Cash & Working CapitalRegional
April 7, 2022

High Hopes for a High-Tech Platform to Revolutionize Nordic Payments

Treasury teams frustrated by complexity in cross-border payments see reason for optimism as the ‘P27’ clearinghouse moves ahead.Nordic countries are on the cutting edge of digitizing their economies by embracing new technologies and creating near-cashless societies. But until recently, they had ignored the myriad legacy technologies supporting cross-border payments systems that NeuGroup members say are needlessly complex. Sending money from one nation to another requires jumping through too many hoops, with each country using its own currency and payment infrastructure. Now,…
Investment ManagementRegional
March 31, 2022

Amid Turmoil, Keeping Steady With Portfolio Investment Strategies

Few corporate investment managers plan to make meaningful changes to their cash investment strategies, despite an unexpectedly hawkish Fed and continued war in Ukraine. A just-completed NeuGroup survey sponsored by Clearwater Analytics, Going Out the Curve: Benchmarking Investment Strategies, reveals most corporate investment managers have made no significant changes to their portfolios in response to recent market shocks. As the chart below shows, only 7% of respondents say they are making significant changes. Some, though, are going further out on the…
BankingRegional
March 31, 2022

New Territory: An Expert’s Take on ‘Unprecedented’ Russia Sanctions

Attorney Adam M. Smith, a former senior advisor to the director of OFAC, shares insights and perspective on sanctions.Editor’s Note: NeuGroup is running weekly special sessions on the Russian-Ukrainian crisis. Senior executive advisor Paul Dalle Molle, a former banker with extensive European experience, leads the discussions.By Paul Dalle MolleAt this week’s NeuGroup Russia session, members heard insights on sanctions and the road ahead from Adam M. Smith, a partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s Washington, D.C. office, who is a leading…
BankingRegional
March 24, 2022

Russia Sanctions and Exits: Devil’s in the Details

Members discuss bank guarantees, clients that are in no hurry to pay and good news on intercompany funding—at least for now.Editor’s Note: NeuGroup is running weekly special sessions on the Russian-Ukrainian crisis. Senior executive advisor Paul Dalle Molle, a former banker with extensive European experience, leads the discussions.By Paul Dalle MolleThe war in Ukraine is now, sadly, one month old. With this milestone we also note an evolution of the concerns of NeuGroup members. They have more clarity on their…
BankingCash & Working CapitalRegional
March 17, 2022

Liquidity and Payments in Focus as Sanctions Deadlines Loom 

Top concerns remain paying salaries to staff and ensuring local businesses have enough liquidity to meet their obligations.   Editor’s Note: NeuGroup is running weekly special sessions on the Russian-Ukrainian crisis. Senior executive advisor Paul Dalle Molle, a former banker with extensive European experience, leads the discussions. By Paul Dalle Molle Thousands of international companies have been weighing their options since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. These range from full and immediate pullouts to doing business as usual—and many nuanced positions in between. Even corporates…
BankingRegional
March 10, 2022

Russia Crisis: Finance Navigates Complexity, Fluidity, Unknowns

Paying staff in Russia as companies exit and complying with complex sanctions increase pressure on finance leaders. Editor’s note: NeuGroup is running weekly special sessions on the Russian-Ukrainian crisis to help members navigate the financial consequences of the war. NeuGroup senior executive advisor Paul Dalle Molle, a former banker with extensive European experience, leads the discussions, and we asked him to share his latest insights and takeaways.  By Paul Dalle Molle At this stage of the crisis, there are still,…
BankingRegional
March 3, 2022

Russia Sanctions and Counter-sanctions: Treasury Prepares for the Unknown

NeuGroup’s Feb. 28 emergency session on the implications of Russian bank sanctions helped treasurers share challenges and learn from others’ real-time responses.The crisis in Europe has the potential to wreak havoc on global payments systems, and the stakes are high. Many multinational companies have Russian operations and relationships with local banks (for payroll at least) that may be on the sanctions list. These corporates are therefore sitting on potentially trapped cash. Others own stakes in Russian companies; we saw BP…
BankingRegional
February 3, 2022

Russia Sanctions Strategy: Corporates Prepare for Disruptions

Members at a special NeuGroup session discuss banks, dividends, SWIFT payments and more amid Russia-Ukraine tensions.Cross-border payments with SWIFT, relationships with local and foreign banks and repatriating funds are among the key focal points of corporate treasury teams planning for possible US and EU sanctions if Russia attacks Ukraine. That takeaway surfaced Wednesday at a NeuGroup session on contingency planning attended by more than 80 members—a packed virtual house that shows the significance of the situation for corporates with business…
ESGRegionalTechnology
November 17, 2021

A Closer Look at China’s Approach to Tech Through an ‘S’ in ESG Lens

An expert on China shares how tech firms should prepare to navigate the Chinese government’s recent pivot.By Joseph NeuSome Western observers are quick to see a Chinese Communist Party crackdown on technology companies as a reaction to the rising power of tech giants. But you can also view it through a social lens that aligns with the equity and inclusion goals of many global corporations. Seen this way, it may be more of a China-specific approach to a global trend…
RegionalTreasury Management
October 18, 2021

Payoffs From ‘Preaching the Gospel of Global Treasury Operations’

Partnering with global business services (GBS) helped one treasury team boost cash visibility and achieve consistency.Companies expanding globally have often left regional affiliates with their own treasury back offices to support the local business, resulting in fragmentation of the treasury function and costly inefficiencies. That takes time away from corporate treasury that could be spent addressing more strategic issues.   “Preaching the gospel of global treasury operations,” the assistant treasurer (AT) of one NeuGroup member company said, required convincing local…