be the story of 2023, or the role of Treasury within companies? We sought it out! This topic was also the subject of discussion during the last webinar together with Nomentia, you can find the recording here.

Question: What are you particularly interested in that will develop in 2023 in treasury?

treasury trends 2023

First observation

We see that Market and FX Risk Management stands out a little, and that there is less focus on trends in e-commerce and Treasury. What do those within treasuryXL say about this, and what are they looking forward to for next year?

View of treasuryXL experts

Huub Wevers (Nomentia)

Huub is especially interested in the developments in APIs for Treasury for in 2023.

“My personal interest is in the focus on APIs, which is good, as APIs offer new functionalities and convenience for treasurers”

With the current political and economic turmoil, it makes sense that market risk is back on the agenda. Interest rates are rising and emerging markets are becoming riskier. My personal interest is in the focus on APIs, which is good, as APIs offer new functionalities and convenience for treasurers. However, it is a jungle because everyone promises APIs, but few deliver on them, and the few that do make them have no standards.

We also see APIs that are ‘disguised’ file connections. This makes sense, because an API means linking two applications and this can be done through authentication, security and then exchange of a file. We see this a lot with Payment Service Providers. Getting reporting files for matching purposes, for example.

The webinar the other day was interesting because Niki and I represent two different areas of treasury that are important to Patrick, a very experienced treasurer, namely market risk and technology. Together with Pieter as moderator, it was fun to hear the different perspectives and experiences!

Kim Vercoulen (Treasurer Search)

Kim is especially interested in the developments of Market and FX Risk Management for in 2023.

” Important question for the treasurer will remain what to do about this.”

I chose for Market and FX Risk Management. I think especially with inflation and higher interest rates, this is going to have an impact on the treasurer’s work within the treasury department.

This is obviously all going to play through on companies’ costs, and pressure on selling prices will also increase. Important question for the treasurer will remain what to do about this.

How this will affect the treasury market compared to the current year remains to be seen. That is what we are going to witness at Treasurer Search.

Training: Treasury Management and Credit Collections

07-11-2022 | François de Witte | treasuryXL | LinkedIn

treasuryXL expert François de Witte will be giving a treasury training at the House of Training in Luxembourg on 22 November. We would like to highlight this valuable training which is available for only 255 euros!

Register here

Description

In his day-to-day work, the accountant must in particular be able to follow/manage the cash flow and the credit collections of the company. Cash management starts from a different dimension than the accounting perspective, namely that of flows and cash management.

The objective of this training is to give an overview of the treasury dimension, flow and cash management, monitoring of client settlement (Credit Control) and risk management in terms of financing the company. In addition, we will also look at how best to manage the banking reporting, the reconciliation and the bank relationships.

 

Objectives

At the end of the training, the participant will be able to:

  • Identify the cash flow components and their interactions with accounting
  • Understand the basics of a company’s day-to-day cash management
  • Optimize flows in the company
  • Manage customer collections and the development of a “Credit Control”
  • Better understand banking reporting and reconciliation
  • Know the organization of a treasury department and its tools
  • Identify basic tools for hedging risks, managing debt and excess liquidity

Programme

  • Definition of treasury objectives
  • Relations and interactions with other departments including accounting
  • Optimizing the management of financial flows in the company
  • Cash and liquidity management
  • Basic cash management techniques
  • Identification and management of financial risks
  • Financing and banking management
  • Technical tools available to the treasurer

Target Audience

Anyone interested in learning how accounting works and understanding corporate cash flow

Prerequisites

Basic financial and accounting knowledge

Register here

 

 

Francois de Witte

 

François de Witte

 

 

 

Ask the treasuryXL expert #5 What is Factoring in Trade Finance?

03-11-2022 | treasuryXL | Wim Kok | LinkedIn |

treasuryXL is the community platform for everyone with a treasury question or answer! A common question asked by treasurers is what Factoring means in Trade Finance. In today’s article Ask the treasuryXL Expert, Wim Kok defines factoring in trade finance for us.

Factoring in Trade Finance

Question:  “What is Factoring in Trade Finance?”

Answer provided by Wim

What is Factoring in Trade Finance?

Well, there is a pretty good definition included in the Standard Definitions for Techniques of Supply Chain Finance, prepared by the Global Supply Chain Finance Forum and published by the ICC in 2016. It is currently being updated, but the definition is still alright.

There they give the definition of factoring in trade finance as: Factoring is a form of Receivables Purchase, in which sellers of goods and services sell their receivables (represented by outstanding invoices) at a discount to a finance provider (commonly known as the ‘factor’). A key differentiator of Factoring is that typically the finance provider becomes responsible for managing the debtor portfolio and collecting the payment of the underlying receivables.

Would you add anything to this definition? 

There are a number of things I would add to this to explain the terminology and make it more clear:

  • The term “factoring” is sometimes used as an umbrella term for all forms of invoice financing, including confidential invoice discounting. Strictly speaking, “factoring” refers to both debt management and debt purchase.
  • In the UK, factoring is usually communicated to the debtor, as the collection procedures are carried out by the funding provider (the “factor”).
  • Non-public factoring is usually more popular than full factoring. In this case, the customer retains control over the collection of the receivable.
  • In some markets, disclosure is required by law. Some even require the debt to be formally acknowledged before purchase.
  • In the UK, the standard practice is for the factor to purchase all debt – known as “whole turnover” – even if not all debt is eligible for financing. This gives the factor leeway to absorb any dilution or non-payment of individual invoices. Banks also take secondary security in the form of an “all-asset debenture”. This is registered at Companies House and notifies other potential lenders that debts have been transferred.
  • A subtle but important point is that a debt assignment can serve two purposes: it can mean that the debt has been bought or that the debt has been taken as security for a loan.
  • Many Fintechs offer single invoice/selected invoice/selected debtor solutions, but these are inherently riskier than whole turnover solutions. Large bank providers are generally reluctant to follow suit.
  • Factoring can be done with or without recourse. Even arrangements without recourse include provisions allowing the factor to require the customer to buy back the invoice under certain conditions (e.g. contractual dispute).
  • Factoring can possibly be “wrapped” in credit insurance.
  • In the UK, major finance providers tend to operate an “availability model” in factoring rather than funding individual invoices. The “availability” changes in real time as new eligible debts are purchased (within agreed counterparty limits etc) and existing debts are settled, defaulted or become ineligible. The customer can then draw down to “availability” at any time. This is similar to a “borrowing base” approach, albeit with frequent increases and decreases within the day. This model, combined with the “whole turnover” mandate, provides the factor with a secure source of repayment even if some invoices remain unpaid.

I trust this will be helpful and give more insight into this subject.

Wim Kok


Do you also have a question for one of the treasuryXL experts? Feel free to leave your question on our treasuryXL Panel. The panel members are willing to answer your question, free of charge, with no commitment.

How important is it for you that someone has a well-known Treasury degree?

31-10-2022 | treasuryXL | LinkedIn |

The fifth edition in which we discuss the latest poll, is available for your reading. We show how treasurers voted to express their opinions on a current issue, and several of our treasury experts will talk about their perspectives.

We thank our experts Konstantin Khorev,  Arnoud Doornbos and François De Witte for sharing their valuable views on this topic in this edition.

How important is it for you that someone has a well-known Treasury degree?

There are plenty of education and training courses in treasury, with the aim of obtaining treasury certificates. We wanted to explore how important you think this is, in the job market or for other things. There was a very good participation in the poll, resulting in a record 113 votes. Thank you everyone for actively participating, and join us in voting for the poll that is currently live and let’s try break the record votes right away!

Question: How important is it for you that someone has a well-known Treasury degree? On the job market or for other things?

How do treasures think of a treasury degree?

We see a considerable spread of votes. A large proportion of treasurers value expertise more than a degree. On the other hand, a large proportion considers a treasury degree minimally of high importance. Some of our treasuryXL experts from different backgrounds explained their views on the subject.

View of treasuryXL experts

Konstantin Khorev

Konstantin voted for the option that a treasury degree is a guarantee of quality.

” Specific, treasury-focused education certainly makes sense.”

From the perspective of a recruitment manager who has conducted a number of interviews, I find that a standard academic programme does not focus enough on the topics relevant to the treasury function.

For example, I note that too many candidates for treasury positions find it difficult to understand or don’t know FX forward pricing (relationship between interest rate differential, spot and forward pricing), or don’t understand the difference/relationship between net income and cash flows, etc.

And, of course, these are only general topics; other topics – like cash pooling or hedge accounting are just not part of the regular curriculum. Therefore, specific, treasury-focused education certainly makes sense.

Arnoud Doornbos

Arnoud voted for the option that a treasury degree is just one of the key aspects.

” There are also elements that you can never learn from a book”

A treasury degree is a great start to a career in treasury. But after having interviewed many candidates in my life, I am also convinced that practice is also a very good learning opportunity. There are also elements that you can never learn from a book. You must have done that. But a treasury degree is a nice theoretical framework to start with.

In treasury you have to think in terms of cash flows and risks. In addition, you still need some understanding of financing, how to price it in relation to the risk that the bank runs on your company.

I don’t have a treasury degree myself, but I am completely self-made man. After 25 years in dealing rooms of banks and then 9 years as a treasury consultant, I think I have seen all facets of the profession.

François de Witte

François voted for the option that a treasury degree is a guarantee of quality.

” It is key to ensure that both the candidates and the current treasury staff keep their treasury knowledge updated”

Within Finance, Treasury is a fast-moving activity, which requires in addition to the soft skills a lot of technical skills and competencies. We are in the war for talent, and we experience more and more staff rotation. Hence it is key to ensure that both the candidates and the current treasury staff keep their treasury knowledge updated.

Several programs have been developed, the most well known being the ACT Certificate in Treasury Fundamentals. In the Netherlands NIVE also organizes the QCM (Qualified Cash manager) and QT (Qualified Treasurer) training. In Luxembourg, ATEL organizes with the House of Training the Certificate in International Treasury Management and Corporate Finance, with a Fundamentals version and an Advanced version.

Some treasury associations partnering with universities to provide treasury certification. In France, the AFTE has teamed up with the university of Paris Sorbonne, the university of Rennes and the University of Lille to develop a full master program in Treasury Management.

We also have in the Netherlands the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam who organizes the postgraduate Executive Treasury Management & Corporate Finance program combining two finance disciplines which largely overlap and are inextricably connected: Treasury Management and Corporate Finance. It has now been running for more than 20 years.

Beside this we have a lot of other treasury trainings organized by organizations such as Van Groningen, Finsiders Academy, Orchard Finance, etc. However, they do not offer a certification.

In an ever more sophisticating environment, and in view of the increased regulations, it is for me key to look at certified trainings to build a solid background in a Treasury Management field. It enables to meet other talented treasurers and teachers. In addition, thanks to the certification, based upon an examination and/or end paper, you can get a additional quality label, which can be very useful in your career.

In this respect, I wish to share my personal experience in a completely different area. I am currently looking for Board Mandates and realized that there also a certification can be useful. Hence I have started the Guberna programme to become a Guberna Certified Director.

In the event that due to circumstances, you cannot follow certified trainings, you can also get a certification thanks to the Treasurer Test developed by treasuryXL.

Brush up on your treasury knowledge? Get our eBook: What is Treasury?

27-10-2022 | treasuryXL | LinkedIn |

How can you fast brush up on your treasury expertise, Treasurers, CFOs, Cash Managers, Controllers, and other Finance Addicts? Or how would you describe “What Treasury is” to family and friends? Well, there is an easy solution for it. Download our free eBook here: What is Treasury?

This eBook compiled by treasury describers all aspects of the treasury function. This comprehensive book covers relevant topics such as Treasury, Corporate Finance, Cash Management, Risk Management, Working Capital Management.

This eBook was prepared by treasuryXL based on the most useful best practices offered by Treasury professionals throughout the previous years. We compiled the most crucial information for you and wrote clear, concise articles about the key topics in the World of Treasury.

We took a deeper dive into each of the above-mentioned treasury functions and highlight:

  • The purpose of each named Treasury function (What is?)
  • What specialists do
  • Examples of Activities
  • Summary of Frequently Asked Questions and answers
  • Conclusion

How to receive the eBook ‘What is Treasury’ for Free?

We simply giveaway two presents for you! By signing up for our newsletter you will automatically receive the following in your inbox:

  1. On Fridays, our Coffee Break weekly newsletter will land in your inbox. In this weekly newsletter, we will highlight the whole week full of the latest treasury news within our community.
  2. The 41 pages eBook, What is Treasury?
Subscribe and Download

 

Subscribe, Join, Download and Relax.

Welcome to our community and have fun reading!

 

 

Kendra Keydeniers

Director, Community & Partners at treasuryXL

 

 

International Treasury Management and Corporate Finance

22-09-2022 | François de Witte | treasuryXL | LinkedIn

The following event, which features our Expert François de Witte, is something we’d like to call your attention to. To learn more about corporate finance and international treasury management, register below.

Register Here

Description

 

The treasurer is the custodian of the company’s daily liquidity. He manages, anticipates and secures cash flows by ensuring that financial needs are covered. This cursus will give the ability to assist directly and practically the treasurer of large corporates or to take over the treasury responsibilities in a SME. The different modules will allow you to acquire the fundamentals of the different areas of the “Corporate Treasurer” profession.

 

Module 0  – Introduction to Treasury Management

Speaker: Benjamin Defays / Treasury Manager

 

  • Bank account opening/closing

  • KYC

  • Payments and bank connectivity

  • Liquidity structures

  • Cash forecast

  • Importance of working capital

  • Factoring/reverse factoring

  • Main financial measures

  • Economic thinking

  • Risk Measures

  • Hedging

  • Fraud risk

  • Credit risk

  • General context

  • Bank guarantees

  • Letters of credit

Module 1 : Payments, Cash Management and Banking Relations – Fundamentals

Speaker François De Witte / Consultant  

 

  • Payment and interbank clearing and settlement methods.

  • Payments instruments, processes and tools

  • Electronic banking channels

  • Working capital, cash and liquidity management – basic concepts

  • Day to day cash management

  • Organisation of the cash management and tooling

  • Financing the company

  • Basic insights in managing banking relationships

Module 2 : Risk Management Applied to Treasury – Fundamentals

Speaker: François Masquelier / Group Treasurer

 

  • FX, Interests
  • Counter-parties
  • Others (Reputation, etc…)
  • Objectives of hedge accounting
  • Required documentation and formalization of hedge accounting relationships
  • Different types of hedges (Fair Value, Cash Flow, Net Investment)
  • Booking adjustments of different hedge types
  • Typical examples of different hedge types

Module 3 : Trade Finance Applied to Treasury – Fundamentals

Speaker: Benjamin Defays / Treasury Manager

 

  • General contact, cultural aspects
  • Why trade finance in treasury
  • Bank Guarantees, Burgschafts, Surety bonds, Letters of credit, Cash against documents
  • Alternative security instruments
  • Disruptive technologies

Module 4 : Credit and Collection Applied to Treasury

Speaker: Benjamin Defays / Treasury Manager

 

  • Introduction to credit risk management
  • Concepts & Practices/Types of credit risks
  • Understanding financial statements and ratios
  • Credit Scoring/Ratings – S&P, Bloomberg models
  • Collection:
    • Collecting overdue receivables – setting priorities
    • Strategies dealing with overdue invoices
    • Debt collection services development

 

Module 5 : Cyber-fraud: what you need to know to manage this ever increasing risk

Speaker: Thierry Hamon / Cash management & Cybersecurity expert 

  • Getting an overview of the different cyber-attacks techniques currently used
  • Understand the possible consequences of cyber-fraud and what needs to be protected
  • Learn 50 ways to protect
  • Special focus on IT backup, fraudulent emails & disaster recovery plan for treasury
  • Co-construction of counter-measure list for all main cyber-attacks
  • Personal action plan definition for each participant

 

Public cible

Anyone who wants to acquire basic knowledge of corporate treasury and put this knowledge into practice.

Prerequisites
  • Basic background in finance or accounting
  • For the advanced Excel workshop, a preliminary (good) knowledge in Excel is required.

Conditions

Training material

Course material will be provided at the beginning of the course.

Location
Chambre de Commerce Luxembourg

7, rue Alcide de Gasperi
L-1615 Luxembourg
Luxembourg

 

Register Here

 

 

Francois de Witte

 

François de Witte

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Treasury learning platform at Finsiders-Academy (Dutch)

15-09-2022 | François de Witte | treasuryXL | LinkedIn

Wij vragen de aandacht voor de volgende opleidingen, waarbij onze Expert François de Witte betrokken is. Namelijk een nieuw intitiatief van Finsiders-Academy om een Treasury opleiding op te zetten, en goed nieuws want de eerste modules zijn klaar!

Wat is Finsiders?

Finsiders is een financieel projectconsultancy bureau dat organisaties ondersteunt in hun tijdelijke nood naar ondersteuning, op vlak van controlling, accountancy, treasury en transformatie. We leveren operationele ondersteuning maar denken ook strategisch mee met de organisatie.  Daarnaast begeleiden we onze consultants uitgebreid met persoonlijke coaching en begeleiding, onder andere via het online leerplatform van de Finsiders Academy. Daar kunnen ze tijds- en plaatsonafhankelijk zichzelf verder ontplooien en bijleren, alsook zich voorbereiden op een nieuw project.

Welke leer modules zijn momenteel beschikbaar?

Op dit moment zijn de volgende modules klaar:

  1. Working Capital Management: https://www.finsiders.be/nl/opleidingen/working-capital-management
  2. Cash Forecasting and Cash & Liquidity Management: https://www.finsiders.be/nl/opleidingen/cash-forecasting-liquidity-management
  3. Financing & Bank Relations: https://www.finsiders.be/nl/opleidingen/financing-your-company.
  4. Globaal packet Cash Management: https://www.finsiders.be/nl/opleidingen/cash-management-opleidingspakket.
  5. Optimizing the Financial Flows: https://www.finsiders.be/nl/opleidingen/optimizing-financial-flows.

Voor wie zijn deze opleidingen extra relevant?

De opleidingen zijn relevant voor finance professionals die een dieper inzicht willen krijgen in het cash en liquidity management.

Wat moeten geïntresseerden nu doen?

Geïnteresseerden kunnen via de website inschrijven voor een e-learning naar keuze. Ze hebben 1 jaar toegang tot het online leerplatform en kunnen op eigen tempo en volgens hun eigen agenda tijdsonafhankelijk aan de slag.

Vind hier alle opleidingen

 

 

Francois de Witte

 

François de Witte

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quickly refresh your treasury knowledge? Download our eBook: What is Treasury?

08-09-2022 | treasuryXL | LinkedIn |

Hello Treasurers, CFO’s, Cash Managers, Controllers and other Finance addicts, how do you quickly refresh your treasury knowledge? Or how do you explain ‘What Treasury is’ to family and friends? Well, there is a simple solution for it. Download our eBook: What is Treasury? 

This eBook compiled by treasury describers all aspects of the treasury function. This comprehensive book covers relevant topics such as Treasury, Corporate Finance, Cash Management, Risk Management, Working Capital Management.

This eBook was prepared by treasuryXL based on the most useful best practices offered by Treasury professionals throughout the previous years. We compiled the most crucial information for you and wrote clear, concise articles about the key topics in the World of Treasury.

We took a deeper dive into each of the above-mentioned treasury functions and highlight:

  • The purpose of each named Treasury function (What is?)
  • What specialists do
  • Examples of Activities
  • Summary of Frequently Asked Questions and answers
  • Conclusion

How to receive the eBook ‘What is Treasury’ for Free?

We simply giveaway two presents for you! By signing up for our newsletter you will automatically receive the following in your inbox:

  1. On Fridays, our Coffee Break weekly newsletter will land in your inbox. In this weekly newsletter, we will highlight the whole week full of the latest treasury news within our community.
  2. The 41 pages eBook, What is Treasury?
Subscribe and Download

 

Subscribe, Join, Download and Relax.

Welcome to our community and have fun reading!

 

 

Kendra Keydeniers

Director, Community & Partners at treasuryXL

 

 

 

 

Ask the treasuryXL expert #4 What is RPA, and what are common use cases of RPA in Treasury?

06-09-2022 | treasuryXL | Philip Costa Hibberd| LinkedIn |

treasuryXL is the community platform for everyone with a treasury question or answer! treasuryXL expert Philip Costa Hibberd is often asked what RPA exactly entails and what some typical treasury use cases for RPA are. In today’s article Ask the treasuryXL Expert, Philip tells us all about RPA software and when it is happening in treasury.

RPA in treasury

Question:  “What is RPA, and what are common use cases of RPA in Treasury?”

Answer provided by Philip

What is RPA (Robotic Process Automation)?

RPA stands for Robotic Process Automation and is a software that performs rules-based work, interacting with systems, websites and applications in the same way a human would. Think of Excel Macros on steroids. With RPA, you can program robots to do the repetitive tasks that nobody wants to do. Robots work 24/7, are fast, make no mistakes, and are very cost effective

Sounds good… but does this mean that we”ll soon be out of a job? No. Quite the opposite.

Robots are great at performing repetitive, standardised and time-consuming tasks, but are not great at dealing independently with the uncertain and complex world in which treasurers operate. This is why bots and treasury professionals are such a great combination. Bots give us superpowers: they give us back the time we need to focus on the valuable activities that make the job interesting and at the same time they allow us to keep direct control over the repetitive (but often critical) processes we need to do (without actually having to do it ourselves).

What are common use cases of RPA in treasury?

  • Reporting: collecting information from different sources, calculating measures and KPIs, drafting the reports, distributing the reports (after getting confirmation that everything is ok).
  • Master data management: support with the creation, updating, deletion and cleansing of master data in different sources and systems. Synchronizing data across systems.
  • Cash Position: collecting bank statements/account balance information from different systems, consolidating information, saving and/or distributing the cash position information to the appropriate people and systems.
  • Payment processing: collecting and consolidating payment requests, handling predefined exceptions and validations, inputting/uploading payment batches before cut-off times, providing reports and feedback on each action.
  • Cash Flow Forecasting: collecting cash flow data from different systems and sources, sending automated reminders, consolidating the information, applying validations and checks, notifying exceptions, distributing the information.
  • Month end activities: sending notifications/reminders on deadlines and expected activities, collecting and distributing FX rates, consolidating information, performing automatic checks, limit checks, compiling and distributing month end reports to accounting / FP&A / etc.
  • User and access management: checking user roles and statuses in different systems, notification of accesses about to expire, creating accounts for joiners and disabling accounts of leavers.
  • Mark-to-market valuations: collecting deal confirmations from different sources, extracting information from different mediums (excel, PDF, emails), running the models, preparing and distributing the reports.
  • Covenant management: collecting the information from different sources, calculating the ratios, warning of (imminent) breaches, warning of risky trends, distributing reports.
  • Bank fee monitoring: gathering bank statements / CAMT.086 / Bank Services Billing (BSB)  from different systems, processing the information, generating and distributing reports, automatic disputing of fees based on predefined rules.
  • Chargeback / Credit card disputes: collecting pre and post approval information, filing the disputes, notifying users of responses and exceptions/follow up needed.
  • Automated testing regression testing of ERP/TMS/system updates, bank connectivity testing, end to end process testing, generating testing reports and evidence.
  • (Basic) Trading: computing of exposures, inputting  vanilla deals in trading platform (if within predefined limits – otherwise notify traders), deal execution according to trading policy, handling of post trade activities.

 

Thank you for reading,

Phillip Costa Hibberd


Do you also have a question for one of the treasuryXL experts? Feel free to leave your question on our treasuryXL Panel. The panel members are willing to answer your question, free of charge, with no commitment.

Discussion LinkedIn poll | The Dollar-Euro exchange rate reached parity for the first time in two decades

25-08-2022 | treasuryXL | LinkedIn |

We analyze the results of the most recent treasuryXL poll on today’s corporate treasury concerns in this third edition of the newsletter. We’ll show you how treasurers voted to express their opinions on a current issue, and a few treasury experts will explain their positions.

We have invited Patrick Kunz, Harry Mills and Paul Stheeman to share their views on the current topic.

Is the trend in the dollar-euro exchange rate something to worry about for treasurers?

We talked about whether treasurers should be concerned about the present trend in the Dollar-Euro exchange rate in last month’s poll. 38 people participated in the poll, and the results are shown in the image below. Thank you to everyone who voted.

 

What do treasurers think?

The results indicate quite clearly that the Corporate Treasurer is, of course, very much aware of the current trend. The exchange rate remains volatile, as the euro has even currently fallen to a new two-decade low. A number of treasuryXL experts have expressed their views regarding the current trend and how it may or may not affect treasury activities.

Views of treasuryXL experts

Patrick Kunz

Patrick voted for the option to keep a close eye on the current trend

“The main reason for keeping an eye on it is so a treasurer can estimate what the impact of a falling Euro or stronger USD will be on the company’s financials.”

Keeping an eye on the Euro-Dollar rate is not necessarily to know what the current rate is. The main reason for keeping an eye on it is so a treasurer can estimate what the impact of a falling Euro or stronger USD will be on the company’s financials. Both in the field of FX hedging (not all companies hedge 100% of their exposure but have a rolling hedging policy) and higher hedge costs (forward points have increased due to larger interest rate differences with the US).

But also the sensitivity of the exchange rate on profits and sales is important. For example, if you sell in USD, you suddenly earn more in EUR and you probably sell more. On the other hand, if you buy in USD, it becomes more expensive while your EUR price is fixed. Is it perhaps cheaper to buy elsewhere? What is the impact on the cost price and total demand and turnover of the product? Do the prices need to be adjusted? All questions that the treasurer does not have to answer but that he can signal to his colleagues (CFO, Procurement, Sales etc.).

 

Harry Mills

Harry voted for the option to keep a close eye on the current trend

 

“Currency risk aside, treasurers have other headaches to contend with when currencies exhibit high volatility and/or experience a large directional shift (trend) in value.”

The euro’s descent from above $1.20 in mid-2021 to below parity with the dollar has been well covered in the financial media, and the impact on European importers is obvious: higher import costs, squeezed margins, and pressure on business performance. Currency risk aside, treasurers have other headaches to contend with when currencies exhibit high volatility and/or experience a large directional shift (trend) in value. Let me name a small sample of potential areas for attention

Hedge Maintenance and Funding Requirements

Managing the currency hedging position, in line with policy, requires maintenance – trading in derivatives such as forward contracts and options, which presents its own challenges when exchange rates change over time. Additionally, FX swaps are used to balance cash positions and manage liquidity: it’s typical for swaps to be deployed to rollover the settlement on a hedging trade, or to bring forward a delivery. A lower EUR/USD spot rate compared to the hedged rate could incur a funding requirement if the position is out of the money when rolling-over or extending (i.e., for a euro-buyer / dollar-seller).

Treasurers as internal Consultants

Treasurers will need to work with the risk team and other stakeholders to manage internal expectations and provide guidance into the business. Preparing commentary, analysis, and forecasts using proprietary research and that of appropriate external sources, such as banking and consulting partners, is a critical area in which treasurers can demonstrate additional value. Business leaders will be aware of the EUR/USD parity story from headlines, but taking advice and information from trusted internal resources could be invaluable.

Collateral and Margin Calls

For European importers, selling the euro to buy the dollar, a move below parity will likely mean their hedging position is in the money, but of course, future hedging trades may well be at less favourable rates. For those firms selling the dollar to buy the euro however, they may find that they are losing headroom on their trading lines and could face margin calls as the sustained fall in the euro erodes their position value. Regular stress-testing of position valuations should give ample forewarning of any calls for additional collateral, and frequent communication with liquidity providers should provide the opportunity to discuss trading terms and spreads, which are liable to be adjusted in times of high volatility.

Currency Options

EUR/USD volatility has risen to multiyear highs, meaning that option premiums are higher. Treasurers will need to manage the impact of higher hedging costs and ensure an appropriate balance of cost-efficiency and hedge effectiveness is achieved. Another way EUR/USD breaking below parity could be a concern for treasurers is regarding option payoffs, and especially for path-dependent trades such as knock in or knock out options. Exotic options and multi-leg “structured” products can return a vastly different outcome in the event of a large shift in the underlying spot rate. Care should be paid to model various scenarios for the impact on the hedging and liquidity position, and to offer guidance on the appropriateness of such transactions.

Paul Stheeman

Paul voted for the option that there is no need to be concerned

“The recent movements in the EUR/USD may seem extreme at first glance, but historically they have in no way gone outside of trends or ranges we have seen before.”

I think treasurers should not be over-worried about the current movement in EUR/USD exchange rate. Let me explain to you why.

Every company should have a sound FX policy. This policy should take into account the possibility of increased market volatility. Some companies believe that their balance sheet is strong enough to deal with fluctuations in exchange rates and therefore will not hedge much, if at all. Others will want to manage their risk by using futures contracts or options. These instruments allow CFOs and Treasurers to hedge at a comfortable level. The only ones who may have sleepless nights are those who have not implemented a coherent hedging policy. But under normal circumstances, any Treasurer will ensure that such a policy is in place and implemented.

Moreover, European importers are concerned about the strength of the USD and the weakness of the EUR. But the current volatility in the market is by no means extreme. Over the past seven years, we have seen prices move between 1.25 and 1.00. In the seven-year period between 2008 and 2015, we saw rates between almost 1.60 and 1.10 . In that period, the euro has fallen twice as much as it has in the past seven years. Or look at the volatility over a shorter period, during the financial crisis between 2008 and 2010, when we saw rates move dramatically in both directions over much shorter periods. The recent movements in the EUR/USD may seem extreme at first glance, but historically they have in no way gone outside of trends or ranges we have seen before.