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Business Briefing
The shifting focus of global commerce and a changing and variable regulatory environment are driving businesses to look much closer at their liquidity and risk management processes. While many multinational organisations are currently flush with cash, they are concerned with optimising future sources of liquidity. This is forcing companies to focus on improving their approaches to be able to make use of internal funds, while optimising and controlling the deployment of excess cash. Given these dynamics, the distributed regional and currency specific liquidity structures are no longer in favour.
Be the first to comment | May 2013
No one can deny that the last five years have significantly changed the profile of the corporate treasury department and its key personnel. Indeed, much has been written about the expanding responsibilities of the corporate treasurer, and their elevated status in the eyes of the C-suite. But how can the treasurer leverage this increased exposure to drive value throughout the business, and in the process add interesting new dimensions to their role?
Be the first to comment | November 2012
Multiple collection types, format inconsistency, and a lack of intelligible remittance data. These are all familiar challenges in the field of receivables management. But by eliminating paper, leveraging SEPA and automating reconciliation, corporates can streamline their receivables process, and wave goodbye to these unnecessary headaches.
Be the first to comment | October 2012
Whether your company has recently made international acquisitions which entail procedural and technological challenges, or has legacy inefficiencies, it is never too late to look at wholesale reengineering of the treasury function. In this Business Briefing we follow the journey of Live Nation, the world’s largest entertainment company, to consolidate its numerous bank accounts and relationships, while electronifying and centralising its treasury operation.
Be the first to comment | August 2012
Times are tough, as we have clearly seen over the past few years. ‘Black swan’ events are not infrequent anymore. Five years ago, who could have imagined sovereigns nearly going bankrupt and the Eurozone on the verge of collapsing? In this Business Briefing, we assess the different possible Eurozone break-up scenarios and their effect on the financial world. In particular, we highlight the considerations that corporates would need to take to survive in times of stress.
Be the first to comment | June 2012
Ten years ago, establishing a corporate treasury hub in Africa would have been a relatively unusual move for a Western multinational. But just as Asia has seen an influx of treasury functions and personnel, Africa is slowly but surely becoming an attractive proposition for the corporate treasurer. In this Business Briefing, we look at the evolution of cash management in the African landscape over the last decade. We also look at the importance of building the right bank relationships in the region.
Be the first to comment | April 2012
With the internationalisation of the renminbi a hot topic among treasurers across the globe, China is receiving even more attention than ever from companies in Europe looking to grow their business in the country. Similarly, companies in China are looking to become more international by expanding their customer base into Western markets. As we discover in this Business Briefing, RBS has launched a new China Desk in London to help such companies achieve these aims.
Be the first to comment | April 2012
At the height of the credit crisis, many corporate treasury departments went into survival mode. As such, their key investment priorities became the preservation of capital and ensuring sufficient liquidity to meet business needs. Now that money markets are beginning to stabilise, and with short-term interest rates remaining close to zero, many corporations are starting to explore ways in which they can improve the return on their surplus cash. But what are the implications of aiming for higher yield and how can corporates accurately assess the risks and rewards?
Be the first to comment | March 2012
Getting the most out of the company’s cash while maintaining liquidity is challenging at the best of times; when the markets are volatile or slow-moving, the task becomes even more demanding. In this Business Briefing, we ask whether it is time to reassess your cash strategy and outline the true cost of doing nothing in an inflationary environment. We also look at the benefits of approaches such as term layering and examine the associated accounting considerations.
Be the first to comment | November 2011
The global financial crisis has resulted in a spate of new and proposed regulation impacting money market funds (MMFs) both directly and indirectly. In this Business Briefing we examine the likely impact of both the new and proposed regulation and what this means for corporate treasury departments as regular investors in MMFs.
Be the first to comment | October 2011