Best Practice Handbooks

The Middle East is a complex and increasingly innovative region. Although some countries exhibit similarities and a level of co-ordination, particularly those that make up the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), it would be a mistake to treat the region as one country. Each one has specific characteristics and challenges associated with different economic and regulatory environments.

This Best Practice Handbook is designed to bring investors fully up-to-date with money market funds – both in terms of the market for the product and the market environment in which the product is operating. It is essential reading for anyone investing in these funds, which are facing many challenges.

This Handbook also provides a useful brief on the practicalities of using money funds and highlights the efficiencies that they should continue to offer in the daily management of corporate liquidity.

“The risks surrounding the economic outlook for the euro area continue to be on the downside,” says the August 2012 bulletin from The European Central Bank (ECB). “They relate, in particular, to the tensions in several euro area financial markets and their potential spill-over to the euro area real economy. Downside risks also relate to possible renewed increases in energy prices over the medium term.” As if this weren’t enough to contend with, the ECB has also cut its 2013 growth forecast for the single currency area from 1% to 0.6%.

Risk is inherent to business. That is the nature of the beast. But risk is not just a threat, it’s also an opportunity. In this Handbook we explore the different ways of managing risk to the company’s advantage.

In 2008, the outlook was certainly bleak. In 2011, things seem to be going from bad to worse. Governments were at least able to step in and rescue their country’s banks in the wake of the Lehman collapse. Today, it is both Eurozone banks and governments that need support and there is a distinct lack of co-ordinated effort in doing so.

So where does this leave the treasurer? In this unsponsored special supplement, we tackle the core challenges that the Eurozone crisis presents: will Eurozone leaders make an unprecedented leap towards fiscal union or will the single currency begin to fragment? Moreover, what safety measures should treasurers pursue to avoid the brunt of any fallout?

This revamped Handbook is designed to provide corporate treasurers with a detailed insight into the cash management issues that companies face when operating in the Nordic and Baltic regions.

Since China’s accession to the World Trade Organisation in 2001, the country’s banking industry has become increasingly sophisticated and open.

As a result of China's evolving banking landscape, multinational companies have found it easier to set up efficient bank relationships in the country and China has become a popular international business location. Large corporates are establishing regional headquarters and treasury centres on the China mainland, as opposed to offshore locations that were previously deemed more business-friendly.

As a direct result of the financial crisis, working capital management and supply chain improvement have become top treasury priorities. While corporates look for efficiency gains to free up working capital, FSCM is helping companies to achieve value throughout their supply chains.

This handbook is a comprehensive update of our 2006 report providing current information on issues affecting the nations and the Central European region as a whole. In this handbook we look at the individual countries and the region as a whole, considering the banking and payments landscape and the cash management options open to corporates.

Launched in January 2008, SEPA heralds an ambitious migration to new euro-wide payment instruments and infrastructures. The gradual roll-out of the SEPA Credit Transfer Scheme and the SEPA Cards Framework and the scheduled launch of the SEPA Direct Debit Scheme by November 2009, bring the European Commission’s vision for the single market several steps closer to realisation.