FXTechnology
March 30, 2023

Fed Up With Fees but Finding Few Options to Bloomberg Terminal

Members express frustration with Bloomberg’s data licensing fees and some explore alternatives. The cost of paying Bloomberg’s data fees on top of what the company charges for a Terminal subscription sparked complaints and conversation at a recent meeting of NeuGroup for Foreign Exchange 2. The prices present a dilemma for treasury teams that don’t use the high-end tool on a daily basis but haven’t found alternatives they really like. One member said her treasury team only logs on to Bloomberg Anywhere three times…
FXTechnology
March 16, 2023

Advancing Analytics: FX is Embracing AI and ML

Rising pressure to protect earnings from currency volatility is prompting FX risk managers to pursue more advanced analytics.Sixty-nine percent: That’s the percentage of participants in a recent NeuGroup for Foreign Exchange monthly session who are already using or are exploring the adoption of advanced analytics solutions. Their reasons include improving the quality of the FX exposure forecast, conducting scenario planning and having a more refined capability to measure hedge program performance in terms of volume, effectiveness and cost. A sweeping trend. The pursuit…
Technology
March 9, 2023

Making the Leap: SAP Treasury Solutions That Run on S/4HANA

PwC insights on corporates using SAP treasury tools and S/4HANA to ease automation and data analytics. Implementing S/4HANA, the SAP ERP, and using SAP’s growing number of treasury modules is one way to accelerate treasury’s digital transformation—a route being taken by some multinationals that are deciding to forgo the use of a traditional treasury management system (TMS). PwC consultants discussed the benefits of this approach at recent NeuGroup meetings, including one that focused on the role of cloud-based ERPs and…
RegionalTechnology
March 2, 2023

How Finance Creates Better Partnerships With Business in Asia

Lessons from finance leaders at NeuGroup meetings in Singapore highlight success factors for business partner roles.By Joseph NeuHow to navigate finance-business partner roles and related activities in Asia—where they really matter—emerged as an underlying theme at NeuGroup meetings in Singapore last week. Here are a few of my takeaways from lively discussions with finance leaders ranging from regional treasurers to CFOs. Translator applications. “We are a translator for global corporate strategy and business conditions in each of the regional markets,” explained…
Technology
February 16, 2023

Touched Less, Not Touchless: Bringing Automation to Life

Finding key parts of processes to automate can make automation more achievable than end-to-end automation. AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Google’s Bard may conjure up a limitless future of so-called touchless, automated processes that require no human intervention. But for corporates limited by the budgets and sizes of IT teams, end-to-end process automation is often an unrealistic goal. So some NeuGroup members are embracing “touched less” solutions—adopting a mindset that can go a long way toward making automation more achievable.…
TechnologyThe NeuGroup Insights Interview
February 9, 2023

Funding Growth-Tech During a Downturn: A Tech Banker’s Insights

Bank of the West’s Andreas Bubenzer-Paim on markets, ChatGPT and bankers helping tech firms weather recessions. The collapse of the IPO market in 2022 is just one factor weighing on growth-tech firms that need financing as they prepare for a possible economic downturn while watching many mega-cap tech companies eliminate jobs. That’s the backdrop for this timely Strategic Finance Lab podcast conversation with Andreas Bubenzer-Paim, managing director and head of technology banking at Bank of the West. You can listen to it…
Capital MarketsTechnologyThe NeuGroup Insights Interview
February 2, 2023

Tech in the Spotlight: The Outlook for Financing Growth in 2023

Capital markets insights from Bank of the West Head of Technology Banking Andreas Bubenzer-Paim. If you only read the headlines, you might think that every technology company in the world is cutting jobs. But Andreas Bubenzer-Paim, Managing Director and Head of Technology Banking at Bank of the West, knows that layoffs by giants like Alphabet, Microsoft, IBM and other mega-caps are only part of a tech sector landscape which includes thousands of smaller, high-growth tech firms—many still private—that are actively hiring, not…
TechnologyTreasury Management
January 26, 2023

Turbocharging Treasury Automation

Treasurers predict a sixfold surge in the adoption of AI-enabled analytics tools. Cash forecasts are notoriously unreliable, primarily because of limited visibility into current and forward-looking data. However, in a year when liquidity is going to come at a premium, treasury must develop a clearer understanding of where cash is today, and how much more is coming down the pipeline. Cognizant of this need, treasurers responding to NeuGroup’s 2023 Finance & Treasury Agenda Survey ranked improving analytics and modeling capabilities…
FP&ATechnologyThe NeuGroup Insights Interview
January 26, 2023

ChatGPT, AI and the Future of Finance: An FP&A Leader’s Vision

Baxter International FP&A head Aaron Bloomer shares insights on how FP&A can lead finance into the digital future. The buzz surrounding the OpenAI tool ChatGPT has highlighted the power of artificial intelligence and the potential for AI to bring the future of finance forward—in ways that will further disrupt and transform finance organizations. That’s the jumping-off point for a lively Strategic Finance Lab podcast conversation between NeuGroup’s Justin Jones and Baxter International vice president of FP&A Aaron Bloomer about AI, advanced analytics and the leading role finance…
FXTechnology
January 12, 2023

Seeing Is Believing: Micron Collaborates With Procurement To Cut Costs

Treasury at Micron is partnering with the procurement team to mitigate financial risk from supplier contracts. The US dollar and commodity price strength have provided treasury an opportunity to demonstrate its capability to accurately mitigate a company’s financial risk exposure. They have also increased awareness about the consequences of commodity and FX fluctuations at the business-unit level. Micron Technology, a semiconductor company with global operations and heavy manufacturing in APAC, is US-dollar functional across its enterprise. Therefore, procuring tools and…