Banking

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…

Banking Capital Markets Libor 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…

Banking Technology

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…

Accounting & Disclosure Banking

July 30, 2020

On Track: Banks Adopting CECL Not Derailed by COVID-19

Regulators have allowed banks to delay implementing CECL, but most are well on the way to adopting the standard. Banks have been given extra time to implement the FASB’s CECL standard, but most are continuing their push to adopt the measure. The CARES act passed by the US Senate back in March offered banks the option to pause implementation until either the end of the year or the end of the COVID-19 national emergency, whichever came first. According to meeting material…

July 23, 2020

Scoring With Single Sign-On and Bank Portal Rationalization

One member’s winning use of single sign-on to access bank portals through Wallstreet Suite impresses peers. A NeuGroup member’s success at implementing single sign-on (SSO) to provide access to bank portals through the company’s treasury management system (TMS) made a splash at the spring virtual meeting of the Global Cash and Banking Group. Of equal interest was the member’s goal of taking away “as much bank portal access as possible” from employees, some of whom only need to see bank statements and…

Banking Investment Management

July 21, 2020

Managing Bank Balance Sheets in a Low Yield Environment

NeuGroup BankTPG members hear ways to manage their balance sheets amid low interest rates (that may remain low a long time).The Federal Reserve announced in early June that it would keep its benchmark interest rate near zero through 2022. While this might be good for borrowers, what does it mean for lenders? And are negative rates possible?The first question has many answers, as members of NeuGroup’s Bank Treasurers’ Peer Group (BankTPG) heard at the 16th annual meeting. There were several…

Ted Howard

July 16, 2020

COVID Boosts Contactless Payments, Revealing Retailer Frustrations

Low adoption rates in the US and issues such as routing rights and interchange fees may present challenges for some retailers as contactless payment grows.It’s no big surprise that the pandemic has pushed more US shoppers to use contactless credit and debit cards as well as mobile wallets. Tapping or waving a card or phone is a cleaner, safer way to pay than swiping or inserting a card. But what stood out at a recent NeuGroup for Retail Treasury meeting was the…

July 14, 2020

Under the Hood of the Global Payments System: Complexity

How TIS helped The Adecco Group harmonize payment, reporting and bank account management processes.So, you need to make payments? Sounds simple, but once you look under the hood of the global payments apparatus—which has developed differently in different places for different currencies—you will discover separate layers of complexity. That’s according to Joerg Wiemer, co-founder and CEO of Treasury Intelligence Solutions, or TIS. Put simply, there are three different sources of complexity. The connection and integration of the ERP and the bank…

Banking COVID-19

June 16, 2020

So far, So Good: US Banking Sector Shows Strength During Pandemic

Banks are as healthy as ever, and robust investment-grade debt issuance has bolstered the industry’s profitability.The global pandemic has cratered economies and affected businesses the world over. But the US banking system remains healthy because banks are well capitalized, having adhered to rules put in place after the 2008 financial crisis. Equally important: Investment-grade debt issuance by corporates is generating bank profits. That’s some of what members of NeuGroup’s Tech20 Treasurers’ Peer Group heard at a recent meeting from a…