Treasury Strategy & Transformation
Published  3 MIN READ
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Blending Heritage and Innovation

by Roemer Paquay, Head, Cash & Liquidity Management Sales, ABN AMRO

Almost exactly five years have elapsed since the global financial crisis struck, during which time cash management has changed unrecognisably. Or has it? Over the past three years since the creation of the new ABN AMRO, we have had the privilege of building a new cash and liquidity management business and international network to meet the needs of our multinational customer base. Some things, the regulatory environment and the new SEPA landscape for example, have changed immeasurably. Some things have not: the need for good customer service, a constant focus on driving ever-higher levels of customer satisfaction, and large corporations’ requirement for innovative, tailor-made solutions.

Many of the products and solutions that treasurers need to manage their day-to-day business appear to be largely commoditised, particularly in Europe as SEPA payment instruments replace legacy domestic instruments. A bank has to deliver reliable, secure transaction processing, but beyond this, it needs to understand the concerns, frustrations and aspirations of its customers and deliver solutions and services that make day-to-day operations easier and support the company’s strategic vision. This is fundamental to achieving customer satisfaction. As a result of our constant emphasis on raising standards, ABN AMRO has been independently ranked as being a top bank in Europe for customer satisfaction amongst large corporates.

Maintaining customer satisfaction involves maintaining trusted relationships during good and bad times, especially in times of change. SEPA migration is a major undertaking for every company and we have been proactive and pragmatic in enabling customers to achieve SEPA compliance and leverage the benefits of a harmonised payments environment in Europe. For example, ABN AMRO was the first bank in the Netherlands to support large corporates with substantial SEPA Direct Debit (SDD) volumes.

Many companies have reviewed their banking partners ahead of SEPA migration to rationalise banks and simplify cash management structures. During this review process, companies of all sizes have recognised the value of strong, local banking relationships combined with the international reach to meet their cross-border cash management needs. Corporations continue to appoint ABN AMRO for a variety of reasons, but our ability to deliver tailor-made solutions to their cash management and trade finance challenges is a major factor. From trusted escrow to ISO-certified electronic banking systems to advanced cross-currency cash pooling, we build on the pioneering culture that has been an integral part of our history for the past 300 years to find creative solutions to customer challenges.