Banks, Fintechs and the Changing Landscape

2-8-2021 | treasuryXL | Pieter de Kiewit

My regular blog readers know I like to take the layman perspective on what amazes me in (Corporate) Treasury. I have my personal archive with relevant news we use to discuss every second week in team meetings. What currently amazes me most are the completely unpredictable developments in what used to be the banking market. Just some recent news:

  • Wise, formerly known as Transferwise does a direct listing in London and is valued at $11 billion. They will invest in further facilitating cross border payments thus offering a bank service substitute; read more
  • The competition of Wise, Revolut receives further investments and is valued at GBP 21 billion. They will establish full banking services building direct competition; read more
  • Mollie, a miniature Adyen, explicitly states that they will beat banks at their game; read more
  • One can also see banks creating their own new brands and services. ABN started Aymz, entering the niche market where RNHB and others are financing real estate in not too big tickets: read more
  • And Niels van Daatselaar, CEO of TreasurUp writes about banks and fintechs working together: read more
  • My final example is Ebury being taken over by Santander: the old world takes over the new contender: read more

A few years ago, the Traditional banks had the upper hand and would buy all parties that threatened them. By now, many Fintechs have a much higher valuation than banks. The extreme liquidity in the markets and willingness to invest leads to a situation that predicting what will be next is hard. I think that future winners find a right balance between applying newest technology, understanding potential clients, choose a clear strategy and move forward at highest speed. Many markets are winner takes all, making the game extra exciting.

I have not found a journalist or researcher who was able to solve this market equation and predict which of the various “eat or being eaten” scenarios will occur. The constant flow of new market entrants will continue. My expectations are that Apple, Microsoft, Google or Amazon entering this market with very substantial investments might be the next game changer. But why would I know?

What do you think will happen?

 

 

Pieter de Kiewit

Owner at Treasurer Search

 

 

 

Front Office Financial Resource and Capital Optimisation | September 9-10, 2021

20-07-2021 | treasuryXL | Kendra Keydeniers | Marcus Evens

Optimising margin and capital consumption for derivative portfolios under margin rules, FRTB and SA-CCR through effective risk and trading strategy.

London, UK or Virtual

9th – 10th September, 2021 | 08:30 BST

Financial Resource Optimisation has become of paramount importance for trading businesses after a decade of increased regulation and diminishing margins. Banks are required to hold enough capital to absorb losses and in recent times the minimum requirement for capital in derivatives trading has increased due to the push towards central clearing, margin reforms, XVA and Basel regulations.

The increasing capital requirements, increases the cost of the derivatives business which makes it even more important for banks to allocate capital for optimal return. With smarter portfolio and day to day trading along with utilisation of technology to help identify opportunities and improve trading decisions, banks can manage to create a capital efficient product mix that meets regulatory demands and leads to optimisation of capital and resources in the front desk.

The marcus evans ‘Front Office Financial Resource and Capital Optimisation’ conference will bring you one step closer to creating the optimal capital focused business model in the current climate. Attend in London on 9-10 September, 2021 or join virtually, and hear insights from industry experts on how to optimise margin and capital consumption for derivative portfolios under margin rules, FRTB and SA-CCR through effective risk and trading decisions.

Attending This Premier marcus evans Conference Will Enable You to:

  • Assess the impact of regulation such as UMR, SACCR, leverage ratio and FRTB on capital.
  • Establish a dynamic portfolio that can take advantage of opportunities for optimising margin and capital.
  • Consider the day-to-day trading decisions and how this impacts P&L and capital.
  • Exploit methods for financial resource optimisation such as technological opportunities, compression, innovation, etc.

Practical Insights and Case Studies from Industry Experts, some of which include:

  • Guillaume Dechambre, Director, XVA Strategy, BMO Capital Markets
  • Jesper Thye-Oestergaard, Head of Liquidity and Capital Analytics, Nordea Markets, Corporates and Institutions
  • Sandeep Shukla, Head of USD Swaps Trading, Natixis CIB Americas
  • Jean Jacques Kamdem, Global Head of Traded Credit Analytics, HSBC Global Banking and Markets
  • Thomas Rohold, Head of Financial Resource Management, Senior Vice President, Danske Bank
  • Matteo Angeloni, Director, XVA Trader, National Australia Bank
  • Andrew Green, Managing Director and XVA Lead Quant, Scotiabank

For more information please contact: Ms Ria Kiayia, Digital Media and PR Marketing Executive at [email protected] or visit: https://bit.ly/3r5lA8p

I wish you a great event!

Kendra Keydeniers

Director, Community & Partners at treasuryXL

Should corporate treasurers stop ignoring bitcoins and other crypto currencies?

26-5-2021 | treasuryXL | Pieter de Kiewit

This is a blog by someone who does not own bitcoins or other crypto currencies and does not intend to purchase any soon. Someone who is not a subject matter expert. Someone who told his colleagues not to consider the topic relevant for corporate treasury for a long time. Someone who thought bitcoins are only relevant for extortionists or those who speculate, gamble and hope to get rich quickly. You understand, that someone would be me.

Slowly I am getting this “One wrong-way driver? I see dozens!”-feeling. Newspapers are filling up with blockchain news. Pension funds start seeing crypto currencies as a relevant asset class. Auction houses start accepting payments (Tesla stopped again) and in countries with hyperinflation in South America, people are fleeing into cryptocurrencies, especially stable coins. After a first attempt with the Libra, Facebook is introducing a stable coin with the so-called Diem that seems to be connected to the US dollar.

My main objection always was that I did not see the underlying value. Real estate is bricks, shares are a piece of ownership, bonds should be paid back and with fiat currencies you can buy in a store. I cannot live in bitcoins and my baker does not accept them as payment. But with gold I cannot buy bread either. It has some practical use as a metal but that does not justify its current value. So why measure bitcoins in practical use and underlying value?

The core discussion is about speculation and trust. There used to be times we knew a dollar or gulden could be exchanged for gold, so we trusted our money. But the gold standard is not so standard anymore. Of course the prices of dogecoins, ethereum and bitcoins are extremely volatile but how about the rates of Argentine Pesos, Venezuelan Bolivars, Turkish Liras or pre WOII German Deutschmarks? When you cannot stand the heat, stay out of the crypto currency kitchen but I do not consider volatility a reason to disqualify the asset class.

As to myself, perhaps I just have to accept that I am a laggard or at best member of the late majority in accepting the technology/solution. As to corporate treasurers, the survey shows they have the ambition to educate themselves better on the topic. Of course to be able to answer questions from their colleagues and perhaps to initiate some form of a practical application of crypto currencies. I hope that, next to the Tesla example, in further blogs we can inform you about relevant business cases. About successful implementation but of course also about the bottlenecks like taxation and reporting. There will be enough happening for many future blogs. And I will be someone who communicates differently about crypto currencies.

PS You might enjoy the slides of a recent presentation by Tristan Verhagen, recent Register Treasurer graduate, a great introduction into Bitcoins with provoking insights. See link.

Take care, Pieter

 

 

Pieter de Kiewit

Owner at Treasurer Search

 

 

 

International Treasury Management Virtual Week | Celebrating 30 years as the world’s leading treasury event

| 19-05-2021 | Eurofinance | treasuryXL |

International Treasury Management is the annual meeting place for 1000s of the World’s most senior treasurers to learn and share experiences in valuable peer to peer discussions. With a reputation for ground-breaking sessions and world-class speakers, our 30th anniversary event will explore the boundaries of the profession, take a glimpse into the future of business, treasury and working life as well as offer the practical case studies on the treasurer’s top agenda items.

Only one treasury event can deliver the comprehensive mix of big picture global insight and granular treasury knowledge you need to make the right choices for the future.


Back to the future, again

Over the past 30 years since EuroFinance’s inaugural conference on International Cash and Treasury Management, much has changed. Treasurers have firmly become business partners, technology experts, risk managers and opportunity spotters. They often lead fundamental change within the company as markets, business models and technology shifts.

What next? This event will delve into how treasury operations can gear up for the future, having learned the lessons from the past. Where, who, what and how will the corporate be in the coming years and what is treasury’s role?

Keynote sessions will offer big-picture insight alongside themed streams including:

  • Payments revisited
  • Risks and Rewards
  • Digital strategies
  • Practical solutions to day-to-day Treasury challenges
  • The power of partnership

What makes International Treasury Management the must-attend event of the year?

  • networking on a global scale – a significant rise in attendees in 2020 boosted the value networking with banks, providers and potential clients… all in one place
  • strategic insights and best practices – get solutions to the challenges you face from treasury and economic experts during keynotes, practical case studies, fireside chats, analytical panels and more
  • future trends – delve into the latest innovations and new technology driving change in treasury, and their practical applications
  • live Q&A with world-class treasurers – enjoy borderless networking and live Q&As with high-profile speakers directly after each session
  • cost and time-efficiency – tune in form anywhere in the world, at the click of a button with no long distance travel or accommodation costs
  • continued learning – catch up on any missed sessions and re-watch your highlights, on demand for up 2 months after the event
  • unite your international teams – as a free event, it offers an opportunity for your whole treasury team to attend. Perfect for encouraging learning and development at all levels

September 27th – October 1st | Virtual

Register Now for Free!

 

 

Global Treasury Americas | Planning the post-pandemic Treasury

| 12-05-2021 | Eurofinance | treasuryXL |

The leading virtual event defining today’s corporate treasury agenda

For the past year, treasurers have sweated the core stuff: securing short-term liquidity and longer-term credit; enhancing risk monitoring and hedging processes; and dealing with the implications of remote working. But in the complex and uncertain transition to a new ‘normal’, finance functions will have to resume the search for growth. Can treasury help identify where growth is most likely to come from and which parts of the business are most threatened by digital disruption? And can they do better – can they help build the business strategies needed to prosper as we emerge into the next phase of the pandemic.

This event will explore the practical steps treasurers can take to make enterprise and treasury digitalization a reality and look at varied case studies of transformation in the treasury. The event will look in-depth at new technologies in action as well as more strategic concepts including the sustainability agenda. We look at how treasury can make a difference. Finally, we look at what it takes to transform treasury wherever you are in your journey in order to increase efficiencies, protect the business and make a difference to the bottom-line.

Global Treasury Americas: Planning the post-pandemic treasury

2 days of actionable insights, plus real world case studies tackling the key issues facing treasurers in the region. Topics include:

  • The Great Bounce-back
  • Practical steps on the path to automated Treasury
  • Why sustainability matters for Treasury
  • Name that threat: What’s next
  • Building a true cash culture
  • Payments evolution – the Treasurer’s view

What makes Global Treasury Americas your must-attend event of the year?

  • Understand the practical steps towards making enterprise and treasury digitalization a reality
  • Gain actionable solutions and best practices from varied real-world case studies
  • Network with an unrivalled audience of 800+ senior treasury professionals across the Americas
  • Benchmark your operations against the regions most forward-thinking treasury teams
  • Explore how to support business growth whilst balancing the traditional role of treasury

June 9-10 | Virtual

Register Now

 

 

Treasury: the sad story about the ones that do not get it

28-04-2021 | treasuryXL | Pieter de Kiewit

The great Dutch philosopher Johan Cruijff said: “Je gaat het pas zien als je het door hebt”, roughly translated “you only see if you get it”. I recently thought about this when visiting and working with a mid-sized local company. Their treasury team was much bigger than the teams of companies in the same industry two or three times their revenue size. In this team, for example, they had two employees full-time entering manual payments. Data and instructions are gathered from a multitude of systems and typed into banking software. Time is lost, mistakes are made, staff demotivated and money lost. They refused to hire a qualified candidate who could help because his expected base salary was a few thousands of euros too high…..

Recently the Dutch regulatory body for financial markets, AFM, published this research that shows that companies would benefit from a more mature market in alternative funding. One of their observations is that new solutions, for instance in working capital, are accepted even though the rates that have to be paid are preposterous. They see the market grow, not enough focus on credit rating and doubt if the market will stabilize in a professional manner. A stronger regulatory framework is suggested. I am in doubt, who will do the audit?

Those who are in need for strong treasury seem to ignore the available expertise. Distrust? Lack of time? Afraid of treasury lingo?


Personally I hope that entrepreneurs and CFOs will train their critical thinking and only use what they understand. Cost that are hidden in the total price of their treasury solutions are regretfully accepted easier than a separate price for the right solution and one for the advice. That is regrettable because one of the effects is that companies get perhaps the cheapest but the wrong solutions.

We have a simple suggestion: digest what you know about treasury and ask the most obvious question you can think of. Ask the expert panel and pass our suggestion forward to anyone you might think have a proper question. It is a matter of time until we get it all. I am sure.

Take care, Pieter

 

 

Pieter de Kiewit

Owner at Treasurer Search

 

 

 

Rent a Treasurer, Plans & Success

| 03-03-2020 | treasuryXL | Pieter de Kiewit

You might remember our previous blogs about the Rent a Treasurer. In this joint effort with Treasurer Search, we make high calibre treasury expertise available for organisations with treasury exposure without a specialist on board. Treasurer Search is in constant communication with the treasury labour market and knows who has what expertise and is available. treasuryXL has a wider network that includes CFOs of mid-sized companies and a very strong communication machine. Combining both enables the Rent a Treasurer service.

What we notice in our market research is that treasury is not well known by these CFOs, so they do not put it on their priority list. But CFOs do understand quickly the upside when speaking with and learning from a treasurer. Often not wanting extra headcount is mentioned as a reason not to act upon treasury opportunities. And many specialized treasury consultants are a better match with multi-billion corporates and costly. So mid-sized companies often rely on bankers and auditors. But many bankers focus too much on revenue and the knowledge of auditors is often not deep enough.

Currently we work with a core team of eight bringing the Rent a Treasurer concept to the next level. Six team members cover various subsets of treasury tasks and complement each other. Kendra represents treasuryXL and I work on behalf of Treasurer Search. We are the support. Our goal is to organise more meetings with CFOs and help them successfully save costs, mitigate risk and create opportunities through appropriate treasury solutions. We tell interesting stories, on a regular basis, to decision makers who might be interested and we will increasingly do so.

It gives me great pleasure to inform you that one of the team members,  Niki van Zanten, currently works as a Rent a Treasurer on two different assignments where FX risk has the most prominent focus. With the first client, he has been able to save substantially on cost already in his first week. Niki is the perfect example of an expert who learnt in the Champions League, with Cisco & Philips, and applies his knowledge helping mid-sized companies.

If you want to know more about Rent a Treasurer or introduce us to your business network, please let me know. I am convinced many more can benefit from good treasury. We will keep you updated.

 

 

Pieter de Kiewit

Owner at Treasurer Search

 

 

 

Webinar – Letters of Credit

| 16-02-2021 | Evofenedex

In this Webinar held by Evofenedex, we will learn more about Letter of Credits. The Webinar is in Dutch. Be sure to subscribe!

Een Letter of Credit (L/C) is een veelgebruikte betalingsvorm bij internationale handel. Een L/C wordt bijvoorbeeld regelmatig ingezet bij het zakendoen met het Midden- en Verre Oosten. Als je voor het eerst met een L/C wordt geconfronteerd, is het verstandig een zekere basiskennis te hebben. Na het volgen van dit webinar heb je kennis gemaakt met de L/C en weet je wat daarbij komt kijken.

  • Locatie: Online
  • Datum: 16 Februari 2021
  • Tijdstip: 10:00 – 10:45

WEBINAR – BASISKENNIS LETTERS OF CREDIT BIJ IMPORT EN EXPORT

  • Voor wie? Iedereen die niet of beperkt met L/C’s heeft gewerkt en hier meer over wil weten, zowel vanuit een import- als exportrol.
  • Doel: Deelnemers de basiskennis geven om succesvol met een L/C te kunnen werken. Na het volgen van dit webinar weet je wat een L/C is, welke partijen erbij betrokken zijn en ben je op de hoogte van de tips en tricks bij het gebruik ervan.

Programma

Onderwerp: basiskennis Letters of Credit
Tijd: 10.00-10.45 uur
Spreker: Hans Noordzij, trade finance specialist en docent bij evofenedex
Moderator: Wiemela Mangroo, projectleider bij evofenedex

In dit webinar komen de volgende onderwerpen aan de orde:

  • wat is een L/C en welke partijen zijn betrokken
  • voor- en nadelen van het werken met een L/C
  • documenten bij een L/C
  • aandachtspunten, tips en tricks bij het gebruik van een L/C

MELD AAN

 

Cash Management review – Fitting like a glove

| 18-01-2021 | Bas Meijer |

Can you remember when your current Cash Management structure has been set up? Probably at a point in time when there was a refinance, additional funding need or when a new treasurer came on board. The world is changing, your clients and their behavior are changing, therefore probably your Cash Management environment needs changing.

Unfortunately these changes are not automatically translated and implemented into your Cash Management setup. And as not every bank is the same, some banks cannot provide the Cash Management setup your corporate needs.

Reflecting the Cash Management needs every 3-5 years is a good habit. Solutions are evolving, banks are changing their focus & pricing can be renegotiated. But the most important goal is that the Cash Management setup should fit your corporate like a glove, not too big, an certainly not too small.

TreasuryXL has multiple experienced Treasures with up-to-date knowledge and experience, who can help your organisation to achieve these  goals. Maybe your corporate is ready to take the next step, or your Cash Management infra structure is outdated. Is there need for automation, independent banking portal, TMS or market data provider?

From experience this review brings a contribution to the bottom line. But not only in money, also in speed and accuracy. With new tooling your current choices can be reviewed in time, which helps you to make the next steps down the road. The Treasury Department is never static, and should always adapt to the changing environment. Make sure that your Treasury function, how big or small, fits like a glove to the needs of the corporate!

 

Bas Meijer

Treasury Specialist

 

 

 

 

 

Recruiting a Treasurer and The First Impression – Trap

| 28-12-2020 | treasuryXL | Pieter de Kiewit

They still exist, the hiring managers who totally rely on their first impressions. “At handshake I already know if it is a good candidate”. I am no Don Quichote but will continue my battle against this statement. Not only because we are not allowed anymore to shake hands due to covid-19. This statement radiates being impolite, dumb, not showing an interest in who you work with and wasting time.

I found new inspiration in this article of recruitment guru Lou Adler.

I will let you read the whole article by yourself but elements I took is that preparing for an interview with a potential successful hire should include assessment of abilities (soft, hard and other skills), the fit (with the culture, colleagues and manager) and of course motivation (in doing the job, not landing it). He further describes that content driven interviewers (techies) tend to focus too much on abilities and the first-impression-interviewers do not control their “stupid switch”. I will not do a comprehensive analysis but want to put your attention on the following two aspects:

  • First, in my perception many in the current corporate treasury population can be described as highly skilled. They did well at university, got high grades and enjoy the analytical. The ones that have an above average impact, the ones that go up the ladder in treasury but also other functions, did well because they were a good fit. They understood colleagues and were able to get their point across. They bridged the gap between treasury and the rest of their organisation. As many hiring managers are treasury-techies, I would like to invite them to increase their attention to the fit. It could make your team so much better.
  • Second, I see bad recruitment decisions based upon the stupid switch in organisations where hiring managers do not understand the importance of treasury. Hiring managers who do not spend (a lot of) time with the person they recruit. Hiring managers who are included in the process because “somebody has to interview the candidate and has to make the decision”. I do understand that decision makers have to be included but perhaps they are better informed with CVs or assessment reports. Also there is a task for us, the treasury community, in showing how important the job should be. Spread the word!

Let me finish up with emphasizing that the interview is only one of many components of a good recruitment process. CV screening, references, assessments and a cover letter all bring information that can be the foundation of a good recruitment decision. We like to use the Treasurer Test in our recruitment. In the article Lou Adler describes not only the theory but also helps you, with practical steps, professionalising your recruitment.

Do you know people who cannot switch of the “stupid switch”?

What do you see?

I look forward to your input,

 

 

Pieter de Kiewit

Owner at Treasurer Search