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JLR drives best practice in FX management to support Chinese exports

Published: Sep 2025
Treasury Today Adam Smith Awards 2025

Best Foreign Exchange Solution

Highly Commended Winner

Jaguar Land Rover

Photo of Aimee Newton and Jonathon Knuppel, Jaguar Land Rover.

Jonathon Knuppel

Assistant Treasurer
Jaguar Land Rover logo

UK
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is a luxury automotive manufacturer, generating c.£29bn of revenues in the 12 months to 31st March 2025, operating globally across emerging and developed markets.

The challenge

JLR is a truly international business with substantial exposures to FX, raw materials and interest rates where volatility can impact the company’s financial performance. JLR’s treasury team runs sophisticated strategies and tools to effectively and efficiently manage financial risks related to FX, raw materials, interest rates and liquidity among others.

Treasury at JLR has a dynamic and proactive approach to risk management solutions and is able to consider and implement new ideas within its strategy to manage ongoing challenges to generate opportunities in line with the group’s constant improvement mindset.

JLR’s treasury team centrally manage the global markets exposures from their treasury centre in the Midlands in the UK from where the team continually consider different solutions and liaise with their internal management team to discuss, propose and implement new and dynamic ideas. The team typically consider new ideas by back testing proposed strategies, considering alternative approaches/processes and the regulatory environment as well as any hedge accounting impact before finally implementing favourable strategies within their risk management framework. These factors are all particularly pertinent in the group’s latest innovation.

The solution

In a strategy to support JLR’s operations in China, treasury utilised the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) Circular 159 for JLR using the onshore rate of Chinese RMB to book foreign exchange transactions. Trading under the PBOC159 regulatory framework enables JLR to use the onshore RMB rate because it is a company that sells luxury vehicles in China.

Typically, there can be a meaningful favourable difference between the onshore RMB rate (CNY) and the offshore RMB rate (CNH). This means JLR, as an exporter to China from the UK, can utilise the onshore rate and can often execute at more favourable terms adding value on its RMB denominated FX transactions.

JLR have started to make meaningful savings utilising this structure. In the 12 months to 31st March 2025, JLR generated revenue of c.£5.1bn in China. This shows how a small differential in FX rates under PBOC159 can have a significant benefit for JLR, potentially saving more than £1m annually.

Hogan Lovells, HSBC and Deutsche Bank were partners in supporting this initiative.

Best practice and innovation

Active dialogue – JLR have active dialogue with key external partners (auditors, banks and lawyers) to continually consider new ideas and expand the scope of existing solutions, implementing a risk management approach to markets which demonstrates a thorough understanding of the solutions available.

Constructive discussions – the company engages in a healthy intellectual debate with its key internal and external stakeholders, ahead of presenting proposals internally and if successful implementing the solutions within the treasury mandate.

Inquisitive approach – always asking how can they do this better? How to achieve more out of the risk solution processes? Who can get this done? It is this inquisitive approach that ensures JLR keeps one step ahead of the curve and sets the highest standard amongst its peers in the automotive industry.

Constant improvement mentality – JLR has considered several risk management solutions including selling options to support FX spot transaction flow. With this solution, now the PBOC159 framework is established, JLR is putting in place infrastructure and processes to access onshore CNY for its RMB hedging requirements.

Knowledge sharing – JLR has had open discussions with several corporates in the luxury segment that export to China who are also considering taking advantage of the PBOC solution.

Key benefits

  • Cost savings.

  • Return on investment.

  • Risk mitigated.

  • Future-proof solution.

  • Exceptional implementation (budget/time).

  • Improved key performance indicator (KPI) metrics.

“This solution is impactful because it allows JLR to access the most favourable FX rates applicable to its substantial Renminbi income exposure ensuring the business can enhance and optimise value; in excess of £1m per annum,” says Jonathon Knuppel, Assistant Treasurer.

Adam Smith Awards sail

The Adam Smith Awards are the industry benchmark for best practice and innovation in corporate treasury. The 2025 awards attracted 454 nominations. To find out more please visit treasurytoday.com/adam-smith-awards

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