Risk ManagementTechnology
September 16, 2021

Financial Risk Reporting: A Spectrum of Committees and Dashboards

Chatham Financial and members of NeuGroup for Life Sciences Treasurers discuss varying ways to report on risk.One size does not fit all when it comes to how, why and when treasury teams at multinationals interact with financial risk committees of the board of directors—assuming a corporate has a financial risk committee. A fair number don’t. That subject and the risk management dashboards treasurers need, want and use to report to financial risk committees, audit committees and the CFO were part…
FXRisk ManagementTalking Shop
September 9, 2021

Talking Shop: Measuring Counterparty Exposure on Outstanding Trades

Editor’s note: NeuGroup’s online communities provide members a forum to pose questions and give answers. Talking Shop shares valuable insights from these exchanges, anonymously. Send us your responses: [email protected]. Member question: “For companies that trade derivatives on a non-collateralized basis, how do you measure your exposure to counterparties on outstanding trades (e.g., impact from one standard deviation movement?) and how is this factored into your overall counterparty risk assessment? “We are currently looking to move away from collateral postings on our…
ESGRisk Management
July 22, 2021

Hot Topic: How and When Corporates Respond to Climate Change Risks

Willis Towers Watson offers insights on how companies should assess the financial and economic risks of rising temperatures. At a recent NeuGroup virtual interactive session, Willis Towers Watson’s Climate and Resilience Hub experts, led by Irem Yerdelen, detailed the long-term risks of ignoring the causes of climate change and other environmental threats, and members discussed what steps, if any, treasurers can take to incorporate this risk into their ESG and risk management strategies. “There is an extraordinary depth and breadth…
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…
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…
FXRegionalRisk Management
July 1, 2021

The Option to Use Options: Hedging FX Risk in Emerging Markets

FX risk managers rely on flexibility at a multinational that wants to participate in beneficial currency moves. The ability to use options is essential for an FX risk manager at one NeuGroup member whose company wants to participate in favorable currency moves when hedging exposures in emerging markets. He described the company’s approach at a spring meeting sponsored by HSBC. The bank cited research showing that “the incentive to hedge EM risk has increased over the past 10 years” and “bouts…
CryptoRisk Management
July 1, 2021

In Creeps Crypto

While most companies aren’t directly involved in crypto yet, members expect questions and are looking for answers. In a twist providing insight into an increasingly important issue, assistant treasurers at a recent NeuGroup meeting pointed to a discussion about cryptocurrencies as one of their takeaways while saying digital currencies have not yet had an impact on their treasury departments.   Members of NeuGroup for Large-Cap Assistant Treasurers agreed that corporate higher-ups would almost certainly inquire soon about digital currencies and assets—one…
Capital MarketsRisk Management
June 17, 2021

How to Float the Interest Rate Boat When Fixed Rates Are So Low

Treasury teams making the case for floating-rate debt see commercial paper as a flexible tool to gain exposure. One of corporate treasury’s perennial challenges is determining the best ratio of fixed- to floating-rate debt, and that conundrum has been heightened by factors including record low interest rates and the significant debt companies took on last year. An assistant treasurer in a recent NeuGroup Assistant Treasurers’ Leadership Group (ATLG) meeting noted that efficient-frontier analysis suggests companies should hold a minimum 30% to…
ESGRisk Management
June 10, 2021

Want to Add Value? Get Creative

An internal auditor explains how he’s been able to not only provide assurance but also add value in other ways.Even before the onset of the pandemic, the scope of just about all corporate functions was widening. New regulations, new technology and new cultural trends (read: reputational potholes) all tended to have people doing more with less. That’s why creatively sharing the load can work best and where one function, internal audit, has found it can add extra value. This was…
FXRegionalRisk Management
June 10, 2021

Rescue Mission: Saving Trapped Cash in Depreciating Currency Markets

For projects in volatile economies, creative thinking from treasury could be critical.Profit is not a profit until it’s back in the US. That reality for many multinationals formed the backdrop at a recent NeuGroup meeting for treasurers of large-cap companies where members shared their approaches on how to react when a country’s economic environment takes a problematic turn. Emerging market nations including Argentina, Turkey and Brazil dominated the conversation, as their currencies carry risk of intense devaluation, exacerbating regulatory rules that can trap…