Live Demo: Ready for fraud prevention? – TIS shows you how!

| 29-05-2020 | TIS |

 

“Due to unforeseen circumstances this live demo session had to be cancelled. We will inform you once registration for the next session is open”.

 

Live Demo: Ready for fraud prevention? – TIS shows you how!

Friday June 5, 2020 from 2.00 pm to 2.30 pm CEST | 30-minute demo |

See different fraud scenarios in the TIS fraud case study and learn how TIS can help you preventing such cases. They will present different TIS functionalities and will take your high level questions at the end of the session.

  • Free of charge and no further obligations
  • No need for any demo account setup on your system
  • They will show directly how it works
  • On every Friday at 14:00 CET

Date, time and registration

Date: 5 June, 2020

Start: 2:00-2:30 PM CEST

 

 

 

The Impact of COVID19 on the Dutch economy

| 29-05-2020 | Vincenzo Masile | treasuryXL |

Recently, it was determined that the Dutch GDP fell by -1.7% in the first quarter of 2020, suggesting that the economic impact of the corona-virus was mild, at least in international comparison. Although the second quarter is likely to be much worse, the ‘intelligent lock-down’ as dubbed by Prime Minister Mark Rutte, has economically paid off so far.


Given the Dutch economy’s high degree of openness and the fact that Dutch expenditure data for January and February was disappointing, the small GDP decline might be a bit surprising. What stands out as more important, however, is the relative mildness of the Dutch lock-down compared to many Europe. That said, the Dutch government has decided to extend economic support measures by three months until September. The emergency package 2.0 means 13 billion euros of additional fiscal support.

Economic and Financial support

The existing support measures were about to expire by June 1, 2020, but have now been extended until September 1, 2020. Some conditions for public support have been made stricter. For example, firms using the wage subsidy – the main instruments of the support package, will be temporarily (in 2020) forbidden to pay out any dividends or executive bonuses or execute share buy-backs.
The firm will also be obliged to encourage employees to train or retrain and prepare the workforce for future proof jobs. Income support for self-employed people will start to be conditional on the financial position of the partner. Some major restriction to the wage subsidy scheme will be lifted and conditions of the “emergency packages 2.0” are more tailor-made for specific industries. Firms will no longer have to pay a fine for firing workers due to economic reasons, although they will still have to pay back the subsidy. Furthermore, season-sensitive industries will be able to benefit from tweaks to the reference period of their wage bill. The scheme has also been made more generous with respect to the size of the subsidy – 140% of wages instead of 130% (of which they get 90% proportional to turnover losses), in light of the fact that some firms not only have social security to pay on top of wages but also have high non-wage fixed cost.

Apart from the effect of a falling tax base (i.e. automatic stabilization), the direct costs of the extension of the emergency packages have been estimated by the government at 13 billion euro (1.6% of GDP in 2019) for 2020, excluding support for air carrier Air-France – KLM. This comes on top of an existing package of about 14% of GDP (estimates based on government figures), of which 2.2% GDP involved direct net additional expenditures such as gifts, 4.2% GDP in loans and tax deferrals, 1.8% GDP in guarantee and insurance budgets and 5.6% GDP in automatic stabilization for 2020. The bulk of the cost of the extension comes from the direct cost of the wage subsidy scheme and benefits assistance scheme for the self-employed, which mostly qualify as gifts, bringing the total direct net additional expenditures for 2020 to 3.9% of 2019 GDP.

Forward

In line with the earlier announcement, the lock-down will be lifted gradually, allowing for the start of partial economic recovery from the low production levels of April and May. Bars, restaurants, cinemas and theaters will be allowed to reopen on 1 June, generally starting with a maximum of 30 guests at 1.5 meters distance. In the first week of June, all schools including secondary and tertiary will reopen too.

The Dutch government is following other European governments in choosing a path of gradual resumption of economic activity combined with continued economic support. This should mitigate the economic consequences of the corona-virus at least to some extent. However, this won’t prevent the large decline in GDP in the second quarter, after the relatively “mild” decline in the first quarter. It is important to outline the on- going negotiations between EU countries regarding the so-called recovery fund (estimated amount Euro 500 bn.) and the impact on the EU economies.

If a reasonable compromise is reached this can boost the Q3 and Q4 outlook across all EU and the impact on the Dutch economy will be beneficial too.

 

Vincenzo Masile

Treasury Expert/Credit Risk Manager

 

Why FX Risk Management is Crucial for Your Organization

28-05-2020 | treasuryXL | XE |

If your organization deals at all with international currencies, then it will have some degree of foreign exchange risk. Volatility in the currency markets and global events can lead to drastic changes in currency values from day to day, and these shifts can in turn have substantial business impacts.

Some organizations may not have the expertise and resources to formulate foreign exchange policies and risk management strategies, while other organizations might have measures in place that haven’t been updated to reflect their current risk profile. Or maybe a business is under the impression that their foreign exchange risk isn’t as serious as it is, and that other aspects of the business should be of higher priority.

Any organization that works with international currencies in any capacity will face foreign exchange risk, but there’s no one-size-fits all solution: your organization’s risks will be unique to your operation, and an effective risk management strategy will need to be tailored to address your risk profile.

Keep an eye on this blog: we’ll go into further detail about assessing your organization’s foreign exchange risks and developing your own plan in the coming weeks. Today, we wanted to start off the conversation with a look at some of your business’s potential foreign exchange risk factors.

Is your organization making these risk management mistakes?

Whether your business lacks a foreign exchange risk management plan altogether or you’re looking to enhance your existing procedures, it can be difficult to know where to begin.

Below are some of the most common—and costly—foreign exchange mistakes that businesses make. Take a moment to read through them, and consider where your organization falls.

  1. Not understanding your foreign exchange risk level. Do you know if your organization faces any foreign exchange risk? How much? What are your risk factors? What are the potential impacts to your business? Many businesses (particularly smaller ones) don’t know the answers to these questions. Without a proper, thorough risk assessment, your organization could be exposed to risks you haven’t even considered.
  2. Not having a foreign exchange risk management policy. After the risk assessment, the next step for your organization is crafting a comprehensive risk management policy that addresses your potential foreign exchange risk factors. Without a policy, your organization would only be able to react to problems after they’ve already happened and potentially caused damage.
  3. Focusing just on the rates, at the expense of other factors. Exchange rates are one of the most important aspects of foreign exchange, but they aren’t the only important thing. When assessing foreign exchange providers, don’t just look at the rates they offer. Look at the other services they offer and whether they can benefit your business. And be discerning: if something sounds too good to be true, it’s possible that it is.
  4. Not taking advantage of all of the risk management products available. As we said above, every organization is different. A strategy or solution that works for one business might not be the best one for you. Take your time when speaking with foreign exchange providers and make an effort to discuss all of their product offerings.
  5. Getting overwhelmed by complex administration. If your organization is responsible for handling a high number of transactions, the day-to-day processes could be distracting from the bigger picture (and potentially, bigger issues). A foreign exchange provider can help your business to reassess your processes to better suit your business’s needs.
  6. Not having a handle on compliance. Strict regulatory compliance is absolutely necessary for any business that deals with foreign exchange. But from varying national requirements to potentially time-consuming processes, compliance can be difficult for businesses that don’t have the right expertise or resources, and can lead to regulatory delay.
  7. Poor internal communication. If your team members aren’t communicating well with one another, it will be very difficult for your business to make decisions that are best for the business as a whole, and could even lead to conflicting decisions being made by out-of-sync managers.
  8. Working with a foreign exchange provider stuck in rigid processes. Just working with a foreign exchange provider won’t guarantee good results for your business. You should work with a foreign exchange provider that understands your business’s needs and offers variety and flexibility in its solutions. A provider with limited, inflexible offerings may not be able to offer your business what it needs to reduce its risks.
  9. Not shopping around for the right foreign exchange provider. Continuing from our last point, we’d like to emphasize that the right foreign exchange provider will understand your needs and have the expertise and resources to help your business achieve its goals. Don’t settle for the first provider you meet with. Take some time to explore your options and find the one that is best-equipped to aid your business with its foreign exchange risk.

Get in touch with XE.com

About XE.com

XE can help safeguard your profit margins and improve cashflow through quantifying the FX risk you face and implementing unique strategies to mitigate it. XE Business Solutions provides a comprehensive range of currency services and products to help businesses access competitive rates with greater control.

Deciding when to make an international payment and at what rate can be critical. XE Business Solutions work with businesses to protect bottom-line from exchange rate fluctuations, while the currency experts and risk management specialists act as eyes and ears in the market to protect your profits from the world’s volatile currency markets.

Your company money is safe with XE, their NASDAQ listed parent company, Euronet Worldwide Inc., has a multibillion-dollar market capitalization, and an investment grade credit rating. With offices in the UK, Canada, Europe, APAC and North America they have a truly global coverage.

Are you curious to know more about XE?
Maurits Houthoff, senior business development manager at XE.com, is always in for a cup of coffee, mail or call to provide you detailed information.

 

 

Visit XE.com

Visit XE partner page

 

 

 

 

Source

Press Release: TIS Raises $20m as Demand Grows for its Leading SaaS B2B Payment Platform

| 27-05-2020 | TIS |

Our Partner TIS (Treasury Intelligence Solutions), a leading cloud platform for managing corporate payments and cash flows, announced it has raised $20 million in additional financing led by Aquiline Technology Growth, an early- and growth-stage fund managed by Aquiline Capital Partners. The round also included participation from existing investor 83North. Aquiline joins previous investors 83North, Target Partners and Zobito. Investment from Aquiline and 83North will be used to continue rapid global expansion.

The company plans to use the new funding to further accelerate product development and to scale operations in Europe and in the US, in order to meet growing international demand. Many globally recognized organizations, including Adecco Group, Bertelsmann, Hugo Boss, Fresenius, Fugro, Lanxess, ManpowerGroup, OSRAM and QIAGEN, already use TIS to standardize and analyze payment flows and to obtain liquidity overview throughout their organizations.

Click on the banner to read full press release.

 

 

TIS (Treasury Intelligence Solutions GmbH), founded in Walldorf, Germany in 2010, is a global leader in managing corporate payments. The Financial Times named TIS as one of “Europe’s Fastest Growing Companies” for 2019 and 2020. Offered as Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), the TIS solution is a comprehensive, highly-scalable, cloud platform for company-wide payments and cash management. The TIS solution has been successfully used for many years in both large and medium-sized companies, including Adecco Group, Hugo Boss, Fresenius, Fugro, Lanxess, OSRAM and QIAGEN. More than 25% of DAX companies are already TIS customers.

Your world of Payments. ONE Login.

www.tis.biz

 

 

Become the next Cash Manager with City Financials Expertise (m/f)

27-05-2020 | Treasurer Search | treasuryXL

Our partner Treasurer Search is looking for a Cash Manager with City Financials Expertise (m/f)

Tasks Cash Manager

The cash manager is responsible for operational tasks like forecasting, payments, liquidy management and bank relationship management. Specifically the use and improvement of the TMS, City Financials, will take substantial time.

Ideal Cash Manager

The ideal candidate for this position has corporate cash management expertise. Only candidates with City Financial experience will be considered.

Our Client

Our client is a multi-billion, international company with a large presence in The Netherlands. 

Remuneration and Process

We are in dialogue with our client about the set of tasks and the ideal candidate for this position. Our first feasibilty study shows a limited number of candidates in the Dutch labour market with City Financials experience. As this is a dealbreaker, we already started communicating with the market mentioning this constraint. We invite candidates with this expertise to contact us and find out if this position might be for them. The Treasurer Test might be part of the recruitment process.

Location

Utrecht Region

Contact person

Kim Vercoulen

 

T: (0850) 866 798
M: (06) 2467 9339
E: [email protected]




Webinar Alert: Treasury Management in the COVID19 crisis

| 26-05-2020 | Francois De Witte

On June 15th, our Expert Francois de Witte will present a Webinar in collaboration with Febelfin-Academy, regarding Treasury Management in the COVID19 Crisis. The Webinar is in Dutch

Omschrijving

Ten gevolge van de COVID19 zijn veel ondernemingen geconfronteerd met cash & liquiditeits problemen. Hoe ga je hiermee om? Welke tools heb je ter beschikking om dit te beheren? Hoe benader je de stakeholders incluis de banken voor bijkomende kredieten.

Deze opleiding heeft als doelstelling om inzicht te geven in:

  • de tools voor het cash & liquidity management en hoe ze te gebruiken;
  • hoe creëer je bijkomende financiële ademruimte: beheer van werkkapitaal – uitstel van kosten;
  • hoe benader je de banken voor uitstel van aflossingen en/of bijkomende kredieten;
  • de inschatting van de risico’s en opportuniteiten van deze nieuwe situatie;
  • het opstellen van een concreet actieplan.

Vereiste voorkennis

Advanced level: biedt praktijkgerichte toepassingen op de reeds verworven theoretische kennis van de “basic level” opleidingen (uitdieping).

Voor wie is deze opleiding bestemd?

De opleiding kan gevolgd worden door verschillende doelgroepen:

  • KMO relatiegelastigden van banken;
  • Financiëel verantwoordelijken van KMO’s en non profit organisaties;
  • Corporate Treasurers.

Programma

Inleiding: Belang van cash & liquidity management

Deel 1: Tools voor het beheer van cash & liquidity management van je onderneming:

  • Wat is mijn cash positie vandaag?
  • Cash forecast voor de komende dagen, of zelfs weken?
  • Beheer van werkkapitaal
  • Cash Burn Rate – Cash runway
  • Dagelijkse stuurgroep Cash Positie
  • Beheer van financiële risico’s

Deel 2: Tips voor het verbeteren van je cash positie:  

  • Beheer van de klantenpost
  • Beheer van de voorraden
  • Beheer van je leveranciers
  • Uitstel van bepaalde uitgaven

Deel 3: Onderhandeling van uitstel vervaldagen of nieuwe kredieten bij de banken:

  • Kredietbeoordeling door banken: aandachtspunten
  • Wat is momenteel voorzien door de overheid, Febelfin en de bank community?
  • Hoe benadert je best de banken: tips en tricks voor je kredietdossier

Deel 4: Risico’s en opportuniteiten – Actieplan:

  • Risico’s en opportuniteiten
  • Tips & Tricks
  • Actieplan

Q & A – Coaching

Pracktische Informatie

  • Duurtijd: 2u30
  • Uren: 10u – 12u30
  • Plaats: Inloggen op online platform
  • Kosten: Leden €160 / Niet-leden: €180

Schrijf je hier in voor de training

 

Meet our Experts – Interview Bertus van de Kamp

26-05-2020 | Bertus van de Kamp | treasuryXL |

In the upcoming weeks, you will meet some of the treasuryXL Experts more personally. We will publish interviews, in which we reflect upon their Treasury journey , their experiences and the challenges they faced.

This week, you meet Bertus van de Kamp, Senior Business Consultant and owner of Van de Kamp Consultancy. Bertus has more than 25 years of experience as Cash management Consultant with a leading bank in the Netherlands in the Mid- and Large Corporate segment. Since a couple of years he works as an independent consultant. He underwrites the importance of a well designed and managed cash-conversion-cycle, sees the interaction with his environment as one of his strengths and is very structured in his work. Next to this he is very interested in recent developments with regard to e.g. Blockchain, Open Banking and Instant Payments.

 

We asked him 9 questions, let’s go!

1. How did your treasury journey start?

In my over 30 year working with a Dutch bank I learned to know the Treasury business when I was active as Transaction Banker for the Corporate Market.

2. What do you like about working in Treasury?

I really enjoyed working as Transaction Banker for Corporate Clients and advising them to get better insights in their cash and currency positions and structuring their international Trade Business.

3. What is your expertise in the field of Treasury?

My experience with Treasury consists mainly of advising clients on how to hedge their currency and interest risks. Next to this I provided an RFP for a client for a Treasury Management System and guided the complete selection process.

4. Do you have examples of risk mitigation, creation of opportunities and/or cost savings?

I advised companies to set up international cash pools and get more insights in their cash flow via Electronic banking platforms, Payment Hubs or Treasury Management Systems (TMS)

5. What has been your best experience in your treasury career until today?

For a company I accompanied the selection of a TMS via a Request for Proposal

6. What has been your biggest challenge? Can you share your story

My biggest challenge has been to guide the complete RFP process for the Treasury Management System for the client mentioned before. Together with the client I composed the RFP and we selected five suppliers to fill in the RFP. After they completed the RFP we invited all five for a live demo. After judging the demos we made a selection of two of them. These two suppliers were invited to make a final offer and finally the best proposal has been chosen

7. What’s the most important lesson that you’ve learned in your career?

During my career I learned that honesty and real attention for your clients does pay off. By listening actively and attentively to the clients I learned to know what their questions and problems were and gave them a sincere answer, even if this did not answer their questions or solve their problems.
What I learned with respect to Treasury and Cash management in particular is that companies are not always aware of the importance of a good overview of the liquidity position of their business. In my opinion a company has to be able to get, with a ‘push on the button’, immediate insight in their cash position and even better their total cash conversion cycle

8. How have you seen the role of Corporate Treasury evolve over the years?

In my opinion it has become a more ‘technical’ role, where a Treasurer not only has to cope with cash-, currency-, interest- and/or loan positions within their company, but also with all kind of technical applications (bank, trade, treasury, ERP and so on) and their inter connectivity. Not to forget the recent developments with cloud services, API’s and blockchain.

9. The coronavirus is undoubtedly an unprecedented crisis. In general, can you elaborate on the impact this virus has on treasury from your perspective?

Corona leads to strong falls in turn-over and because of that to problems with the cashflow of companies. Every treasury department will have to focus on improving the cashflow and be aware of the risks of a negative cashflow

 



Senior Business Consultant

Currency Xe-Perts Webinar: Covid-19 Recovery – Where to next?

| 25-05-2020 | XE.com

Webinar and Q&A | COVID-19 Recovery: Where to next?  | Wednesday May 27, 2020 at 5.00 pm – 5.45 pm CET

As the number of reported Covid-19 cases declines, attention has shifted to recovery and how this might play out.

The Xe team provides thoughts on the current market outlook, and are joined by Jason Schenker, financial market futurist and economist. Our panel of experts will share insights into how businesses that have a commercial exposure to the currency markets can look to protect their bottom line from further impacts.

Register Now and and submit your questions, and the XE experts will look to answer the common challenges during the live session. XE may not have all of the answers, but they can look to provide some support to issues regarding currency exposure.

Date, time and registration

Date: May 27, 2020

Start time: 5.00 pm – 5.45 pm CET

Register here

 

Do you a question that you’d like one of the XE Experts to answer during the session? Please provide details and XE will endeavour to respond during the session. You can submit your question at the registration page.

 

 

 

Blockchain-as-a-service and SMEs: great opportunities

| 19-05-2020 | Carlo de Meijer | treasuryXL

One of the recent promising blockchain trends is the growth of Blockchain-as-a Service (BAAS) platforms and software. This is highlighted by the recent release of the Second Annual Blockchain 50 list by Forbes. Several of the entrants on this year’s list offer blockchain-as-a-Service, including global players such as Microsoft, Amazon and IBM.

These third-party services are a relatively new development in the growing field of blockchain technology, mirroring the growing demand for hosting decentralised software services to boost market growth.

Fortune Business Insights recently revealed that the BAAS sector is set to reach a valuation of almost USD 25 billion (EUR 23,2 billion) by 2027, from USD 1.9 billion recorded in 2019, demonstrating an impressive so-called compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 39.5% during the forecast period (2020-2027). According to the same report especially the retail and e-commerce segment is expected to adopt BAAS solutions and are expected to register the highest growth rate during the forecast period.

What is BAAS?

In my first blog on BAAS I wrote last year I already explained what it is. Here follows a short resume.

BAAS is a cloud-based service that enables users to develop their own digital products by working with blockchain. It is in fact the distributed ledger equivalent of Software-as-a-Service or SAAS, the means by which businesses subscribe to and access cloud-based software.

These digital products may be smart contracts, decentralized applications (Dapps), or even other services that can work without any setup requirements of the complete blockchain-based infrastructure.

How does BAAS work?

BAAS describes the process by which a third party installs, hosts and maintains blockchain networks on behalf of other organizations. The external service provider thereby offers to set up all the necessary blockchain technology and infrastructure for a fee. They thereby take care of the infrastructure and maintenance issues.

In fact, a BAAS’ provider’s role is similar to that of a web hosting provider. It allows customers to leverage cloud-based solutions. BAAS helps businesses develop and host blockchain apps and smart contracts in a blockchain ecosystem that is managed and administered by cloud-based service providers.

The BAAS operator typically offers support activities like bandwidth management, suitable allocation of resources, hosting requirements, and data security features. As a result enterprises can focus on their core business without worrying about the day-to-day complexities of operating a blockchain.

Why is BAAS needed?

Consumers and businesses are increasingly willing to adapt to blockchain technology. However, the technical complexities and operational overhead involved in creating, configuring, and operating a blockchain and maintaining its infrastructure often act as a barrier.

Blockchain requires huge investment when it comes to setting up infrastructure and maintaining it. It is much more resource intensive, as compared to traditional databases. It also consumes a huge amount of energy and requires huge bandwidth.

What may BAAS bring?

BAAS is gaining significant traction recently, and that for various reasons. For many companies, pairing cloud services with BAAS could be very valuable. The personalized flexibility of BAAS technology allows businesses to combat pain points by tailoring integrations. BAAS can resolve complex issues around transparency, efficiency and cost in a simplistic and straightforward manner, thereby firmly reducing the barriers to entry for enterprise blockchain applications.

By favouring this BAAS model, companies can take advantage of the many often-mentioned benefits of blockchain technology – improved transparency and accountability, data security and trust minimization – without having to develop their own blockchain ecosystem or invest in expensive in-house computing resources.

They may give diverse businesses the opportunity to experiment with blockchain apps and smart contracts while letting service providers manage the network itself.

Is BAAS valuable for SMEs?

By organization-size, BAAS market is still dominated by large enterprises especially in the financial sector. The SMEs segment however is expected to grow at a higher rate, given the above mentioned opportunities of BAAS for these enterprises.

BAAS is ideal for such organizations that outsource their technological aspects, and are not involved in understanding the working mechanism of the blockchain. It allows these firms and other organizations to quickly get to grips with the technology without having to develop their own proprietary blockchain. It lets these enterprises focus on their core jobs and not waste time in setting up of infrastructure facilities.

BAAS is firmly growing across a variety of industries for issues such as supply chain management, identity management, payments. Blockchain technology is emerging as an optimal solution to many of the challenges faced by SMEs such as access to various financing sources. SMEs looking to expand their businesses in foreign countries can gain wider access to trade financing sources using BAAS as this technology is decentralized and cuts out the middlemen from the process.

BAAS service providers 

BAAS has become so popular, that some of the largest tech companies in the world all have divisions dedicated to the integration and promotion of BAAS. But also some of the most successful cloud service providers have started offering Blockchain-as-a-Service.

Main companies or platforms that are operating in the BAAS market include the names like Amazon, Microsoft, Oracle, Corda, IBM, SAP, Accenture, NTT Data, Stratis, Huawei, Baidu, Alibaba, Infosys, consequently shaping the future of blockchain applications.

But there are also the many smaller innovative BAAS companies – mostly based in the US – that integrate these game-changing ledgers into everyday technology such as Altoros, Blockstream, Bloq, Dragonchain, Factom, Innominds, PayStand, Skuchain, Symbiont,  tZERO, VironIt etc.  

Some major players in the BAAS market

Let’s take a look at some of the key BAAS service providers helping enterprises realize their blockchain ambitions.

Alibaba Cloud Blockchain as a Service

Alibaba’s BAAS offering, is under the umbrella of its cloud computing arm. Utilizing Quorum, Hyperledger Fabric and the Ant Blockchain, the platform integrates Alibaba Cloud’s Internet of Things (IoT) and anti-counterfeiting technologies to create blockchain solutions for product traceability, among other things. At present, Alibaba’s BAAS offering encompasses enterprise-level BAAS services, an agile BAAS platform that supports private deployment, and specific blockchain solutions for container services.

Amazon Web Services
Amazon provides various blockchain tools to both large and small companies via its cloud computing arm, Amazon Web Services (AWS).  AWS is a BAAS leader in many industries. The company integrates blockchain-based networks and business processes for some of the largest companies in the world (including T-Mobile and PwC) to improve IT infrastructure, business processes, human resources, financial transactions and supply chains.

Amazon, which has introduced Amazon Managed Blockchain, a BAAS service that “makes it easy to create and manage scalable blockchain networks” using open source frameworks including Ethereum and Hyperledger Fabric. Amazon has attracted a steady stream of high-profile clients including  Nestlé, BMW, Accenture, Sony Music Japan, and the Singapore Exchange.

Huawei Blockchain Service
Huawei unveiled its novel BAAS solution, called Blockchain Service, based on Linux Foundation’s Hyperledger Fabric 1.0. The solution is devised to help companies design smart contracts focusing on supply chain, securitized assets, and public services, on top of a distributed ledger network.

IBM Blockchain Platform
Another key BAAS provider is IBM. Its Blockchain Platform allows organizations to “easily build and join a blockchain network on-premises, or on any private, public, or hybrid multicloud. Partnerships have been vital to IBM’s continuous BAAS expansion. IBM’s Blockchain-as-a-Service business deploys Hyperledger Fabric and has been used extensively in industries such as food supply, media, advertising and trade finance.

Microsoft Azure
And there is Microsoft’s Azure platform based on Ethereum. That BAAS offering enables clients to deploy blockchain networks, build apps with confidence and store data off-chain. Clients can choose to build on several networks, while three products are available: Azure Blockchain Service, Azure Blockchain Workbench, and Azure Blockchain Development Kit.

As Azure can be integrated with other Microsoft products such as Logic Apps and Flow, this makes it ‘a dependable choice’ for enterprises seeking to harness blockchain, such as General Electric and T-Mobile .

R3 – Corda
Corda, the open-source blockchain platform developed by global enterprise solutions provider R3, enables companies to transact directly and privately using smart contracts. The BAAS provider was recently used by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines to simplify financial processes and enhance settlements. Interoperability, security and privacy are the foundations of the finance-focused Corda. The firm R3 developed solutions for over 300 clients.

Regional development

According to a recent BAAS Market Report North America – especially the US, Mexico and Canada – owns the largest share in the worldwide market for BAAS. One of the major reasons for the widespread development and adoption of BAAS tools in North America is the strong presence of small, medium, and large tech companies operating in the US. This, along with rising integration of BAAS solutions with public utilities services, will enable the region to dominate the BAAS market share in the foreseeable future.

Europe has been deemed as the second-leading market for BAAS. Apart from this, the region can note significant surge in adoption of blockchain technology in the forthcoming years, because of the strong support from the government across various countries. Increasing focus of well-established players on blockchain technology will propel the market in the near future.

The Asia Pacific (APAC) region is believed to be the third-most lucrative market for BAAS. The BAAS Market Report states that Asia-Pacific will register the highest growth rate during the forecast period. The BAAS sector will be boosted by enormous blockchain investment by China, Japan, and South Korea governments.

Final remarks

BAAS may become the catalyst that leads to a widespread adoption of blockchain technology and to a deeper penetration across various sectors and businesses, especially by SMEs.

According to the World Economic Forum (WEF) blockchain technology could be instrumental in bridging the gap in trade financing around the world. Similar benefits can be reaped by SMEs in the context of supply chain processes as transparency, immutability, and traceability become inevitable. These potential advantages of blockchain for SMEs may provide a significant boost to the BAAS market growth in the coming years.

So, BAAS may be seen as a great opportunity for SMEs to take advantage of blockchain.

 

Carlo de Meijer

Economist and researcher

 

 

 

Source

16 terms investors should know

18-05-2020 | by Rowan Hermes | Symbid

Convertible bonds, dividends, business angels … As a new investor you enter a world with its own terminology. We believe it is important that everyone, regardless of their experience with investing, need to be informed as good as possible before investing in any of the projects on the Symbid platform. That is why we list the most important terms.

Blog is in Dutch language:

AANDELEN

AANDELEN

Een aandeel is een bewijs van deelname in een organisatie. Dit betekent dat je door een aandeel te kopen aandeelhouder en mede-eigenaar van een organisatie wordt. Hier zitten bepaalde rechten aan verbonden, bijvoorbeeld medezeggenschap in de organisatie. Aandelen zijn normaliter verhandelbaar.

AANDEELHOUDER

De eigenaar van een of meerdere aandelen en deels eigenaar van een organisatie. Deze persoon heeft normaal gesproken recht op dividend.

DIVIDEND

Als tegenprestatie voor het kopen van een aandeel wordt dividend uitgekeerd aan de aandeelhouder. Dividend is een deel van de winst van de organisatie. Het gaat om het bedrag dat overblijft van de inkomsten van de organisatie na aftrek van alle verplichtingen en investeringen. Dividend kan als geld worden uitgekeerd, maar ook in de vorm van aandelen.

OBLIGATIES

OBLIGATIELENING

Een obligatielening wordt uitgegeven door een organisatie. Het is meestal een geldlening op lange termijn opgedeeld in delen met dezelfde waarde en rechten. De lening wordt afgesloten met meerdere investeerders. Deze investeerders krijgen elk een schuldbewijs, oftewel obligatie.

OBLIGATIE

Een obligatie is het schuldbewijs van een organisatie aan een investeerder. In andere woorden is een obligatie het bewijs dat de investeerder geld heeft uitgeleend aan de organisatie.

NOMINALE WAARDE

De nominale waarde van een obligatielening is het totaalbedrag dat de organisatie met de lening wil ophalen. Dit bedrag wordt in gelijke stukken gedeeld, de obligaties.

OBLIGATIEHOUDER

De eigenaar van een of meerdere obligaties. Deze persoon heeft normaal gesproken recht op rente en de terugbetaling van de obligatiewaarde aan het einde van de looptijd.

RENTE

Als tegenprestatie voor het uitlenen van geld wordt rente uitgekeerd aan de obligatiehouder. Op maandelijkse of jaarlijkse basis wordt een vast of variabel percentage uitgekeerd.

CONVERTEERBARE OBLIGATIES

Een converteerbare obligatie is een speciale vorm van obligaties, deze kunnen omgezet worden naar aandelen van de organisatie. Vooraf is bepaald hoeveel aandelen een obligatie waard is.

ACHTERGESTELDE OBLIGATIES

Wanneer de organisatie de lening niet terug kan betalen, komen houders van achtergestelde obligaties achteraan op de lijst van schuldeisers te staan. Het risico dat de lening niet wordt terugbetaald is groter, waardoor het rentepercentage meestal hoger is.

RISICO’S EN ZEKERHEDEN

RISICO’S

Investeren is risicovol. De kans bestaat dat je (een deel van) je ingelegde geld verliest, omdat de organisatie niet in staat is de lening (volledig) terug te betalen. Echter, zonder risico zal een investering geen geld opbrengen.

ZEKERHEDEN

Investeringen brengen niet alleen risico’s, maar soms ook zekerheden met zich mee. Zekerheden zijn onderpanden of waarborgen in de vorm van geld, goederen, voorraden of rechten. Wanneer de lening onverhoopt niet terugbetaald kan worden, kan de het onderpand opgeëist worden.

SYMBID

GROEIFINANCIERING

Groeifinanciering wordt ook wel groeigeld genoemd. Het is financiering die ingezet wordt voor de verdere expansie van een organisatie. De organisatie wordt door het geld naar een volgende fase getild.

BUSINESS ANGELS

Met een business angel wordt een informele verstrekker van durfkapitaal bedoeld. Business Angels zijn meestal welvarende particulieren die zelf ooit ondernemer geweest zijn. Zij investeren actief kapitaal in veelbelovende organisaties. In ruil hiervoor ontvangen zij vaak aandelen, een achtergestelde lening of een combinatie van beide.

Naast kapitaal brengen business angels ook ervaring, kennis en contacten mee, wat goede voordelen zijn. Een nadeel kan zijn dat een deel van de winst gedeeld moet worden met de business angel.

DURFKAPITAAL

Durfkapitaal (ook wel venture capital) is een brede term voor iedereen die geen professionele investeerder, bank, specialist of deskundige is en geld uitleent aan een organisatie. Het risico is hoger dan gemiddeld, omdat het geld meestal wordt uitgeleend aan startups of bestaande organisaties die een nieuw product op de markt willen brengen. De kans op terugbetaling is kleiner dan bij bestaande bedrijven met bewezen producten.

AFM

Het publiek, het bedrijfsleven en de overheid moeten vertrouwen kunnen hebben in de financiële markten en dat financiële instellingen op een duidelijke en eerlijke manier handelen. Daarom houdt de Autoriteit Financiële Markten (AFM) toezicht op de financiële markten.

Financiële partijen die een rol vervullen richting een niet-professionele investeerder moeten over een AFM-vergunning beschikken. Voor het verstrekken van de AFM-vergunning wordt getoetst of de betreffende partij beschikt over de juiste procedures en of de beleidsbepalers integer, geschikt en vakbekwaam zijn.

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