PGO Treasury and Corporate Finance (RT) @ Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

| 14-08-2018 | VU Amsterdam | treasuryXL |

PGO Treasury and Corporate Finance (RT) will start shortly – only a few places left

In previous blogs we informed you about the post graduate education treasury at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. This will be the first year that the program will be in English. As in previous years, a nice mix of treasury experts with different professional backgrounds will start in September. The VU informed us only a few places are left.

In this link you can read more about the program and see a short youtube posting about corporate treasury.

Reminder Event: TOMORROW’S EUROPE: Uncertainty and unprecedented opportunity

| 13-08-2018 | Reuters | treasuryXL |

Join this dynamic discussion where a panel of economic, geopolitical and business experts will explore what ‘Tomorrow’s Europe’ may look like.

Europe is at a crossroads. It faces many challenges – from globalisation and geopolitics, to the impact of new technologies and trade agreements. But change also brings great opportunities for the brave and adaptable. Above all, innovation, entrepreneurship and investment will be the foundations of future prosperity. And businesses – as the main creators of jobs and growth – have a pivotal role in determining what ‘Tomorrow’s Europe’ will become.

Our expert panel will discuss

  • What will drive economic growth?
  • What are the geopolitical factors that lie ahead?
  • Which businesses and markets will bring investment to the region?
  • What will propel innovation and competition?
  • How new regulations and a post-Brexit trade landscape will shape the decades to come

All this, and much more, up for debate at the Axica, Berlin on 19 September 2018.

Agenda

6:30 pm: Arrive and sign in
7:00 pm: Welcome and introductions
7:10 pm: Panel discussion
8:00 pm: Audience Q&A
8:30 pm: Networking drinks reception

Meet the Speakers

(Additional panellists to be announced shortly)

Özlem Bedre-Defolie

Associate Professor of Economics, ESMT

Özlem Bedre-Defolie is an associate professor (with tenure) of economics at ESMT Berlin. Her research has been published in leading Economics, Marketing and Industrial Organization journals, including American Economic Review, Journal of Economic Theory, American Economic Journal: Microeconomics, Marketing Science, International Journal of Industrial Organization.

Ferdinand Fichtner

Head of Department, DIW Berlin

Dr. Ferdinand Fichtner is Head of the Forecasting and Economic Policy Department at DIW Berlin. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Cologne and wrote his dissertation thesis about the effects of monetary integration on economic welfare. He is one of the leading German experts on macroeconomic policy, with frequent appearances on national and international media and close connections with German and European policy makers.

Josef Janning

Head of European Council on Foreign Relations, Berlin Office

Josef Janning joined the European Council on Foreign Relations in April 2014 as Senior Policy Fellow in the Berlin Office. Josef has published widely on European Affairs, International Relations, EU foreign and security policy, German foreign and European policy as well as global affairs. On these issues he also is a frequent commentator with German and international media.

Panel Moderator: Vanessa Cuddeford

Vanessa Cuddeford is a journalist and presenter with 15 years’ experience. She anchors and reports for the BBC and Reuters, regularly presenting news, arts and business programmes for international broadcasters.

This event is for:

Business leaders / senior executives / entrepreneurs

For more information or if you want to register for the event visit the events website.

 

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Best read articles of all time: Treasurer en controller; een paar apart ?

| 10-08-2018 | Jan de Kroon | treasuryXL |

collaboration-1106196_640De treasurer en de controller zouden twee handen op dezelfde buik moeten zijn, maar de vraag is of dat in alle, of zelfs de meeste, gevallen wel zo is. Enkele uitzonderingen daargelaten, zijn de verschillen groter dan de overeenkomsten.

Kort door de bocht zou je kunnen stellen dat de treasurer zich met het financieren van de operatie bezig houdt aan de passiefzijde van de balans. De controller houdt zich dan bezig met vooral de operatie waarvoor die middelen aan de actiefzijde zijn aangewend en zorgt ervoor dat die cash ook weer beschikbaar komt voor de verschaffer van die middelen. Beiden spelen een belangrijke rol in de cash conversion cycle en als het goed is, stemmen ze hun belangen onderling goed af. De praktijk leert echter dat het in veel gevallen niet zo rooskleurig verloopt in de afstemming.

De treasury functie onderhoudt een brug tussen de financiële belangen van de eigen organisatie en ontwikkelingen op de financiële markten er buiten. Hij zorgt voor blijvende toegang tot bronnen van geld, beschermt vermogen en resultaat tegen financiële risico’s en beheert een superieure en kosten-efficiënte financiële infrastructuur. Daar is weinig op tegen te hebben; voorwaar een nuttige rol die op begrip van iedereen kan rekenen. Althans, dat zou je denken.

Toch gaat het in de relatie vaak verre van soepel. Meestal omdat ze niet alleen een andere taal spreken, maar ook elkaars wereld niet echt lijken te kennen; laat staan echt begrijpen. De treasurer heeft een groot belang bij juiste, tijdige en volledige positie informatie en verwacht die van de controller te ontvangen. Zich niet realiserend dat de controller het belang vast wel onderschrijft maar in zijn eigen business unit met een vergelijkbaar vraagstuk worstelt; hoe krijg ik in des hemelsnaam tijdig betrouwbare informatie uit de lijn en het primaire proces. Voor eigen gebruik in het veld, maar ook om een collega op het hoofdkantoor een plezier mee te doen.

Anders dan de gemiddelde treasurer is echter de controller een vogeltje dat minder goed gebekt is en mede daardoor niet altijd lijneenheden kan overtuigen van nut en noodzaak van tijdige prognoses op basis waarvan de treasurer zijn randvoorwaarden beter kan inregelen. Om dat op te lossen en betere positie-informatie te verkrijgen uit de operatie, is een aantal elementen van belang:

1. Zorg er voor dat treasurer en controller elkaar beter leren begrijpen. Dat kan door meer in te spelen op business partnership dan ‘leverancier-afnemer’;

2. Zorg voor een beter financieel economisch bewustzijn bij de lijn. Dat kan door bijvoorbeeld het hanteren van feedback en feed forward technieken maar ook door het benoemen van lokale treasury referenten in het primaire proces;

3. Zorg dat de verantwoordelijkheden scherp zijn gedefinieerd. Daarmee zorg je dat tenminste iemand zich verantwoordelijk voelt voor de juiste positie op het juiste moment;

4. Een periodieke treasury nieuwsbrief kan helpen bij het vermijden van ‘ver-van-het-bed-shows’ en het verkleinen van de communicatie-kloof.

Zo komen de handen weer op één buik.

Jan de Kroon

 

Jan de Kroon

Owner & Managing partner of Improfin Groep

 

Getting ready to launch the Treasurer Test!

| 07-08-2018 | by  Pieter de Kiewit | treasuryXL |

Roughly 60% or more of the hiring managers we work with does not have experience in corporate treasury. Less than 20% of people working in corporate treasury received extensive professional treasury education. The rest did not. How can we measure whether a candidate has the knowledge to be able to do the job? Currently this is done, also by us, by looking at their experience: screening CV’s, checking references, etcetera. I think there is room for more thorough measuring.

After talking with many experts the idea of the Treasurer Test arose. We created a group of enthusiasts and started building. The core of the group consists of:

  • academic treasury experts of VU University (Vrije Universiteit) Amsterdam, responsible for the Register Treasurer Program, and The University of Applied Science (Hogeschool) Utrecht, organizer of the Minor Treasury Management;
  • assessment psychologists with a degree in test development;
  • IT experts using software and methodologies also used by dozens of international universities who can build an on-line assessment environment;
  • treasuryXL, their and our network of corporate treasurers as well as professional bodies.

Within a month we will start with the first test of a new and I think exciting measurement tool. It combines measurement of treasury knowledge & skills with a Big 5 personality test. The results of the treasury part of the test are presented both with absolute scores, as well as with a peer group comparison. Peer groups are formed upon experience: up to two years, three to eight and over nine. The results of the personality test are compared with a general population as well as the treasury population who already did the test. This way we can make statements like “he didn’t answer a lot of questions correctly on the topic cash management but others with less than 2 years’ experience score even worse” or “she is an introvert in comparison to general population but in comparison to other treasurers she is quite extroverted”.

We are close to asking the first peer group to do the test and expect a larger scale introduction around October 2018. treasuryXL will be the home of the Treasurer Test. I am quite excited about this project and think it can all help us in making career / recruitment decisions, choose proper education and shape treasury teams. There is a lot more to tell about the project, I will keep you updated and am available for questions or input.

On behalf of Team Treasurer Test,

Pieter de Kiewit

 

 

Pieter de Kiewit
Owner Treasurer Search

 

 

Evolution not revolution: Financial services of the future

|06-08-2018 | Reuters | treasuryXL |

 

The story surrounding the banking battle to keep customers happy, as challenges emerge from FinTechs, is not a new one. However, Barclays is embracing this competition – not to mention the other winds of change, such as Brexit and new regulation across Europe.

 


Collaboration over competition

Barclays’ recent strategic partnership with PayPal is indicative of the continuing evolution, rather than the need for total revolution. It gives consumers and business customers a new, seamless way of linking their two accounts. It’s an example of how banks can transform and make their trusted brands stronger, wherein banking experience and innovation are key – this evolution isn’t a full-on collision with large technology companies.

Banks are part of the solution

“FinTechs still need banking payment rails. It’s not in their interest to completely destroy banks. There is still a need for them to be part of the solution. The more we look at collaboration, innovation will enable us to thrive alongside FinTechs,” says Martin Griffiths, Head of FinTech at Barclays. He adds, “There will be new business models – maybe it won’t be all about payments. We’ve got to be open to thinking about what consumers need, what the experience is that the end users want.”

Trust, above all

As established financial services companies strive to stay relevant in a disruptive world, FinTech start-ups would do well to draw on the histories of these corporations and learn how to build businesses that last. Security, privacy and compliance — these are core issues that are hard to replicate. “Consumers trust banks and until some of these businesses have the same scale and the same level of trust, they’re not going to be looked at as the first alternative for most consumers, for quite some time. I think the crypto space is seeing that. Who do you turn to when things go wrong? The banks have got a longstanding reputation for servicing problems,” according to Barclays’ Martin Griffiths.

Visit the website of Reuters to read the full article.

 

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Best read articles of all time: Do treasurers really need instant payments? some implications.

| 03-08-2018 | Patrick Kunz | treasuryXL

 

 

Per 13 January 2018 we have a new payments service directive (nr. 2) live in the European union, PSD2 for short. One part of PSD2 is the possibility for banks to offer instant payments between banks in the EU. Within max 10 seconds money flows from one bank to the other, also on weekends and on holidays. In this paper I want to discuss the implications for treasurers of instant payments.

Cash flow forecasting

Forecasting is an important part of the daily/weekly routine of a treasurer. He/she needs to predict the future to know his cash/risk/financing position. On the ultra-short term spectrum of this forecast a treasurer might use intraday bank statement (MT942) to take into account the incoming funds during the day. These are often updated hourly. With instant payments a treasurer can have a look at their bank account and the balance that is showing is the real-time balance with all incoming transactions being settled. As said before a treasurer might already have intraday statements but there is (1) a time lag in those and (2) there might be transactions not processed yet. Bottom line this difference amounts to several hours lag. Depending on the size of the company and the amount and size of transactions there is some impact but not very sizeable. Furthermore, those treasurers that do not use intraday balances for their forecasting have no impact of instant payments. However, how about the due payments on non-working days? In the future these are normal payments dates. Previously due payments on weekends are either set on Friday or Monday depending on the terms of the contract. These could now be forecasted on the exact day. But that depends, payments are often done during business hours, so it is possible that nothing changes. Depending on the size of the transactions there is importance to check this with your suppliers and clients. This also depends on bank processing of yourself and your client/supplier.

Bank processing

Instant means instant in time but also in days. In the past we were dependent on the opening hours of the banks and later of the ECB. That could mean that if we send money just after close on Friday and there was a public holiday on Monday we would only see the money coming in on Tuesday. The money was “lost in translation” in between. This is not very modern in an age where we send an email from Tokyo to South Africa in minutes but not money. We could literally fly there with cash and be faster. After all banks have implemented PSD2 money flows 24/7. So also in the weekend and on holidays. This has an impact on the processing of your bank statement. You now receive bank statement for Saturday and Sunday. Most accounting/treasury departments do not work on the weekends so there is a chance that these statements are not processed. This means you must process 3 statements on Monday. Some companies have automatic processing of bank statements, so the weekend statements might be processed but not (automatically) consolidated leading to more open positions on Monday. Ok big deal, there is more work to do on Monday due to more bank statements. But there is more: not necessarily for treasury departments. Think about customer services (helpdesk) departments. If a client with an overdue payment calls it would be great if the helpdesk employee is able to verify statements of the customers if the says he has paid or will pay immediately. This however only works if processing is automatic or if the helpdesk employee can access/search the incoming payments on the bank account (which might not have processed in accounting). Not all companies will have this yet. Overdue calculations might be faulty in some ERP systems as only working days are considered. If a payment is due on Sunday, you can pay on this Sunday and not necessarily on the Friday before.

Conclusion

Instant payments are only a fraction of PSD2 which is often not very interesting for most treasurers. They get some information faster but that does not really help them too much. There is however more to it. Since payments can now arrive and be made in the weekends the cash flow forecasting should now contain 7 days in a week instead of 5. Payment can be spread out more but also receipts will be. Bank processing is more work; 7 daily statements per bank account per week instead of 5. Extra processing or extra automation needed. The extra information might be needed by other departments too even though the treasury/accounting department is not working.

Overall the implications could be bigger then you might think and are different for every company and depending on their existing (bank) processing.
Most bank are planning to introduce weekend reporting by H2 2018 while instant payments are due beginning 2019. For business transactions this might even take until H2 2019.

Some time left but a good time to already think about your current processes in comparison to the new reality under psd2. Treasury is moving to a 24/7 information economy. It’s about time.Time will tell if there will be fintech’s stepping in helping with above issues with direct connections to the bank, which is another important part of PSD2 but not within the scope of this article.

If you need help with automating your bank statement processing or with your cash flow forecasting, then look at this author and other Flex Treasurers on this website for answers.

Patrick Kunz

Treasury, Finance & Risk Consultant/ Owner Pecunia Treasury & Finance BV

 

 

Media partnership treasuryXL en Reuters Plus

| 02-08-2018 | Reuters Plus| treasuryXL |


Met het vooruitzicht dat de Brexit steeds dichterbij komt, staat Europa aan de vooravond van een transformatie. Als belangrijkste verschaffer van banen en economische groei spelen Europese bedrijven een cruciale rol bij het bepalen van de samenstelling van het Europa van de toekomst.

Op hub website wijdt Reuters Plus gedeelte aan het informeren over de gevolgen van de Brexit. Hier komt informatie van verschillende bronnen samen, deze informatie bestaat uit artikelen en podcasts op het gebied van FinTech tot big data. De artikelen zijn niet specifiek bestemd voor de treasury community, maar door de raakvlakken met het treasury vakgebied wel erg waardevol. Dit is ook de reden dat treasuryXL en Reuters Plus een media partnership zijn aangegaan met als doel zoveel mogelijk relevante informatie met de community te delen.

Verder wordt er in september ook een event georganiseerd door Reuters Plus dat gericht is op de treasury community. Een aantal experts zullen hier de veranderingen bespreken die er moeten komen ten gevolge van de Brexit . Meer informatie over dit event kunt u vinden op onze website.

 

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EVENT: THE WORLD’S LEADING INTERNATIONAL TREASURY EVENT @ EUROFINANCE

| 31-07-2018 | Eurofinance | treasuryXL |

Join the global treasury community at EuroFinance’s  27th International Treasury Management conference. This year, we look at how to prepare treasury for the future – because it is no longer enough to just deliver on treasury’s core responsibilities.

New technology, business model disruption and unprecedented compliance, regulation and geopolitical issues will change the profession beyond recognition. Treasury needs to react and adapt.

  • Discover which tech is relevant to you and how to future-proof your treasury
  • Hear how to be proactive, work with the rest of the business and keep treasury relevant
  • Learn how others are seizing the opportunity to review everything from staffing to structures

This fresh new programme is based on over 1,000 interviews and discussions with treasury professionals around the world. It will deliver cutting-edge content, real-life case studies and thought provoking big picture sessions.

Network with an unparalleled senior audience of 2100+ delegates from over 50 countries. Find out what to expect here: https://bit.ly/2Nv8RI3

For more information or if you want to register for the event visit the events website.

 

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Corda Enterprise blockchain platform: unlocking new opportunities

| 30-07-2018 | Carlo de Meijer | treasuryXL

Early this month R3 announced the launch of Corda Enterprise, a commercial version of its open-source Corda blockchain platform, which aims to help a wider range of business use blockchain in their sector. With the launch of Corda Enterprise, companies can now select a version of Corda that fits their unique needs – regardless of their industry, size and stage of development. It however took more than a year hard working, because of the various challenges, such as scale, security and privacy.

Corda Enterprise brings greater enterprise capabilities to the Corda platform. Built upon the existing Corda’s functionality, it is thereby enhancing availability and performance. These extra features may enhance security and make Corda Enterprise easier to scale. Next to the We.Trade platform for trade finance (see my recent blog: We.Trade on blockchain: yes we can), Corda Enterprise is the second commercially available blockchain platform for business, specifically optimised to “meet the demands of modern day businesses”, especially complex regulated institutions.

Why Corda Enterprise?

The whole idea of the original Corda platform (see my blog: R3CEV Corda Platform: the blockchain app store, 9 October 2017) was to enable businesses to transact directly and privately, reducing transaction costs and streamlining operations. Many large users however are facing technical, regulatory and compliance issues that prevent them from using blockchain internally at scale. Not all businesses can realise the full potential of blockchain because of technical constraints like their existing IT systems and complex infrastructures, as well as issues around privacy, scalability and interoperability between systems. R3 is therefore launching Corda Enterprise and has implemented additional functionalities so that every business can benefit.

 

Read the full article of our expert Carlo de Meijer on LinkedIn

 

Carlo de Meijer

Economist and researcher

 

Best read articles of all time: Financieringsstructuur: solide fundament of kaartenhuis?

| 25-07-2018 | Bianca van Zeventer | treasuryXL

Leningen worden vaak gezien als een goede manier om lange termijn investeringen te financieren. Een (gecommitteerde) meerjarige lening levert veelal zekerheid voor de middellange termijn. “Voor meerdere jaren vastgelegd” blijkt in de praktijk vaak niet waar te zijn. Leningen worden afgesloten als een aanvullende vorm van financieren, naast rekening courant, lease en/of andere leningen. Hoewel het aangaan van de meerjarige financiering ‘an sich’ niet heel risicovol hoeft te zijn, zijn de voorwaarden dit soms wel.

Elke vorm van financiering heeft zijn eigen voorwaarden. Aan de verschillende leningen worden specifieke voorwaarden toegevoegd. En dan zijn er nog de algemene (bank)voorwaarden.
Veel bedrijven nemen onterecht aan dat dit ‘standaardvoorwaarden’ zijn en er maar beperkte onderhandelingsruimte is.

De voorwaarden van de verschillende arrangementen spreken elkaar vaak tegen, zijn niet zoals beoogd en/of dienen niet het doel en het belang de onderneming.

Financiering in welke vorm dan ook blijkt vaak een kaartenhuis. In plaats van mooi gestapeld, zijn de arrangementen een domino met de eerste steen in handen van de kredietverlener.

Wanneer uw onderneming onverhoopt in zwaarder weer terecht komt, dan is het belangrijk dat het staat op een solide financieel fundament.
Voorkomen is beter dan genezen geldt hier ook. Beter vooral goed uit-onderhandeld dan later de financiering amenderen of herstructureren. Of zelfs geen keuze meer hebben. Uw bank of financier eenzijdig de mogelijkheid geven alle financieringen te herroepen of betaalbaar te stellen, biedt geen financiële stabiliteit.

Maar vaak blijken de verschillende voorwaarden zodanig in elk kaar te grijpen, dat dit wel het geval is.

Een FlexTreasurer met gespecialiseerde financieringskennis, kan u helpen een snelle scan te maken van uw financieringsstructuur, aanbevelingen doen voor aanpassingen en/of financieringsarrangementen namens u of samen met u (her)onderhandelen.

 

Bianca van Zeventer

Treasury and Finance Specialist / Owner of CuCoFin