| 11-08-2020 | Cashforce
Cash forecasting has been essential to treasurers over recent months both with respect to systems/behaviour/data.
In this webinar we discuss the future of cash flow, together with Caroline Stockmann (ACT), Ginny Wu (Walker Shop Footwear), Gerard Tuinenburg (Unilever), James Adams (Chalhoub) and Nicolas Christiaen (Cashforce).
Watch recording:
10-08-2020| Niki van Zanten
Each field of expertise has some fundamental concepts that the decision makers tie to as general rules of thumb. For example, a purist chef might stick to a maximum of 5 ingredients on each plate, a winemaker might say only grapes and nothing else, and another winemaker might say any trick goes as long as it feels the wine.
The treasury purist might say the fundamental concept that should be applied and/or benchmarked is to get as close to a zero sum game as possible. I personally tend to agree with this concept, taking into account it’s not a pure mathematical equation. A zero sum game in Treasury would mean looking beyond one pillar of treasury (I would even recommend to look beyond the treasury scope once in a while and why not, even look beyond scope of just your company), and thereby combining the outcomes of a solution across multiple pillars and see if they balance out.
Today we will take a stab out doing that for FX and Financing. Below topics give some insights in when to apply and what to look at for:
Interest rates not only fluctuate but also have different (base) interest rates per currency/country. In general, the all in interest for financing consist of a base rate for a certain tenor and the bank spread based on perception of customers credit. At first glance it might seem interesting to look at financing in a low interest rate currency.
A few years ago many home owners in Poland used EUR mortgages to fund their homes reducing interest cost by a few percent. This of course is not a saving, even though the interest cost were lower, in return they received a FX risk on EURPLN. In case a forward (sell PLN buy EUR) would be used to eliminate the FX risk it would not only wipe out the interest benefit but also bring additional burden in terms of administration, settlements and understanding the complexity of the structure. One of the complexities of the forward is even a credit component, so the point here is, in order to really see the zero sum game picture and its leakage (spreads, out of pocket expenses etc) things can get tricky.
In most scenarios internal financing is a pass through and in principle it works the same as external with a back to back leg (albeit in a netting scenario). It does open a new array of choices. The more basic choices to put the (internal) FX risk, which tenors to use, accounting classification and perhaps even do everything back to back with a bank or take some risk on the books. In terms of currency and where to put the FX risk, the most straight forward option is to use the currency is which the predominant cash flows occur. You can also choose to centralise all your FX exposure at HQ but this could cause the accounting books to look different then the economics. In any case, with any back to back transaction in general the golden balance sheet rule should apply, ie duration and conditions internal need to match external, unless you choose to have risk on your books.
FX swaps (buy and sell currency for different value dates) are commonly referred as FX instruments, but in my view they are pure financing instruments. They can be used to hedge the FX on a loan or to adjust timing of cash flow or related hedges which are both financing related issues. When a swap is executed to spot reference on both legs is equal and therefore the pricing is pure interest based. Swaps can be a great way to fine-tune interest rates as forward prices tend to be closer to interbank then to manage through typical cash management products like loans and deposits. The trade-off can come in the form of a little extra work and basic knowledge is needed, but I would argue the same understanding is required when using a bank solution which has swap incorporated such as cross currency pools.
The FX market at first sight provides an excellent way to obtain close to interbank interest rates. Use it wisely and make sure you have a deep understanding of the situation. There are also many good reasons to choose a simple “plug and play” solution when looking at financing elements. As always, if you care about your funding and cash flow the understanding required for keeping it simple is no different than the understanding required for an outsourced (bank provided) solution. So either way, don’t do what you don’t completely understand. A chat with an expert and/or asking the right questions to your banking partners (don’t be shy to ask for the motives of the solution that is offered) will get you on the right path.
I am curious about your thoughts. Please comment…
| 04-08-2020 | by Kendra Keydeniers |
A couple of months ago, we started the ‘Meet the Expert’ interview series with experts from the treasuryXL community with different treasury expertise.
Treasury needs to deal with an increasing availability of alternative financial products, intensifying risk management requirements, regulatory and compliance constraints.
What do our experts think about this rapidly growing movements within the treasury world? What developments do they expect in the future? What opportunities do they see?
We interviewed 10 experts over the last 10 weeks and asked them about their treasury career, experiences, the future of treasury and of course how COVID19 impact treasury from their perspective.
Did you miss an interview? No worries, here is a full overview of the ‘Meet the Expert’ series:
Bertus van de Kamp
Senior Business Consultant & Cash Management Specialist
Wim Kok
International Business Consultant & Trade Finance Specialist
Aastha Tomar
FX & Derivatives | Debt Capital Markets | MBA Finance | Electrical Engineer | Sustainability
Michael Ringeling
Corporate Treasury, Corporate Control and Banking
Olivier Werlingshoff
Cash- and Treasury management
Ger van Rosmalen
Trade Finance Specialist
Francois De Witte
Owner at FDW Consult | Sr. Project Manager at Gaming1 | CFO at Safetrade Holding
Arnoud Doornbos
Interim Treasury & Finance | Consultant | FX & Interest Derivatives | Treasury Outsourcing| Risk | Fintech | TMS
Vinzenco Masile
Treasury Expert/Credit Risk Manager
Arnaud Béasse
Debt Management Specialist
A big thank you to everyone that worked with me on this series, to everyone that selflessly shared their knowledge and experience with all of us! You guys rock.
If you’ve enjoyed our series so far, don’t worry, this is just the beginning! We are looking into more perspectives to share with you later this year when we will start the second ‘Meet the Expert’ interview series.
Take care and thanks for reading,
Kendra Keydeniers
Community & Partner Manager at treasuryXL
08-07-2020 | Niki van Zanten
Let’s start by mentioning a phrase that I hear regularly and, to be honest, also use myself: ‘I am not an accountant, but…..’.
The urge to mention this phrase (usually targeted to an accountant while having an ‘I know it better’ attitude), can perhaps be traced back to the following reasons:
The first point could already result into great discussions. As companies are expected to adhere to certain accounting standards, these standards represent the objective part of these discussions. This results in real economics claiming an underdog position.
If companies have to choose between compliance on one hand and doing what works best economically on the other hand, the way to find the right balance is by training accountants about real economics. Many individuals working in treasury have an accounting background, which could be beneficial if that individual takes the economic approach and uses accounting knowledge convince business partners.
Let’s jump into some basic examples where accounting doesn’t reflect economic reality:
Entity A (EUR Functional) has a receivable of 1 Mio EUR and entity B (USD Functional) has a payable of 1.1 Mio USD. The Historic rate was 1.10 and cash flow occurred in USD. Entity A decided to book in EUR to avoid any FX reporting. The consequence is that there is indeed no FX exposure visible. However upon settlements all FX results suddenly appear.What a nasty surprise!
The best indication for FX effects in your books is obtained when the applied rates are close to the market rates. As you know there are many different sources for markets rates. The awareness of this fact is not visible in accounting.
If you do not segregate forward points in PL, you can have FX results when the currency in question does not move. That just sounds very strange to me and this also touches upon a bigger issue, namely the allocation of result on PL. In the case your FX does not land in a segregated PL line, or worse non-FX related results end in your FX PL,
this usually does not change the total PL. However this makes it extremely difficult to control FX results, as you need good exposure information as well solid controls in terms of realized results. Segregation of realized and unrealized FX is also a very helpful tool for the Risk manager.
That question should be discussed over a beer or glass of wine. Right now, I will limit myself to some pointers on how to identify whether a case could be identified as an accounting issue or economics issue. It is actually very simple and should be done by treasurers and financial controllers, before any discussion occurs on what the actual problem is.
By comparing the accounting steps for each of the proposed solutions with the trades, you can identify where market risk arises and where accounting risk. The one can see that thes are not always the same. Furthermore, it might also be a good time to call for a specialist, if the right level of comfort is not met. This way of working also fits well with the absurd requirements of hedge accounting.
Regarding this topic, ask yourself whether you really need to apply hedge accounting. From my experiences, in most cases hedge accounting is applied only for one reason; to reduce the PL volatility in between hedging and the moment of cash flow for forecasted transactions. (especially true for listed companies).Taking an economic perspective, there is no benefit in hedge accounting at such a significant cost in terms of audits and administration . Hence, determine how high the cliff is, before you dive down into hedge accounting procedures.
In a perfect world with only blue skies and where work consists of having margaritas on the beach, there are no accounting requirements (and probably also no FX to manage). In our world, the same feeling can be obtained by making sure that the accounting for FX reflects economic reality as much as possible. Thisby applying the accounting standards as a framework. Furthermore take into account what level of known discrepancies between the economic and accounting reality you are comfortable with.
*Please note hedge accounting and accounting for FX are not the same. By accounting for FX I mean the accounting entries done by non-local or group currency items. These can be invoices in different currencies or intercompany bookings. Hedge accounting is only linked to deferring derivative MTM on the balance sheet as opposed to PL immediately.
I am curious about your thoughts. Please comment…
| 29-06-2020 | Cashforce
Cash flow forecasting has been called many things in literature. Ranging from the cornerstone of a finance & treasury department to the lifeblood of any organization; it’s fair to say cash forecasting is vital to get an accurate prediction of an organization’s health. Cash forecasting, at its core, is simply identifying all the various in & outflows over a given period in order to analyze and compare those estimations with your actuals. However, in reality, it’s not that simple and a lot of challenges arise in getting an acceptable end result, especially when complexity increases i.e. multiple systems, entities, currencies, etc. Additionally, it doesn’t stop at regularly getting the right information in a timely and efficient matter. Setting sensible assumptions and providing contingencies that offer flexibility in case of unexpected events are a few quintessential things to consider. Improving your forecasting results is more than relying on hard data, but bears fruit in the synergy of art and science. Don’t know where to start, or how to fill in the blanks on further optimizing your current process? Then follow this checklist.
How would you divide the short-mid- & long-term components of the forecast, see (e.g. different per data source below:)
| 12-06-2020 | treasuryXL | Pieter de Kiewit
In these corona times I work just as hard as before. Regretfully we have fewer assignments (Treasurer Search), but as a team, we prepare for better times. Especially not traveling results in extra time in which I am finally able to structurally read Het Financieele Dagblad (the Dutch Financial Times) and contemplate what is happening and what people have to say. Inspired by a column of Matthijs Bouman I connected a number of articles. Bouman writes about “foute bedrijven” (wrong companies). People condemn Booking.com for asking for government support because they made a huge profit and bought their own shares and still ask for support. So, Bouman states, we should punish their employees. The same way we should punish companies that would not survive anyways, supermarkets that sell wrong products or aviation companies that pollute the air. I like the way he shows us how arbitrary our thinking is.
So what do you think about the following?
Is their business model legit? Or are they the proverbial lawyers that chase the ambulance? At the end of the day I make a living finding staff for companies. Also death, sickness and crisis results in searches for new treasurers and I do not lose sleep over picking up these assignments. Demand and supply, simple as that.
We constantly see how the banking industry struggles with what is good and what is right. A string of scandals over the last years led to new legislation and a lot of work in solving derivatives contracts between banks and their clients (UHK). A new support industry rose and fell. Currently a new one is being built to fight money laundering and other dubious transactions, that will be a KYC industry. Bankers already knew what is wrong and ignored the rules so new control mechanisms had to be build. The one thing I learn from this is that external legislation is not a way to improve morality of bankers. Is the solution hidden in their reward system or their upbringing?
For the opponents of tax evasion, a topic that is in the heart of business ethics, there is good news. The number of entities in The Netherlands that are founded for this purpose is quickly getting smaller. This after extensive public discussion and potential policy changes. I like to think that the powers that be started thinking about the purpose of their companies and these entities, and decided that there are better ways. And not solely money driven, but also because it is the better way. I prefer being hopeful & positive over being cynical.
Listening skills and wanting to compete in the championship of ethics are rarely combined in one person. Being sure and loud regretfully often are. I will make a reminder to follow up on this blog in five years or so.
Owner at Treasurer Search
| 26-05-2020 | Francois De Witte
On June 15th, our Expert Francois de Witte will present a Webinar in collaboration with Febelfin-Academy, regarding Treasury Management in the COVID19 Crisis. The Webinar is in Dutch
Ten gevolge van de COVID19 zijn veel ondernemingen geconfronteerd met cash & liquiditeits problemen. Hoe ga je hiermee om? Welke tools heb je ter beschikking om dit te beheren? Hoe benader je de stakeholders incluis de banken voor bijkomende kredieten.
Deze opleiding heeft als doelstelling om inzicht te geven in:
Advanced level: biedt praktijkgerichte toepassingen op de reeds verworven theoretische kennis van de “basic level” opleidingen (uitdieping).
De opleiding kan gevolgd worden door verschillende doelgroepen:
Inleiding: Belang van cash & liquidity management
Deel 1: Tools voor het beheer van cash & liquidity management van je onderneming:
Deel 2: Tips voor het verbeteren van je cash positie:
Deel 3: Onderhandeling van uitstel vervaldagen of nieuwe kredieten bij de banken:
Deel 4: Risico’s en opportuniteiten – Actieplan:
Q & A – Coaching
| 13-05-2020 | Cashforce
CashForce invites you to learn about their Quick Wins Offerings during a webinar on Tuesday, May 19th at 5pm (CEST).
In the context of the current environment, many companies are looking for ways to create visibility on Cash and Working Capital.
This is why we would like to introduce 3 Quick Wins Offerings to you:
Date: May 19, 2020
Start time: 5.00 pm CEST
| 14-04-2020 | Cashforce
We highlight the following event, held by our partner CashForce in collaboration with Citi; Webinar: How Treasury is dealing with the new normal
Only a short few weeks back Treasury professionals were operating in a relatively benign environment; managing routine funding needs, investments and supporting expected business growth.
Today, Treasury is in unchartered waters, working remotely, with a return to 2001 and 2008 levels of market uncertainty.
Join the panel of Corporate Treasury professionals (speakers to be announced) who are managing this business and market disruption at the frontline.
Together with Nicolas Christiaen (CEO – Cashforce), we’ll learn about their response and what steps could be taken now to prepare for the emerging new norm for Treasury.
Furthermore, Dr Duncan Cole (Principal – Citi Treasury Advisory Group) is joining this webinar.
Date: April 21st, 2020
Start time: 11am EDT / 5pm CET.
08-04-2020 | Treasurer Search | treasuryXL
Kim Vercoulen is recruitment consultant specialized in treasury vacancies for interim and permanent positions. As a recruitment consultant she often experience that the most qualified candidate does not get the job. In her blog below she gives 5 reasons why the ‘perfect match’ is not a matter of course… enjoy!
For starters, getting a job takes a different skill set than doing the job. I see so many jobseekers focused on their previous experience in the field, which of course also is necessary, but getting the job requires you to practise other skills you might not have used in a long time. Skills like how to interview, network and negotiate. Recognize that these are skills that need practice. In a previous article we wrote we give you tips on how to prepare. You can also find a lot of helpful interview tips on the internet.
One thing we also see is that people often give socially desirable answers in an interview. They give the answers they think the recruiter wants to hear. This gives the recruiter an unnatural impression and can hurt your credibility. In interviews the feeling you leave your conversational partner with plays a big role, you can imagine that only giving socially desirable answers does not leave them with a good feeling about the interview. They might think you are hiding your true self. That’s why it’s always better too keep your answers honest and authentic.
You can be the perfect candidate on paper but in real life not fit in with the company culture. This could feel as unfair, but for both parties (candidate and company) this is very important in order to make a long lasting match. When you don’t feel at home you will be simply less enthusiastic, less motivated, less productive and will likely end up leaving the company sooner.
Sometimes we receive feedback from our clients that they think the candidate could do the job very well, but that they did not feel that the candidate was enthusiastic about the company and the job. Do not assume that just because you applied it signals that you want the job. Make sure your verbal as well as your non-verbal communication shows how much you want to be hired. In the end we see that in most cases an employer will pick the enthusiastic though less qualified candidate over the more qualified but tepid candidate. So do not be afraid to explicitly state your enthusiasm for the job.
Our clients always ask us to introduce candidates with a salary indication to make sure this will not become a dealbreaker in the end of the process. We sometimes speak to candidates who do not know their market value and ask for a too high (or too low) salary based on the market rate. Going too low can lead to underestimation and can result in employers thinking you might not be up for the task, while aiming too high can result in not getting the job because they can’t afford you. Make sure you know your worth before starting with applying by studying vacancies and using online tools. You can always consult us too, we have a good view on the treasury market and can help you with setting a realistic salary indication.
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