Webinar: Interested in how to minimize costs for FX payments?

| 20-6-2019 | TIS |

Does your firm have a global payment landscape? Are all FX payments globally and their associated costs visible to you?

If the answers are Yes and No, you don’t want to miss this 30-minute webinar chaired by Ebury, one of Europe’s fastest growing FinTechs and TIS, a global leader in corporate payment solutions.

For corporate treasurers and cash managers, FX risk management is part of the daily tasks. In this joint webinar presented by Ebury, a global finance specialist in foreign exchange, and TIS, a global leader in cloud-based corporate payment SaaS solution, the experts Thomas Fakhouri, Head of Technology Partnerships at Ebury and Nikola Hristov, Product Owner at TIS, will discuss how a fully integrated and automated payment process with add-on FX service generates enormous saving opportunities for corporates.

Register today

Wed, Jun 26, 2019
3:00 PM – 3:30 PM CEST

The challenges of liquidity planning and forecasting

| 17-06-2019 | treasuryXL | Cashforce |

For more than a decade, liquidity and cash flow forecasting have remained in the top three challenges for CFOs and treasurers globally. This begs the question: why has this been a perennial challenge for so long? The reason: treasury operations today are, for the most part, a series of unintegrated systems, spreadsheets and silos between groups and other departments.

Companies are often faced with multiple ERPs, many entities, and different currencies. These make the task of managing liquidity a major challenge, not to mention a significant manual effort involving many people. The result: lots of time spent gathering and validating data while still not having a full, transparent view into the numbers. The volume, variety, velocity and veracity of data generated each day has made traditional analysis – using spreadsheets, for example – obsolete. It is just not possible to manually aggregate and analyse that much data with sufficient speed to be able to gain insight, and then turn that insight into action. To be able to do so you need the right set of tools.

WHAT SHOULD A TREASURER OR CFO BE ASKING THEMSELVES?

  • Can you identify all your sources of data that you need to make a cash flow forecast? Eg ERP (how many do you have, are they all on the same instance), CRM, bank statements, trend analysis, manual data (such as budgets).
  • How often do you refresh your short-term/mid-term cash forecast? (Daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or I don’t make a cash forecast).
  • How do you ensure no mistakes happen in your data capturing/consolidation?
  • How do you incentivise your subsidiaries? Local subsidiaries and users typically download information from their ERP, and upload in other types of files to HQ, or in SharePoint, or they will just send Excel files from all over the globe to HQ, which means it’s 100% manual. There’s no real alignment of the processes across subsidiaries and no audit trail at the local level.

WHAT TO CONSIDER?

  • Companies should ensure their information is system-based. In other words, they have full integration with their ERP, so they don’t have to manually download data (it should flow automatically).
  • Any augmentation of data should have an audit trail so that, ultimately, the group treasurer can see who did what, and when they did it.
  • Automate the process and deploy alert functionality, such as reminders for subsidiaries to post their local forecast, and for the group treasurer to look for it.
  • Ensure bank connectivity to enable comparison of actuals with forecast figures.

I HAVE THE DATA. NOW WHAT?

With this data, treasurers should now be able to answer these four key questions: what happened; why did it happen; what will happen; and what should be done?

  • Descriptive analytics answers the question, “what happened?” This is the most basic form of big data analytics, and provides a picture of past events.
  • Diagnostic analytics, “why did it happen?” Diagnostic analytics enables you to perform root cause analysis and use that information to prevent future repetition of events.
  • Predictive analytics, “what will happen?” Predictive analytics uses advanced algorithms – often with artificial intelligence and machine learning – to forecast future events.
  • Prescriptive analytics, “what should I do?” Prescriptive analytics tells you what the best steps are to achieve a specific result. Prescriptive analytics requires advanced machine learning capabilities.

 

 

Webinar: Optimize your payment processing security

| 13-6-2019 | BELLIN |

How to optimize your payment processing security via administrative control

This webinar installment takes a deep dive into the need for a centralized payments platform that maintains a hyper-focus on security. Join in as we discuss, how the essential synergy between technical security specifications and administrative controls creates optimally safe and efficient processes.

Webinar start: 27 June 2019 | 16:00 CEST
Webinar run time: approx. 20 min

Register here

Katja FranzPresenter
Katja Franz, Senior Treasury Consultant

A graduate of International Business at Fachhochschule Trier and European Business & language at National College of Ireland, Katja Franz has a background in treasury and cash management that has spanned the globe. With experience in banking and reconciliation at Hertz Europe, cash and credit administration at State Street Bank, as payment implementation specialist for Bankhaus August Lenz and as freelance consultant, she has brought success to projects across banking and treasury.

At BELLIN Katja has brought her experience and her passion to the BELLIN treasury consulting team, focusing on treasury management software, project management and process optimization. She is a keen team player who is committed to her work and always eager to learn something new.

About BELLIN

BELLIN is the global leader in technology for corporate banking and treasury. We provide solutions for the financial sector, catering to a range of clients from large multinationals to SMEs and banks. Founded by a treasurer, BELLIN has been championing innovation and out-of-the-box thinking since 1998. With the treasury software tm5 as the centerpiece, BELLIN makes a fundamental difference by offering solutions that zero in on the relationship between corporates and banks and cover everything from payments to FX, cash and risk management. BELLIN is an international company with offices on four continents, powered by a trailblazing fintech spirit and yet firmly rooted in the heritage of German craftsmanship and engineering. BELLIN delights 500 clients and over 80,000 users around the globe.

 

 

New generation treasurer studies at the Vrije Universiteit

| 13-06-2019 | by Pieter de Kiewit |

 

Research in our candidate files, filled with treasury experts and managers, shows that only a small fraction of the population completed a job specific education. Over time I see the level of impact and complexity of corporate treasury rising and an increase in treasury students. As a member of the so-called Curatorium (management board) of the post graduate program “Treasury Management & Corporate Finance”, I consider it my task to let you know about this education. A task I am of course happy to pick up.

 

 

You can get a first overview on the partner page of the Vrije Universiteit on our site and their own Treasury Management and Corporate Finance program page. In the next months we will post blogs with profiles of Register Treasurer (RT) graduates with their motives, experiences and career paths. This will give you better insight in the type of treasurers that are “RT material”. Furthermore we will invite graduates to share thesis and other research summaries that will give you a sample of the level of what you can expect.

Originally the program was in Dutch and aimed at a relatively narrow candidates working in a corporate environment. An important change is that the program now is in English. The student population is a mixture of consultants, bankers, interim managers and experts working in corporate and non-profit environments. As the value of the student peer group has huge impact on the program, this diversity brings a lot extra.

Our continued information flow will hopefully help aspiring students and their managers making a sound decision. The program is not for everybody, we hope to see you soon and find out if you have what it takes.

PS The next information session is at June 26, 2019.


Read stories from graduates who participated the Register Treasurer (RT) program. How does their treasury career look like now?

 

 

 

Pieter de Kiewit
Owner Treasurer Search

 

The (Im)possibility of Liquidity Planning

| 07-06-2019 | BELLIN |

Defining and establishing liquidity planning workflows

Liquidity planning is extremely essential. Companies can survive a certain amount of time without making a profit. However, they will go down within just a few days if they lack the necessary liquidity. Therefore, liquidity planning is high on any treasury’s agenda.

Suddenly, cash was in short supply. Everything ground to a halt. Indeed, the crisis of 2008 has shown how important it is for companies of all sizes and industries to plan with liquid assets. They have to ensure that liquidity fluctuations will be hedged adequately and that times of tight liquidity can be overcome easily. Even long-term profitability cannot always serve as a guarantee that financial markets will be able to provide sufficient liquidity in times of crisis – unless waterproof strategic agreements for financing liquidity shortages were concluded long before the crisis. Liquidity planning is not the same as planning a company’s cash balance. Instead, it forms a basis for strategic hedging decisions in interest, currency and commodity management.

When you begin dealing with liquidity planning in your business, you may be disappointed at first. You will not be able to transfer experience from a balance sheet and profit and loss (P&L) calculation. As a first step, you will need to define liquidity planning and set your treasury’s liquidity planning goals.

Liquidity Planning Versus Cash Management

Liquidity planning serves to illustrate cash flows from all organizational units over time. lt distinguishes between different cash flows, e.g. customer payments and HR payments. The timeline – the underlying planning horizon – usually includes the next six to twelve months. However, certain business models may require planning several years in advance. Never confuse liquidity planning with daily cash management, which focuses only on future balances of individual bank accounts and on creating daily cash forecasts.

The quality of balance sheet and P&L planning is determined by its accuracy. The better the planning, the more accurate the predictions. In the relationship of balance sheet and P&L to liquidity planning, the most important factor is the end result: both plans should result in the same balance at the end of a period. To ascertain this figure alone, a treasury department would not need to create its own liquidity plan. Yet from a treasury perspective, the projected balance is only a means of checking plausibility at the end of the planning horizon. Even the smallest change in an underlying transaction or payment can lead to significant changes in the final result, without affecting overall corporate success or reducing the quality or even sense of liquidity planning as a whole.

A Basis for Hedging

Determining a precise cash balance at the end of a particular planning horizon is not the goal of liquidity planning. Its focus lies on analyzing the differences between an original plan and a rolling plan. The treasury department bases hedging decisions on the original plan. Then, it examines the reliability of these risk management measures. If the treasury finds significant inconsistencies, it can swap or create new foreign exchange deals, negotiate new credit lines or revise the maturities of interest­ bearing transactions.

Liquidity planning is possible. However, it is impossible to plan liquidity in terms of cash on hand at a particular date. With this different goal in mind, liquidity planning becomes the basis for strategic hedging decisions. Only a liquidity plan that is kept up to date can provide information on when to expect cash flows in foreign currency,  when group companies need more liquidity within the  planning period and when excess liquidity will be returned.

Interest and Currency Risk

Liquidity planning is not just about liquid assets, however. Flawed planning can have negative side effects, particularly with regard to financing and related interest. High interest rates can reduce income and reserve assets of companies that are notoriously short, i.e. always in a position of net debt. At the opposite end of the spectrum, companies in a «long» position, i.e. those who have sufficient liquidity to finance their ongoing business, miss out on interest earnings. They rarely consider such opportunity interest.

Interest topics aside, liquidity planning also deals with the somewhat more complex issue of foreign exchange risk. Currency exposure can also affect cash on hand. The media frequently circulate striking examples, although they often wrongly blame derivatives for lack of liquidity or financial losses. In any case, it is important to note that a shift in exchange rates may have a decisive influence on the liquidity development of companies active in countries with foreign currencies.

Liquidity planning made easy in tm5

With tm5’s cash and liquidity management solution, users benefit from real-time liquidity management across your entire corporate group.

Our technology lets you make short-term or long-term liquidity forecasts across all subsidiaries in the corporate group. Be prepared for all eventualities.

  • Make use of scenario planning via detailed financial reports that enable you to stay on top of cash flow management
  • Generate payment forecasts in different transaction currencies
  • Define your individual planning categories
  • Conduct plan comparisons
  • Use your own capacity for effective planning, whether it be a matter of days – or years – into the future
  • Consolidate planning data across all subsidiaries within your corporate group
  • Use a reconciliation matrix to resolve intercompany conflicts
  • Aggregate liquidity planning on a group-wide level
  • Calculate hedging ratios and your company’s refinancing strength based on any possible scenario.

Product: Cash & Liquidity Management

Room to Breathe

No company can exist without liquidity planning: it would be incapacitated within just a few days. Primary liquidity risk factors take a company’s liquidity – its room to breathe. Cash management is essential for short-term planning horizons. In the medium and long term, companies require a liquidity plan, a prerequisite for meaningful risk management, which is cleanly separated from corporate financial planning. These two topic areas deal with interest and currency management from different perspectives. Companies need to ensure a basic liquidity supply, consider supply costs and take into account possible fluctuations caused by currency exchange factors.

Martin Bellin

Founder & CEO at BELLIN

Executive Treasury Management & Corporate Finance session

| 31-5-2019 | Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam |

An information session has been scheduled for June 26, 2019 at 19.00-19.45. For more information or registration for this session, please contact [email protected].

KEY FACTS ON THE PRO­GRAM

The post-graduate Executive Treasury Management & Corporate Finance programme combines two finance disciplines: Treasury Management and Corporate Finance. These disciplines largely overlap and are inextricably connected.

This post-graduate executive programme has now been running for more than 20 years at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. It is a unique programme both in the Netherlands and abroad.

As from September 2018 the programme will be delivered entirely in English to appeal to the increasingly large community of non-Dutch-speaking finance professionals in the Netherlands.

Participants successfully completing this post-graduate executive programme will be awarded with the title of Registered Treasurer. This title is well-known and widely recognized within the treasury professionals’ community.

The curriculum consists of 6 modules, each of which covers a clear sub-discipline in Treasury Management and Corporate Finance. Each module comprises approx 8 lecture days on Thursdays (from 15:30 until 20:00). It is an intensive and efficient 18-month programme.

The post-graduate Executive Treasury Management & Corporate Finance programme is a strategic partner of the Dutch Association of Corporate Treasurers (DACT). Partners in the programme are KPMG, Orchard Finance, PwC, and Zanders Treasury & Finance Solutions. Senior affiliates are programme lecturers.

Exemptions apply to alumni of Dutch RC and RA programmes.

LOCATION

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Agora complex
De Boelelaan 1105
Amsterdam

CONTACT

Investment Management (IM) & Chartered Financial Management (CFA)
Emiel Erbé
[email protected]
020-5986118

Risk Management for Financial Institutions (RFMI)
Michelle Habets
[email protected]
020-5986159

Treasury Management & Corporate Finance (TM&CF)
Myrthe Scholze
[email protected]
020-5987231

 

 

Cashforce develops AI-powered cash forecasting module

| 27-05-2019 | treasuryXL | Cashforce |

CASHFORCE ‘S INTELLIGENT CASH FORECASTING ENGINE HELPS COMPANIES TO CREATE MORE ACCURATE FORECASTS BY LEVERAGING THE POWER OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.

May 22, 2019 New York, NY – Cashforce continues to innovate in treasury digitalization by developing its next generation A.I.-powered Cash Forecasting module, offering accurate forecasting for CFO’s & treasurers struggling to gain better cash visibility and forecasting accuracy. Originally part of a project of the AFTE (French Association of Corporate Treasurers) to disrupt various aspects of treasury, Cashforce got involved to explore how Artificial Intelligence could improve the cash forecasting process. For the initial proof of concept, Cashforce worked closely with a large, globally operating corporate to make this a reality using their financial data.

“While our platform is already globally recognized for providing accurate cash forecasts, we keep on exploring how we can further improve our view on the future. By including A.I. into the mix, we will provide both the CFO, Finance and Treasury departments with even more accurate, efficient and best-in-class cash flow analytics and cash forecasting solutions along with a single version of the truth” commented Nicolas Christiaen, CEO Cashforce.

As an example, Cashforce’s ‘Buffer-algorithm’ will back-test its current Cash flow forecasting model and re-apply these results onto the current model. In addition to the application of smart logic such as customer & vendor payment behavior, this will result in much more accurate forecasts. Companies will be better able to predict the cash outcomes and avoid surprises.

Mark O’Toole, Head of Cashforce for the Americas, commented “By including a feedback loop into the forecast algorithm, Cashforce is able to accurately predict customer payment behavior, unexpected invoices, growth, seasonality and the like.”

After this first release, Cashforce is already working on a next version of the A.I.-driven forecast, by looking at more complex patterns. Several methodologies are currently being explored, ranging from basic methods such as time-series to more complex concepts such as deep-learning and neural networks. At the same time, client feedback is coming in and this gives Cashforce a lot of inspiration on where to improve and what proposition is bringing more value.

As a ‘next-generation’ Cash Forecasting & Working Capital analytics platform, Cashforce helps finance and treasury departments save time and money by offering accurate cash flow forecasting & flexible treasury automation and significant working capital improvements. Cashforce is unique in its category, because it allows users to drill down to the transaction level details and the system integrates seamlessly with ERP systems & banking systems. In addition, an intelligent simulation engine enables companies to consider multiple cash flow scenarios and measure their impact. As a result, finance and treasury departments can be turned into business catalysts for cash generation opportunities throughout the company.

Cashforces’s innovation around big data & analytics for cash management and liquidity has made them unique by bridging the gap between the CFO, finance and treasury.

About Cashforce

Cashforce is a ‘next-generation’ digital Cash Forecasting & Treasury Platform, focused on analytics, automation and integration. Cashforce connects the Treasury department with other finance / business departments by offering full transparency into its cash flow drivers, accurate & automated cash flow forecasting and working capital analytics. The platform is unique in its category because of the seamless integration with numerous ERPs & banking systems, the ability to drill down to transaction level details, and the intelligent AI-based simulation engine that enables multiple cash flow scenarios, forecasts & impact analysis.

Cashforce is a global company with offices in New York, Antwerp, Amsterdam, Paris & London and provides Cash visibility to multinational corporates across various industries in over 120 countries worldwide.

 

Webinar: How to streamline your banking landscape

| 14-5-2019 | BELLIN |

The expert guide on how to streamline your banking landscape with the perfect combination of banks, channels and formats

This webinar sheds light on the complexity of diverse bank connectivity options for each corporation. What channel or combination of channels are you going to use to connect to your banking partners in a process- and cost-efficient way? Will you capitalize on host-to-host connections or will you be taking advantage of SWIFT, get your own BIC code and become bank-agnostic? Find out about various options and multiple ways of combining them to eventually configure the custom-tailored payment setup that perfectly suits your treasury’s needs.

Webinar start: 6 June 2019 | 16:00 CEST
Webinar run time: approx. 20 min

Register here

Presenter
Anton Wahl, Senior Treasury Consultant

Anton Wahl is Senior Treasury Consultant and Payments Specialist at BELLIN and in charge of various projects. He has extensive experience with international SWIFT, H2H and EBICS payment implementation projects. Anton joined the BELLIN team in 2008 and first worked for the Service & Support Team before changing to Consulting & Implementation in 2015. He is a certified SWIFT Specialist for Corporates and obtained the designation Certified Payment Professional from Frankfurt School of Finance.

About BELLIN

BELLIN is the global leader in technology for corporate banking and treasury. We provide solutions for the financial sector, catering to a range of clients from large multinationals to SMEs and banks. Founded by a treasurer, BELLIN has been championing innovation and out-of-the-box thinking since 1998. With the treasury software tm5 as the centerpiece, BELLIN makes a fundamental difference by offering solutions that zero in on the relationship between corporates and banks and cover everything from payments to FX, cash and risk management. BELLIN is an international company with offices on four continents, powered by a trailblazing fintech spirit and yet firmly rooted in the heritage of German craftsmanship and engineering. BELLIN delights 500 clients and over 80,000 users around the globe.

 

 

Information Session at VU Finance Amsterdam

| 25-4-2019 | Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam |


We would like to invite you to the Information Session of the Executive Education finance programmes at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam on Tuesday 7 May 2019.

It concerns:

This evening gives an insight into the content and organisation of the different programmes we offer.

Anyone interested in these programmes is welcome. We herewith kindly request you to inform potential candidates in your office or your network, about this evening.

Please register here.

We look forward to meeting you!

PROGRAMME

17.30 hrs.             Welcome with coffee, tea, and sandwiches
18:00 – 18:45 hrs. Investment Management & Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
19:00 – 19:45 hrs. Risk Management for Financial Institutions (RFMI)
20:00 – 20:45 hrs. Treasury Management and Corporate Finance (TM&CF)

LOCATION

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Agora complex
De Boelelaan 1105
Amsterdam

CONTACT

Investment Management (IM) & Chartered Financial Management (CFA)
Emiel Erbé
[email protected]
020-5986118

Risk Management for Financial Institutions (RFMI)
Michelle Habets
[email protected]
020-5986159

Treasury Management & Corporate Finance (TM&CF)
Myrthe Scholze
[email protected]
020-5987231

 

 

AUTOMATING BANK FEE ANALYSIS AND BECOMING BEST IN CLASS

| 15-4-2019 | Vallstein | treasuryXL |

About Vallstein

Vallstein was built around the philosophy that transparency in bank relations should be equally relevant from the perspective of a corporate client towards its banks as vice versa.  The history to date has proven Vallstein´s vision right.  Clients applying Vallstein´s BRM solutions gain and maintain pro-active control over their banking charges based on sustained information advantages, enabling ongoing monitoring and business allocation based on transparency and best-practice benchmarking.

Why Vallstein

By opting for Vallstein, companies will not only  gain access to the WalletSizing® Bank Fee Edition but will also avail itself of the know-how of over 18 years of experience in the development and management of Award-winning WalletSizing® and Bank Fee Management solutions and the associated global lead position in Bank Relationship Management.

The  Bank Fee Edition enables the efficient implementation of this important initiative in controlling banking fees. Bank invoices will be uploaded and interfaced into the Bank Fee Edition in a seamless matter. Based on the insights and analytics and the associated benchmarks provided by Bank Fee Edition, companies will establish a solid basis for transparency and control on all its banking charges in cash management.  Vallstein software solutions enable ongoing monitoring and reporting of the banking landscape, ensuring embedded pro-active control and compliance with banking policies and cash management pricing agreements negotiated with the banks.

Unlike other treasury systems and treasury consulting firms, Vallstein is solely and fully dedicated to BRM.

The nature of our client relationships varies and is entirely driven by the tailor-made approach from client to client. The majority of our clients operate in multiple countries, where in turn they maintain multiple local banking relationships.  In supporting our clients on their bank relationship management Vallstein has thus developed a unique and extensive database covering market data on banking products and services from over 300 banks worldwide.

Furthermore, all the prices for Cash Management will be benchmarked on the basis of size and quantities per product and this will provide the company with the necessary insight in the business value of its Cash Management wallet. With this knowhowthe best practice prices in the market can be negotiated.  For many of our clients this has lead to substantial savings on their annual Cash Management fees and an improved relationship with their bank(s).

Clients of Vallstein

Vallstein has served hundreds clients directly and indirectly in cooperation with its partners.  These clients represent a wide range of industries and vary in size from EUR 30 mln to well over EUR 300 bln in annual sales.  The clients are headquartered in a wide range of countries, including countries in the Middle East, Europe and North America and have operations in 180 countries world-wide. In many cases, the client relationship is multi-year, with our oldest client relationship indeed dating back to the year of inception of Vallstein in 2000.

Do you want to explore the possibilities for your company? Please contact Salco Herschberg.

Email: [email protected]
Tel. +31 (06) 46 59 73 34

 

Salco Herschberg

Country Head at Vallstein