Key treasury developments in Europe, with a special focus on the critical themes and innovations in Belgium and Italy.

India is beginning to reap the benefits of an ambitious national programme of digitalisation that is being actioned at breakneck speed.

In partnership with BNP Paribas India, Fortum was able to take its customer payment experience to the next level.

The country’s economy is continuing to gather pace and the longer-term outlook is positive thanks to government reforms and a relatively young population.

Krishna Sampath (BNP Paribas) reflects on the APAC region's main treasury events of 2022 before looking forward to the rest of 2023.

BNP Paribas’ Lionel Joubaud discusses how technology and ESG components are helping to ensure factoring evolves for the modern age.

The treasury team at C. H. Robinson set out to reinvent its cash and liquidity management structure within Europe. To do so, they enlisted BNP Paribas for a strategy focused on automation and process efficiencies across key European treasury activities.

Eleanor Hill recently caught up with Bruno Mellado (BNP Paribas) to look at what’s new in the payments space and the possible implications for treasurers.

From technology to ESG, the corporate treasury landscape in the Americas has a dynamism that requires all stakeholders to pay attention.

A rapidly growing portfolio of overseas entities meant consolidation of RTB House's fragmented bank account structure was essential.

Roche’s group treasury worked with BNP Paribas and the local regulator to successfully implement a first-of-its-kind cash pooling solution in the country.

The acquisition by BNP Paribas of currency management automation software provider Kantox is a progressive move for both parties.

Highlights from BNP Paribas’ European Treasury Board The key to success in the delivery of both strategic and operational treasury systems is having access to the open and honest views of stakeholders. BNP Paribas’ regular Treasury Board meetings with clients and subject matter experts takes collaboration to the next level. Here are selected highlights from...

Hampered by manual bank account processes, rapidly expanding renewable energy firm Scatec knew a digital onboarding solution would ease its pain points. Here, Lilyana Vinokurova, Treasury Manager, Scatec, and BNP Paribas’ Kristin Qvale, Head of Cash Management Norway, and Stephanie Niemi, Head of Digital Onboarding for Corporate, discuss the milestone transition. Scatec, a major renewable...

Frustrated by heavy reliance on manual work across a range of treasury and payments processes, the treasury team at Vectrus partnered with BNP Paribas and Kyriba to harness the power of automation to drive accuracy.

Six key themes that will keep treasury fully engaged throughout the second half of 2022 and beyond.

Building Treasury Relationships The merger in 2016 that formed leading global advisory, broking, and solutions company WTW cultivated an environment of constant change for the firm’s treasury. In a recent TMI podcast, Frances Cavanagh, Director, Treasury Operations, and Rivka Attal, Senior Treasury Operations Manager, explored how strong relationships have been the key to success. Sophie...

When Europe-wide retailer Kingfisher Group wanted to find a way for higher-spending customers of its Castorama and Brico Dépôt retail home-improvement outlets in France to pay for their goods, BNP Paribas responded with a unique instant Account-to-Account payments solution. Antoine Leclercq, Cash Manager, Castorama France, and Saïd Ouastani, Global Cash Management Relationship Manager, BNP Paribas,...

The Best and the Brightest of 2021 2021 was arguably one of the most innovative years on record in the world of corporate treasury, based on the standard of entries to the TMI Corporate Recognition Awards. Here, we present a brief overview of the winning projects – which cannot possibly do justice to the magnitude...

Showcasing the 2021 Award Winners The nominations for TMI’s 2021 Awards for Innovation and Excellence were not only more numerous than ever, but also pushed the boundaries of corporate treasury development further than ever before. All of the bank, technology vendor and fintech winners have created solutions that respond to real needs – present and...

Meet the Treasury4Good Champions TMI’s Treasury4Good Awards, which have rapidly become a benchmark for sustainable innovation in the industry, celebrate the best ESG and D&I initiatives among corporates, banks, and technology vendors. Read on to discover how cutting-edge companies are embracing sustainability, supporting diversity, and challenging traditional ways of doing business – to the benefit...

BNP Paribas scales new heights, winning seven TMI Awards in tandem with its clients As corporate branding goes, BNP Paribas’ trademark green could not be more appropriate – the bank is leading the pack in terms of its sustainability commitments and solutions, and is TMI’s 2021 Global Bank of the Year for ESG. Bank Awards...

With non-cash payments on the rise, a jump in e-commerce business models, and real-time payment clearance systems increasingly prevalent, innovation is thriving in the retail payments space. A recent TMI webinar explored account-to-account payments to analyse how they can help treasurers support the digital transformation of their organisation. The retail payments arena is in the...

Cybercrime and fraud are on the rise and new attack vectors are emerging with alarming frequency. Nicolas Trimbour, Head of Fraud Prevention and Chief Data Officer for Cash Management, BNP Paribas, and Laurent Sarrat, CEO at payments security fintech Sis ID, explore the latest tools and best practices for treasurers as the fightback against cybercriminals...

Treasury best practices have been both forged and accelerated during the pandemic. A recent TMI webinar explored the key themes of the latest Journeys to Treasury report, reflecting on the changing nature of treasury, the digitisation of the function, and how the ecosystem of treasurers, banks and service providers can best work together. The Journeys...

When Germany-headquartered international automotive supplier Webasto Group decided to acquire its long-standing Korean joint venture partner Donghee, some major changes were needed within the local finance function. International banking partner BNP Paribas helped deliver a globally standardised, efficient, and secure cash management operation. Sometimes in business it makes perfect sense to bring a close partner...

Developments such as instant payments, digital currencies, and enriched data services are poised to shake up treasury management. In a recent podcast, TMI spoke to three experts to understand how, by working together, corporates and financial institutions are set to usher in new value-added services that benefit all parties. But treasurers are warned, don’t try...

With SWIFT gpi bringing transparency and speed to the world of instant payments, it is pertinent to examine the difference in take-up between European and Asian banks. Also important is understanding what this level of ‘instantaneity’ means for the future of corporate treasury management. Instant payments are a new reality in many countries and their...

Co-creation as a Source of Practical Innovation Treasurers are rightly wary of hype around innovation and new technologies, particularly ‘solutions looking for problems’. Co-creation between corporates and banks can help to avoid this pitfall by enabling treasurers to address real pain points with their banking partners. Pierre Fersztand, Global Head of Cash Management, Trade &...

TMI Corporate Recognition Award Winners 2020 In one of the toughest years for treasury in the past decade, treasury teams stepped up their innovation projects and rolled out digital best practices at speed. Here, we celebrate their successes. What a year 2020 was. As much as the financial crisis of 2007/8 had provided some insight...

BNP Paribas Pushes New Treasury Boundaries BEST BANK FOR CASH & LIQUIDITY MANAGEMENT Europe BEST BANK FOR TRADE & FSCM Global Bank of the Year TREASURY4GOOD AWARDS Global Bank of the Year for Sustainable Finance With multiple awards under its belt from TMI’s 2020 season, BNP Paribas is clearly on a winning streak. Here’s a...

Treasury4Good Awards 2020 Despite the global pandemic, sustainability and diversity and inclusion (D&I) have remained key areas of engagement for corporate treasurers and their relationship banks. Here, we celebrate those organisations putting environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues at the heart of the corporate treasury function. Now in their second year, TMI’s Treasury4Good Awards recognise...

When none of the different parties of an international payment transaction knows where a payment is in transit, fixing any delays is a challenge. L’Oréal, with support from BNP Paribas has created a simple solution that shines a light on every payment-related move, for all involved.  With L’Oréal Group executing international transfers on behalf of...

With innovative partnerships across the globe, Christophe Beuvard, Treasurer, Naval Group, knew that having full transparency over outgoing payments was vital for maintaining excellent supplier relationships. By working with BNP Paribas to implement SWIFT gpi for corporates and rolling out the bank’s new Pay and Trace capability, Naval Group can now self-track cross-border payments in...

By adopting an innovative physical cash pooling solution Aspen Pharmacare, in partnership with BNP Paribas, has unleashed a host of improvements – from interest cost savings to simplifying the reconciliations process. Here’s how the teams achieved this joint project, which is a first of its kind in South Africa. Cash remains king, and as with...

Establishing a dedicated treasury function from the ground up requires a great deal of hard work, strategic thinking and, in the case of Fareva, vital connectivity links to be built in a short space of time. Here, Thomas Papier, Fareva’s Group Treasurer, explains how he teamed up with BNP Paribas to put in place the...

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has created a host of unprecedented challenges for almost every aspect of the treasury function. Nevertheless, working in conjunction with their bank(s), treasurers can armour their teams against many of the challenges. Cash forecasting is becoming increasingly important. Before the pandemic struck, many companies had sufficient cash available, forecasting was often...

By Dennie Servranckx, Senior Product Manager Receivables, BNP Paribas SEPA Direct Debit (SDD) is relied upon by many businesses for a predictable, inexpensive and easy means of receivables while offering an unmatched level of control. The instrument allows the collecting entity to determine the collection date, amount, reconciliation references and frequency and is therefore used...

The Covid-19 pandemic has already provided rich pickings for fraudsters and cybercriminals who are becoming increasingly active and unscrupulous. The company is the first line of defence against fraud and it is vital to educate employees about what to look out for and how to avoid being duped – something that is all too easy...

In such a rapidly evolving business environment, treasurers must ensure that they are not only meeting the needs of their organisations today but also preparing for the future. This involves questioning the status quo and upgrading everything from systems to treasury talent. Although many treasurers’ minds will currently be occupied by the fallout from the...

Treasurers are making huge efforts to embrace digitisation, but they cannot do it alone. As such, they are turning to their relationship banks for smart solutions which provide maximum efficiency, with minimum commotion. In turn, banks are leveraging fintech collaborations and client co-creation sessions to deliver cutting-edge offerings. But is this enough to enable true...

While many aspects of trade finance have remained unchanged for centuries, at the start of a new decade a variety of drivers are offering the tantalising possibility of redefining the sector. Eleanor Hill, Editor, recently caught up with Jean-François Denis, Global Head of Trade Solutions and Network Management at BNP Paribas, to explore the changes...

Many discussions around treasury technology focus on the leading-edge developments made by a handful of highly sophisticated treasury functions. Meanwhile, the majority of treasury departments are struggling just to achieve the basics. Could co-creation between banks and corporates offer a simpler path to embracing digital treasury innovation? Visibility and control remain key for treasurers looking...

Digital disruption was one of the key drivers of treasury innovation in 2019.  As this year’s Award winners demonstrate, banks, technology vendors and fintechs have leveraged digital innovation to move the corporate treasury profession forward – delivering excellence by helping treasurers to become more efficient, operate in real-time, and contribute to the wider business in...

For the treasury community, one of the hallmarks of 2019 was the growing collaboration between fintechs and banks. Nowhere is this more evident than in the partnership that Kantox and BNP Paribas have forged, helping treasurers to improve their foreign exchange (FX) risk management processes by leveraging sophisticated technology, while strengthening their bank relationship. This...

By Eleanor Hill, Editor Year-on-year, the standard of entries to TMI’s Corporate Recognition Awards increases, taking the corporate treasury profession to new heights. The following overview of projects undertaken by corporates over the last 12 months provides a mere flavour of the innovation happening in the industry and we congratulate all our winners wholeheartedly! Best...

As the C-suite continues to seek to understand the potential impact of foreign exchange (FX) volatility on earnings, executives are increasingly looking to the treasurer to limit the negative effects of FX risk on the business. How, then, can treasurers revamp their hedging approaches in 2020 to help meet these goals and add value to...

When treasury at DAB Group in Italy needed to refresh its cash management structure, it turned to Banca Nazionale del Lavoro (BNL), part of BNP Paribas Group, to provide much-needed visibility and control. Here, Francesca Salmazza, Accounting Shared Services Officer – Treasury/Fixed Assets at DAB Pumps is joined by Fabrizio Conti, Cash Management Solution Sales...

In the real-time era, treasury is well positioned to influence a company’s payment and collection strategies, including evaluating the costs, risks and opportunities of accepting different payment methods, potentially helping to drive new, competitive business models. About Journeys to Treasury 2019 marks the fourth edition of the Journeys to Treasury report – authored by BNP Paribas,...

The ‘Journeys to Treasury’ report has become a landmark piece of research among the corporate treasury community – and the 2019/2020 edition is no different. According to the latest study, the treasury of the future will be almost unrecognisable: core treasury skills and requirements will evolve dramatically, driven by the combination of data and technology...

Despite huge advances in technology, treasurers are still grappling with fundamental issues in their everyday workflows. Buzzwords alone are not enough to solve challenges such as painful account opening processes or the growing risk of payments fraud. This is why BNP Paribas is co-creating with its corporate clients to leverage the latest treasury technologies to...

To support annual growth of more than 20%, Zee Entertainment Enterprises (ZEE) needed a treasury function that was automated, efficient, and future-proofed. Here, Rohit Kumar Gupta, CFO, ZEE and Rupa Balsekar, Managing Director & Head Transaction Banking, BNP Paribas India, explain how a bespoke end-to-end cash management solution provided by the bank has transformed ZEE’s...

In an increasingly accountable business environment, corporates are looking for new ways to support their suppliers to adhere to sustainable and ethical standards. Alongside creative supply chain finance (SCF) solutions, treasurers are analysing how emerging technologies can assist them in making their supply chains more sustainable – in every sense. Ignoring sustainability is no longer...

A diverse conglomerate, with more than 30 operating business units across the GCC, Almoayyed International Group (AIG) is constantly exploring avenues to improve finance and treasury processes through digitisation and automation. Here, Ajay Jain, CFO, AIG, outlines the transformation journey the group has been on with the help of BNP Paribas – and explains how...

These are heady days for the trade finance industry. An area of business that has gone largely unchanged for centuries, new technologies and market participants are now altering the face of trade finance – posing fresh challenges but also opening up a range of opportunities for corporates. Eleanor Hill, Editor, TMI, speaks with Bruno Francois,...

With the aim of being as efficient as possible in its reconciliations, Panini was looking to achieve the same level of detailed information on cross-border collections as it was able to achieve on domestic collections. To help deliver this, Fabrizio Masinelli, Group Treasurer, Panini S.p.A and President of the Italian Association of Corporate Treasurers, turned...

Technologies such as artificial intelligence have the potential to make it easier for treasurers to gain visibility and control over their cash. But simply investing in these technologies is not enough to achieve working capital efficiencies – treasurers must deploy them in combination with human skills, while reviewing and upgrading existing processes. In many ways,...

Specialising in providing pedestrian and vehicle access automation systems, FAAC Group has operations and customers all over the world. As a result of this global footprint and legacy banking arrangements, the group’s cash management landscape was fragmented. Here, Francesca Benassi and Ezechiele Galloni, FAAC Group’s Treasurer and CFO and Laura Milani, Liquidity Management Marketing Director,...

Building a European treasury hub from scratch is no mean feat – especially when you are aiming to take efficiency gains to a whole new level. Here, Christian Fraisl, Head of Accounting, VAT & Treasury and Regional Compliance & Ethics Officer, Aspen Healthcare, and Bhairav Mehta, Head of Cash Management, BNP Paribas, South Africa, explain...

Spanish-based hotel group, NH Hotel Group, was operating a manual, decentralised treasury structure, which was hampering cash visibility and control. Here, Luis Martínez Jurado, SVP Financing & Treasury, NH Hotel Group and Máximo Sanz, Senior Cash Management Executive, BNP Paribas, explain how they collaborated to deliver an impressive digital transformation for the group, resulting in...

In October 2017, Honeywell International announced its intention to spin off its Homes product portfolio and ADI global distribution business, as well as its Transportation Systems business, Turbo, into two standalone, publicly-traded companies. Here, members of the Honeywell treasury team and representatives from their banking partner, BNP Paribas, share their experiences of tackling these two spin-offs...

At its core, SWIFT gpi is all about speed, efficiency and transparency – but its success rests on support and collaboration too. Early adopters are shaping the way forward for this fundamental change to cross-border payments and co-creation is now the order of the day, as banks and corporates team up to help build a...

In this Executive Interview, Bruno Mellado, Head of International Payments and Collections, BNP Paribas Cash Management, shares his views on some of the most exciting developments in the payments space today, whilst explaining how new technologies can work in harmony with existing infrastructures to drive innovation.  The cross-border payments landscape has evolved significantly over the...

Treasury departments today, in any corporation, are constantly striving to improve payment processes and procedures. By automating their payment processes to ensure timely and accurate delivery of payments is achieved, banks and their corporate clients can significantly improve the management of cash and the integrity of cash and payment reporting. Today banks and treasury departments...

Every year in the TMI Awards has marked a step change in the number and quality of award nominations, and 2017 was no exception, with some well-known banks and technology vendors, but some less familiar names too. This year Citi and HSBC won a clutch of awards in the bank categories. Citi was recognised for...

The end of 2017 marks a bittersweet time for me. These are my final Awards as Editor of TMI, but looking back over the past 12 years since I started with TMI, the Corporate Recognition awards have grown from a handful of awards in 2006 as a supplement to the bank and technology awards, to...

Centralisation has been a key theme in corporate treasury for some years, with many corporations successfully operating regional centres to support particular geographies. Increasingly, however, we see a trend towards centralisation by currency. Corporate treasurers have created account structures to centralise critical balances by currency in the ‘home market’ for that currency. The benefits apply to...