• Are commercial cards on your agenda?
    (They should be)

    The US market has been employing card programmes commercially for some time now but an increasing number of corporates in Europe are beginning to follow suit, with the implementation of SEPA and the Payment Services Directive (PSD) allowing harmonisation of payment systems across the European market. Greater visibility of cash, improved risk management and increased control over purchasing are only some of the many incentives driving card programmes to the fore.

  • Too small to fail: a brave new world

     

    In the world of foreign exchange trading, the average small to medium-sized company gets a raw deal. They are routinely overcharged and haven’t the resources or know-how that allows the big companies to dabble in some of the more exotic derivative instruments.

  • Conflict of interest destroys ratings’ value

    “The management and board of Moody’s are squarely responsible for the poor quality of previous Moody’s opinions that ushered in the financial crisis” – so says a former senior analyst at the agency, William J. Harrington…

  • Buyer beware: does collateralised commercial paper have a future?

    Who’s afraid of structured finance? A new institutional cash investment structure has recently come out - one that analysts say has a promising future…

  • Safe haven currencies are risky business for treasury

    In a period of rising commodity prices, the strength of the Swiss franc might at first be seen as beneficial to corporates operating in Switzerland. Exporters are suffering, though, and the rapid nature of the currency’s climb has a serious impact on treasury operations…

  • US debt row: what does 2nd August hold in store for treasurers?

    Treasurers might need to rethink their investment policies if the worst happens on August 2nd and a US debt crisis…

  • Why working capital KPIs aren’t cutting it

    Keeping tabs on key treasury KPIs used to be a relatively straight-forward business. Three metrics – days sales outstanding (DSO), days payables outstanding (DPO) and days inventory outstanding (DIO) – were thought to provide treasurers with an accurate measure of their working capital efficiency. Adopting such metrics was also seen as a critical step on the way to achieving the Holy Grail: best practice in cash flow - both in the management and forecasting disciplines.

  • Supply chain finance: a corporate saviour?

    Small suppliers in crisis hit economies and liquidity-rich large buyers are coming together like never before. Innovative and careful use of...

  • Unintended consequences of Basel III could hit corporates hard

    A lack of coherent implementation internationally and the over-enthusiasm of zealous regulators could mean the Basel III rules do more harm than good – driving up corporate costs and removing…

  • Markets go Caracas

    It’s often considered poor form to profit on the back of another’s misfortune, but the markets have no such scruples. Rumours that Venezuela’s firebrand President, Hugo Chavez, had expired earlier this week prompted a rally in the profile of the country’s sovereign debt...