The Need for Speed
How Treasurers are Making the Most of Instant Payments Instant payments is a topic that receives plenty of coverage, often under the assumption that everyone wants and needs it. Is this really the case for treasurers, and if so how and where does it fit? TMI spoke to Louis-David Rouyer, Deputy Head of Payments and […]
Treasury First – 20 Years of the EACT
As the European Association of Corporate Treasurers (EACT) celebrates its 20th anniversary during 2022, it is an appropriate moment to reflect upon its journey from being a group of professionals largely concerned with their own national concerns, to the visionary, receptive, and respected organisation it is today. The first associations of corporate treasurers in Europe […]
Accelerating the ESG Agenda
Bank of America’s recently formed EMEA ESG Strategic Council has a number of important goals in its sights. TMI talks to the council’s leaders about how it will deliver and what it means for stakeholders. With a stated intention of becoming net zero by 2030, the long-term environmental commitments of Bank of America (BofA) are […]
Why European Companies Need a Central Bank Digital Currency
Crypto currencies are too volatile to be used as a serious payment tool. Central bank digital currencies are the solution with so much more to offer. How do they stack up against the likes of Bitcoin in the real world? Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) is ‘the next big thing’ in the global currency sector. […]
Top Treasury Technology Innovations to Watch in 2021
It’s often said that necessity is the mother of invention, but it can also be the catalyst for adopting innovations – in a rapid time frame. Nowhere was this more clearly displayed than the world of treasury technology in 2020. As has been well documented, the Covid-19 pandemic pushed treasurers towards a much more digital […]
BIS: Cyber-attacks on Financial Sector Never Been Greater
The connected nature of business today means it has never been more important for treasurers to recognise and respond to the risks impacting their partner ecosystem. In particular, given the agenda for digitalisation, understanding the ever-changing threat of cybercrime to the financial sector, and how it reacts, could become an essential early warning system for […]
Negative Interest Rates and the Implications for Money Market Funds
The conditions now facing the global economy are unprecedented. For many countries, interest rates have been close to record lows since the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis. While some central banks had already taken the plunge into negative territory, the coronavirus pandemic and its economic implications have led others to consider the idea. […]
The Dangers of Negative Interest Rates
Are negative interest rates really good for treasurers, and for the world economy in general? There are admittedly some benefits, but there are many more drawbacks. Perhaps a return to zero rates would bring the greatest overall benefit. A few years ago, the unthinkable happened: negative interest rates were introduced. Investors could no longer rely […]
Hitting the Sweet Spot: Macro Uncertainty and the Ultra-Short Solution
In the current uncertain macro environment, it is tempting for treasurers to hunker down in their short-term investment comfort zone, namely money market funds (MMFs). Nevertheless, if they are prepared to step out into an ultra-short-duration strategy, investors can potentially garner returns over and above those offered by MMFs, while remaining in a low-risk solution. […]
Money Market Fund Makeover Innovation in Short-Term Investments
The doom-mongering around money market fund regulation has now stopped. Instead, talk has moved on to low interest rates, credit quality, digital investment channels, and the rise of environmental, social and governance investment criteria. Treasurers are also exploring different short-term investment options, such as separately managed accounts, and their curiosity is being piqued by a […]
The Return of Returns: Cash is Back
Central banks across the globe have varying approaches to monetary policy, but the general direction of travel, until recently, had been the same: one of tightening. When the shape of the yield curve changes, treasurers must be prepared to respond. Jim Fuell, Head of Global Liquidity Sales, International, J.P. Morgan Asset Management, explains how treasurers […]
Repairing Treasury’s Leaky Bucket
The steady erosion of value caused by corporates stockpiling cash as interest rates remain at record lows is becoming more evident as inflation edges higher. But solutions such as dynamic discounting could staunch the flow of cash from EMEA companies. US interest rates continue to slowly and steadily edge higher, despite President Donald Trump declaring […]
Risk Homeostasis and the Hamster
“My hamster died last night … it fell asleep at the wheel.” – Anonymous Homeostasis refers to some regulating process that keeps an outcome close to a target by compensating for external disturbances; core bodily temperature is an example of being homeostatically maintained within narrow limits despite major variations in the external temperature. In essence, […]
Global Liquidity: Faster, Deeper, Greater
Liquidity management is undergoing a period of major change. Liquidity is (re)circulating more quickly, major opportunities are emerging in ‘big data’ analysis and the global economy looks set to push liquidity levels higher. Nick Powell, Global Head of Commercialisation and Ray Suvrodeep, Global Head of Deposit and Investments Product Management, Global Liquidity and Cash Management […]