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Trade Finance & rethinking digitalisation (Dutch Item)

02-03-2022 | Ger van Rosmalen | treasuryXL | LinkedIn |

 

Ruim 30 jaar geleden mocht ik in een panel vertellen over Bolero. Bolero staat voor “Bill of Lading electronically” in die tijd nog een toekomstdroom. Toen werd er al gesproken over digitalisering van handelsdocumenten. Nu, ruim 30 jaar later komt er eindelijk beweging in.

Al geruime tijd zijn er regels van de Internationale Kamer van Koophandel om die digitaliseringsslag wereldwijd te begeleiden[1]. Er zijn al diverse innovatieve en vooruitstrevende bedrijven die digitalisering hebben omarmd door initiatieven en oplossingen op het gebied van elektronische handtekeningen, digitale “originele” documenten en volledig digitale Letters of Credit. Tegelijkertijd zijn banken en bedrijfsleven echter vaak nog afwachtend als het gaat om het loslaten van papieren documenten. En dat is jammer. De afgelopen jaren laten soms namelijk ook zien dat “papieren” handelsdocumenten kunnen zorgen voor vertragingen, extra kosten en daarmee ontevreden klanten.

Fouten ontstaan bijvoorbeeld door vanuit andere systemen handmatig informatie over te typen op papieren documenten. Dan is een vergissing bij het overtypen van bijv. 100 containernummers snel gemaakt, met alle gevolgen van dien.

Voordelen van digitalisering zijn dan ook:

  • Sneller (geen oponthoud zoals bij traditionele “papier-route”)
  • Voordeliger (minder afhandelingskosten)
  • Grotere kans foutloze uitvoering
  • Duurzamer dan papier

Hoe komt het dan, dat we toch vaak blijven vasthouden aan die “papierwinkel”? Dat komt onder meer door de vestigingsplaatsen van contractpartners en hun banken. Een voorbeeld: In sommige landen, vooral de “emerging markets”, zijn papieren handelsdocumenten nog vereist. Lokale wetgeving verhindert voorlopig de stap naar verdere digitalisering. Maar een groot deel van de wereld staat wel open voor digitalisering van Trade Finance. Bij een aanzienlijk deel van uw trade transacties zijn dus voordelen te behalen. Dus wat weerhoudt ons nog?

Op een bepaalde manier lijkt ons brein ingesteld op beperkingen, bedreigingen en beren op de weg. Eigenlijk niet echt vruchtbaar want het maakt ons voorzichtig, argwanend en sceptisch bij nieuwe ontwikkelingen. We voelen ons vertrouwd in onze bekende omgeving en dat maakt dat we eerder kijken naar problemen dan kansen en oplossingen. Dat vergt  “omdenken”[2]. Omdenken is een andere basishouding namelijk denken in kansen, nieuwe mogelijkheden en oplossingen. Het zorgt voor innovatie, vernieuwing en creativiteit. Dat is geen kwestie van een knop omzetten maar met nieuwe ogen kijken en met elkaar in gesprek gaan. Met elkaar open staan voor vernieuwing en enthousiasme om nieuwe mogelijkheden te gaan toepassen.

De poort tot digitalisering staat open. Begin eens met een rustig ritje op deze digitale snelweg met een beperkt aantal klanten of landen. Ik nodig u uit om te gaan ontdekken wat digitalisering u te bieden heeft en ga het gesprek graag met u aan over digitalisering. Ook blijven wij u ondersteunen bij de traditionele Letters of Credit daar waar de papieren handelsdocumenten nog wel even een rol blijven spelen. Bel (0613377921) of mail ([email protected]) voor een vrijblijvend gesprek.

 

Ger van Rosmalen

Trade Finance Specialist

 

 




[1] Supplement to the Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits for Electronic Presentation (e-UCP), Uniform Rules for Collections Supplement for Electronic Presentation (e-URC), Universal Rules for Bank Payment Obligations (URBPO) en Uniform Rules for Digital Trade Transactions (URDTT)

[2] De grondlegger van het omdenken Berthold Gunster heeft hierover een aantal inspirerende boeken geschreven.

International Mass Payments for Growing Businesses

23-12-2021 | Xe | treasuryXL | LinkedIn |

Streamline your payment processes, and improve international business partner relationships. Spend more time delivering on your clients’ needs.

Business process outsourcing and business process automation are not new business models. Yet traditionally, they have been targeted at high-volume, manual tasks like data entry, document processing, and bookkeeping. Delegating international transactions to a mass payments service provider like XE saves your business, and often your recipients on each completed transaction.

One of the many benefits of working with a payment service provider which specialises in international money transfer is that we provide services based on transaction volume. A small business will often just need help to expedite the fundamental payment administration and remittance processes. a large business with significantly more concurrent transactions will typically prioritise access to a scalable payments platform that can integrate with their core financial systems.

The executive appeal of subscribing to a mass payments API through a financial services business like XE is that it provides measurable benefits, such as:

  • Cost containment by streamlining payment tasks

  • Greater efficiency and reduced errors

  • The ability to focus full-time employees on more strategic, high-value tasks

  • Reduced training and technology overhead

  • Opportunities to take advantage of volume-based discounts

Is your business looking to find savings opportunities by paying multiple international suppliers, contractors, or employees? Simultaneous payments triggered at optimal exchange rates minimises the impact of unpredictable currency value fluctuations on your bottom line. You can also initialise bulk payments when you feel the time is right, be it after business hours or on weekends.

The Right Payee, in the Right Currency, at the Right Time

XE Mass Payments services are can be made securely to beneficiaries in over 220 countries and territories, in any of 139 currencies. One of our clients increased the efficiency of their international remittances from two days to a mere five minutes.

Consider all the productive work, collaboration, and planning which can be done in those rescued hours which would have been otherwise spent filling out forms, routing payments, and reconciling accounts.

Are you ready to streamline your payment processes, and improve your relationships with your business partners overseas? Do you want to minimise administrative tasks, and spend more time delivering on your clients’ needs?

XE Mass Payments: A Proven Platform from the World’s Trusted Currency Authority

XE Mass Payment API and related services:

  • Are on par with the banks in terms of security, privacy, and regulatory compliance.

  • Rival or exceed bank services in terms of speed. We work to avoid intermediary banks wherever possible.

  • Are less costly for your business, and generally don’t carry recipient fees.

  • Are an excellent way to reduce manual keying errors.

  • Are available to your business on your schedule, during the week or on weekends.

  • Can help you qualify for discounts for prompt payment (such as 2% within 10 days)

  • Can be contracted as a stand-alone online managed service, or as an integrated API solution to interface with your company’s financial ERP and accounting applications.

  • Are a great way to avoid pitfalls many companies make when doing business with trading partners in emerging markets. Late or inaccurate payments to employees, contractors or suppliers are bad for your company’s reputation and can be disruptive to the natural flow of your business.

Here are some additional details about our Mass Payments offering.

Mass payments services are packaged for your company based on:

  • The countries where your suppliers, employees, and other beneficiaries are located

  • The volume of payments you manage per month

  • The channels through which your business payments flow, be it through our APIs or our managed service

  • Any advisory or foreign exchange services which your company needs, be it expanding your payments to emerging markets, risk management, market orders or forward contracts.


Foreign Exchange Hedging – Putting More Flow into Your Cashflow

16-12-2021 | Xe | treasuryXL | LinkedIn |

Volatility in the market creates hedging opportunities. You can more accurately forecast margins, and have peace of mind knowing your costs won’t increase.

Any business that imports or exports goods or services have a foreign exchange requirement. Depending on how large the volume of their orders and/or sales, foreign exchange can significantly impact gross margins and has the ability to derail profit.

Importing costs fluctuate with the value of the local currency – for example, the New Zealand dollar (NZD). In the past 5 years, the NZD has moved by an average of 8% per year. In that same timeframe, if your suppliers either increased or decreased their prices by this amount, most people would do everything possible to try and mitigate the downside. This is a primary value-add of foreign exchange traders and brokerages that have the best interests of their clients in mind.

How to hedge

Volatility in the market creates hedging opportunities. By hedging, you are able to more accurately forecast margins, and have peace of mind knowing your costs won’t increase. This allows you to focus on your core business functions, be they manufacturing, distribution, or otherwise.

A forward exchange contract (FEC) allows you to buy or sell a defined amount of foreign currency on a given date in the future at a defined rate. The disadvantage of an FEC is that you may miss out on favourable market movements. However, since consistently accurate crystal balls aren’t standard issue for any ForEx advisor, the hard part is knowing where the market will go.

Experience, expertise, and depth of information resources are two of the differentiating factors between XE and our competitors.

What stops hedging?

Hedging challenges arise when your forecasts aren’t reliable, and you receive inaccurate information from sales or production advisors. Or perhaps you are running a lean supply-chain and don’t want to commit tying up cash flow to an FEC.

You can incorporate hedging into your budgeting to ensure your costed rates are covered. This prevents a situation where the currency is lower than what you’ve budgeted, and potentially a loss is being made each time you purchase FX.

For exporters, there is even less appetite to hedge. This is partly because the NZD has been strong over the past 5 years against most currencies.

The importance of interest rates

Every country wants their currency lower to attain more from exports. You will hear New Zealand’s Reserve Bank (RBNZ) say they want the currency lower. In their view, having the NZD/USD rate at 65c instead of 75c is a major positive. This isn’t what importers want to hear, but it’s the reality of the foreign exchange markets.

Interest rates dictate currency movements. The RBNZ pays particular attention to inflation, wages, GDP and employment data to make their decisions. But, the NZD is at the mercy of international reserve banks, including the US Federal Reserve and the ECB (European Central Bank).

Conclusion

Volatility is here to stay. Big swings in the market will persist. It’s almost impossible to predict where the markets will move. Yet XE has the people, processes and technology to give your business the best odds of success.

It’s unfair to judge yourself on attaining the very best rate when hedging foreign exchange. Our mantra is to empower businesses to compete to their full potential in international markets.

XE works with over 6,000 clients throughout New Zealand, and several thousand more around the world to help manage foreign exchange requirements to minimise fluctuations on margins. It would be our pleasure to advise you on how to mitigate the impact of currency on your business’ cash flow.


What should you know about SWIFT system transfers?

09-12-2021 | Xe | treasuryXL | LinkedIn |

The SWIFT network is well-known and used by banks around the world, but it may not be the best channel for you to send your money transfers through.

The Society for Worldwide InterbankFinancial Telecommunication (SWIFT) network, which was founded in Belgium in 1973, handles about half of the world’s cross-border fund transfers. As international commerce has grown, the SWIFT network has grown commensurately. It handled about 2.5 million daily transactions in 1995 and more than ten times that many in 2015.

But SWIFT is not a bank. It does not even touch the money which passes along its network. Instead, SWIFT sends payment orders to correspondent accounts at member banks. As such, SWIFT is strictly a bank-to-bank transfer service.

If you’re sending a money transfer with a bank, you’ll become acquainted with the SWIFT system. But is it the best channel to send your money through? We’re not so sure.

What does the SWIFT system mean for you and your money transfers?

  • Added fees. In order to be members and transfer through the SWIFT system, banks are charged SWIFT fees. To counter this, both the recipient and the correspondent bank usually add fees to SWIFT transfers. Somebody, either the sender or the recipient or a combination of both, must pay them.

  • Bad exchange rates. There are some hidden currency transfer costs, at least in most cases. Currency exchange rates vary in different markets and at different times. Banks routinely choose the worst possible currency exchange rate. Then, they quickly move the money to another marketplace and pocket the difference.

  • Long transfer times. As mentioned above, SWIFT completes “most” of its transactions within thirty minutes. In this case, “most” means about half. Some transactions could take several days to process. Other delays, such as large transfer amounts or first-time users, could delay the process even more.

How does the SWIFT network work?

Today, SWIFT connects about 10,000 financial institutions in about 200 countries. That sounds sweeping and impressive. But most of its transfers go through fewer than two hundred banks, brokers, clearinghouses, and corporations.

Furthermore, SWIFT is the industry standard for linguistics and code, even for non-SWIFT institutions like Xe. SWIFT works with various international organizations to set content and format standards for messages and transactions. In other words, the network infrastructure usually handles codes as opposed to account numbers and other sensitive information. That’s one reason SWIFT is so secure.

Another reason the network is secure is that its three data centers in the United States, Switzerland, and the Netherlands communicate with each other via subterranean or submerged cables. These communications channels are difficult to hack.

SWIFT upgraded its network infrastructure in 2001 and again in 2008. Not coincidentally, 2008 was also the year international funds transfer prices went up significantly. As part of the upgrade, SWIFT required all member institutions to replace their bilateral key exchange encryption hardware with a Relationship Management Application. Member banks gladly passed these costs along to consumers.

How secure is the SWIFT system?

2008 was a long time ago in technological terms. The smartphone you had back then, assuming you had one, probably looked like one of those World War I field telephones compared to the one you have now. Yet 2008 was also the last time SWIFT did any major security upgrades.

The network paid the price in April 2016. Hackers used malware to steal about $81 million from the central bank in Bangladesh. The malware intercepted the supposedly unbreakable SWIFT codes and also covered the hacker’s tracks. Perhaps most disturbingly, SWIFT admitted that these thieves, or ones similarly equipped, had tried this before.

A few months later, an Ecuadorian bank sued Wells Fargo after the latter allegedly honored a $12 million fraudulent transfer. Hackers obtained canceled transaction requests, altered the amounts, and submitted them.

Questions continue about the network’s security. Some banks claimed they have lost money to hackers in much the same way. These allegations are under investigation.

Can you make money transfers without using the SWIFT system?

Yes, you can! Many banks and providers utilize the SWIFT system to send their money transfers due to its security, efficiency, and well-established reputation, but some providers instead opt to use other channels (or even create their own channels) to send money transfers.

Do you want an example of one such provider? Well, now that you mention it…

Sending money with Xe

SWIFT might be the largest international funds transfer platform in the world. But in terms of security, efficiency, privacy, and a few other areas, it falls short.

So, if you need a reliable and affordable way to send money overseas to family or friends, give Xe a try. We send money through our own money transfer channels, which means that we aren’t on the hook for additional SWIFT system fees and delays—and neither are you.

But don’t worry: our channels are still completely secure. We adhere to regulatory standards in every country that we do business in, with bank-grade security measures to ensure that your money and information are completely safe


Does Your Business Need Protection from FX Uncertainty?

| 02-12-2021 | Xe | treasuryXL | LinkedIn |

Don’t have a bank account? Want to have cash on you? In those cases, cash pickup could be the money transfer method for you.

One of the most interesting aspects of what the XE Business Solutions team does is having relationships across a broad range of industries. It helps our team curate unique insights into the various pressures and financial models being used by all the businesses we work with. The relationships our foreign exchange sales consultants build fine-tune their understanding of regional business sentiment and common international best practices.

There are many viewpoints on how to treat fast-moving FX rates. Some simply hope that the market will self-correct over time. Others make best-effort forecasts to try to understand all possible currency value directions of currency prices. From our vantage point, we see that businesses which are exposed to significant risks are more likely to achieve their objectives by employing a hedging program.

Foreign Exchange Volatility is a Universal Business Challenge

Big brands are just as susceptible to market movements as any other business segment. Currency volatility can impact profit margins if not managed correctly. Earnings reports are replete with warnings to shareholders pertaining to the value of assets and cash flows being affected by unmanaged or unexpected shifts in values of currency.

Looking deeper into hedging behaviours, enterprise-level businesses have a tendency to employ rich hedging programs and while it is by no means necessary to emulate their level of complexity; certainly the point regarding ‘best practices’ is clear.

Here are some insights on how the ‘big guys’ see ForEx risks across the globe as a result of their survey of corporations (Deloitte 2016 Global FX Survey and IMP Exchange Rate Risk Measurement and Management working paper: Issues and Approaches for Firms):

The top three reported ‘Primary hedging objectives’ were defined as:

  1. Reducing income statement volatility

  2.  Protecting cash flows

  3.  Protecting consolidated earnings

In terms of strategy, the breakdown of risk management strategies is as follows:

  • 8% of those surveyed employ a static or annual hedging programme (buying once a year)

  • 31% use a rolling hedge but a flat amount (buying monthly, quarterly etc)

  • 28% actively hedge using a rolling hedge strategy increasing over time to seek to average rates

  • 33% use ad hoc or hedging by situation

The survey found that global corporate hedging strategies consist of these approaches:

  • Hedging using a financial instrument like a forward contract or option – 89%

  • Naturally hedging through balancing buying and selling in the same currency (some or all of the exposure) – 58%

  • Passing costs to suppliers or customers – 28%

  • No FX risk management practices at all – 2%

These breakdowns further:

  • Using a FX forward or Non-deliverable forward – 92%

  • Using FX Options – 30%

  • Using specifically FX Option collars – 15%

It is always interesting to get a look into the strategies employed by others and particularly the way that large, professional companies approach managing a key part of their risk program.

The key takeaway is that almost all of the companies Deloitte surveyed are hedging using some kind of financial tool specifically designed to provide consistency and protect cash flows.

Probably a much higher percentage than many would think are using Options products and rolling hedges over on a regular basis as part of a specific policy that guides them in virtually any market condition. Some real food for thought there….

Currency Market Analysis

Here is today’s market recap:

GBPEUR – The Pound maintained its position yesterday and this morning against the Euro as many traders await details on what steps Members of Parliament will take when it opens next week. Labour has indicated they will seek and emergency debate on Brexit next week but no information regarding a no-confidence vote is yet available.

GBPUSD – The pound is expected to come under pressure in general as the suspension of parliament is seen as increasing the chances of a no-deal Brexit. With this in mind, it appears likely that we could test and break the 1.2060/1.2015 level downwards, which likely will open up losses against the Dollar of some significant ground.

EURUSD – While the trading calm remains in the pair, there is a chance hard economic data will begin to outweigh hard sentiment from the ECB. Germany reported a decline of 2.2% in Retail Sales in July (on top of a downward revision). Consumption is largely propping up the German economy and this is slowing as well. A potential risk for euro weakness exists.

Please contact us for more info about your international payments or log in.

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Please Note: The information, materials, accompanying literature and documentation available on our internet site is for information purposes only and is not intended as a solicitation for funds or a recommendation to trade. XE, its officers, employees and representatives accept no liability whatsoever for any loss or damages suffered through any act or omission taken as a result of reading or interpreting any of the above information.

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Figuring Out your Company’s FX Requirements

| 25-11-2021| treasuryXL | XE | LinkedIn

There is no crystal ball that can accurately tell you the future of where a currency will trade in the short, medium or long-term.

 

When looking to partner with an FX provider, your first priority should be to evaluate the payments your business has made previously in order to get a better idea of the FX products and services that will best fit your business’ needs. And, when selecting a provider, make sure they understand your industry and the jurisdictions you are making payments to.

1. Frequency

How often are you making (or will you make) international payments? Making overseas payments costs more per transaction. The more payments you make, the more critical it is to get the cost per transaction right.

2. Amounts

The amounts you transfer affects the overall cost. Smaller amounts will have a higher margin added, therefore it’s worth determining whether you can bundle your payments to sharpen the margin you attract.

3. Timing

With exchange rates constantly fluctuating, the timing of your payments will have an impact on your overall profitability. If you do business in areas where currency valuations are highly volatile, an FX provider which can effectively advise you about the risks and opportunities of short or long-term foreign exchange contracts is ideal.

4. Industry

Each industry is different when it comes to the three factors above. Therefore, selecting a provider that understands your industry can make a big difference, as they’ll often be able to suggest the best foreign exchange service offering for your type of business.

Your business is as unique as you are. Don’t settle for generic money transfer services which treat your business as a number on a spreadsheet.

5. Geography

Finally, when selecting an FX provider, make sure they understand any regional nuances particular to the jurisdictions you are sending your money to – this will ensure your payments go through smoothly, and in a timely manner.

Taking the time to understand these five factors is the first step in taking control of your business’s FX requirements and will put you in good stead when selecting the right FX provider for your business.

Ready to learn more?

Download our essential FX Guide for Aussie and Kiwi businesses.


Simplify your global business payments

18-11-2021| treasuryXL | XE | LinkedIn

 

Whether your business needs to process 3 or 150 international payments a month, learn how you can make payments to 220+ countries within your own business applications, and benefit from:

• Faster automated payment processes
• Savings using bank-beating exchange rates
• More accurate reporting by eliminating manual errors
• Secure transactions by validating payment data before it’s sent
• Transparency by receive tracking and reporting of each payment to its destination
• Flexibility to send to multiple currencies in a single file upload

Xe enables you to achieve everything a third-party payment provider has to offer, directly from your own business applications.

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5 reasons why integrating Xe Global Business Payments into your own business applications will help power your business:

1. Improve your Financial Reporting
Xe Global Payments within your own business platform allows you to automatically reconcile foreign currency exchange rates directly at time of transaction. This means no more duplication or transferal of data from one application to another. Greater accuracy means greater transparency and visibility on your financial reporting, enabling you to make more confident business decisions.

2. Protect supply chain relationships and staff in overseas offices
If you are paying suppliers overseas, you want to ensure that your supply chain is protected, that you have full visibility on expenses so that your customer base is not impacted by any delays or rise in cost. And if you need to pay staff overseas you want to ensure they receive the right amount, on time, every time. By using Xe Global Business Payments within your own platform, any errors with bank account details are immediately highlighted, giving you time to rectify any costly mistakes.

3. Stop paying more than you should
Xe’s preferential exchange rates typically save you typically more money than if you used your bank for your business global payments. When you streamline your payment processes using Xe Global Business Payments in your own application, you are saving time on every overseas payment. That means you can save both time and money.

4. Improve speed and accuracy of high-volume, time-sensitive payments
It’s so important to have strict data verification and validation processes. We verify payments before they’re sent, so we can quickly flag any unsuccessful payments. For example, our system has a table of rules for each of the different payout currencies we offer. If you uploaded a payment to Brazil without a bank CLABE number, it would tell you it’s missing. Sending certain currencies can be extremely problematic, so we take out the guess work and make sure payments get where they need to go.

5. Get the right specialist support
A solution can only be as good as the support it offers. At Xe, we understand the daily challenges global Finance functions face. Our support team establishes a good rapport with clients and get to grips with the practical and technical elements of resolving problems quickly and efficiently. Our experts are available around the clock, to resolve issues no matter where clients are located or what time zone they’re in.

By using Xe Global Payments within your Microsoft Dynamics 365 or Sage Intacct applications, you can streamline your international payments process, and benefit from quality customer service and support from Xe’s front and back-end operations.

 

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