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Antony Michels

Libor SOFRThe NeuGroup Insights Interview
August 6, 2021

ARRC Chair Wipf on the Libor Transition Marathon: ‘We Have Passed the Wall. We Hope We’re on the Downhill.’

Part one of a video interview by NeuGroup founder and CEO Joseph Neu with Tom Wipf, chair of the Alternative Reference Rates Committee, on what the ARRC and he have learned about Libor and what lies ahead as market participants switch to SOFR. The transition away from Libor got a major boost in late July after the ARRC announced the recommendation of CME Group’s forward-looking Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) term rates, following the completion of a key change in…
Antony Michels
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ESGRisk Management
July 22, 2021

Reading the Tale of the Tape on Energy Transition

Economist Ed Hirs shared his perspective on the energy transition with NeuGroup Oil & Gas treasurers.By Joseph Neu“There is nothing you can do to fight the tape,” University of Houston Energy Fellow and Zero Carbon Cycle LLC co-founder Ed Hirs said recently. Energy transition is here, with more than 75% of the public now wanting to reduce carbon emissions, he noted. But the tape, or market trend, also points to the need for energy to support economic and population growth—in developing markets…
Antony Michels
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BankingCapital MarketsFX
July 22, 2021

Ripple Effects: Gauging Inflation’s Impact on US Rates and Economy

Despite increasing inflation, interest rates should remain low until late 2023, UMB bank tells assistant treasurers. Economic growth turned negative at the start of the pandemic but is rebounding strongly as the United States advances through what some call the Great Rotation—major changes that Eric Kelley, executive VP and director of research and fixed income for UMB Bank, said should result in a strong reopening over the next 12 to 24 months. UMB Bank is a large regional bank serving mainly…
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Risk ManagementTalking Shop
July 22, 2021

Talking Shop: Interviewing Management to Uncover Risks

Member question: “Has anyone, recently or in the past, conducted broad wide-scale open-ended (i.e., not scripted Q&A) risk interviews of top management and leaders as the primary means to collect risk-identification inputs? “I am looking to share thoughts and experiences regarding the effectiveness, as well as methods to summarize, quantify and present the key findings.“I have interviewed board members, executive staff, management VPs+, totaling in the range of 75-100 one-on-one discussions. I am seeking recommendations on the process.” Peer answer…
Antony Michels
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TechnologyTreasury Management
August 18, 2020

Paying Employees On Demand Brings Both Benefits and Risks to Corporates

The gig economy and the pandemic are boosting interest in pay solutions that may present legal and regulatory issues.The pandemic and the gig economy are prompting traditional employers to explore their options for so-called on-demand pay services that put money in the hands of workers when they need it most. US Bank laid out the benefits and potential complications for corporates of some of these solutions at a recent meeting of the NeuGroup for Retail Treasury. Some basic background: Today’s…
Antony Michels
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BankingCash & Working CapitalTechnology
August 18, 2020

Turning to Kyriba for Payments Helped One Treasury Centralize Operations

The benefits of using one TMS for treasury payments and retiring a homebuilt infrastructure. One member of NeuGroup’s Global Cash and Banking Group recently shared the benefits of using Kyriba as a payment factory that handles about 85% of his company’s treasury payments. The advantages boil down to saving time while improving controls, oversight, visibility and efficiency, he said.Ultimate goal. The treasury director said his company used Kyriba as a tool to achieve the primary goal of centralizing treasury operations…
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Cash & Working CapitalTechnology
August 13, 2020

DIY: Improved Cash Forecasting and Visibility With In-house Tools

A cash awareness culture results in better forecasting of future flows to support growth.Young tech companies thriving in the latter stages of a multi-year economic expansion when many investors had lots of cash to deploy can be forgiven for not always demonstrating disciplined cash preservation. “We are cash rich and our culture is not sensitive to cash,” as one member put it during a discussion of cash positioning and forecasting at a recent meeting of the Tech20 High Growth Edition.But…
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BankingCapital MarketsLibor SOFR
August 13, 2020

Life After Libor: Ameribor Holding Its Own as Regulators Back SOFR

Banks already price commercial loans over Ameribor and a term version is in the works. Ameribor, the benchmark alternative interest rate to Libor devised by the American Financial Exchange (AFX), is managing to stay in the conversation despite the endorsement by the Federal Reserve of the secured overnight financing rate (SOFR). Ameribor reflects the unsecured borrowing costs of more than 1,100 American lenders. This week, Citizens Financial Group, one of the nation’s 20 biggest banks, with assets of $177 billion, joined…
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FXTechnology
August 13, 2020

Automating FX Trades: How Heavy a Lift?

Key takeaways from 360T from a NeuGroup Virtual Interactive Session Earlier this summer, technology provider 360T discussed some of the benefits of automating FX trades at a Virtual Interactive Session for NeuGroup members called “Demystifying Automated Trading Across the Trade Lifecycle.” Following are some takeaways as distilled by 360T about the technology lift involved in automating workflows and trade execution. Although some of the treasurers expressed optimism that automated trading solutions could help improve their FX workflow and execution, there was…
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BankingTechnology
August 11, 2020

Virtual Accounts Help Treasury and Accounting Bridge Multiple ERPs 

The advantages of using virtual accounts for accounting and reconciliation across ERPs.A member at a recent NeuGroup meeting described his company’s pilot initiatives with its primary transaction banks in Europe to roll out virtual accounts (VAs). Treasury is doing the projects in partnership with accounting which are aimed at reducing the all-in cost of account reconciliation, cash application and account maintenance (estmated by the member at about $4,000 per account) while also improving liquidity access and management. Tangible benefits. The…
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