The global economic downturn has focused treasurers’ minds on fundamentals. Companies have been seeking to improve liquidity within their own working capital cycles because less is available following the upheaval in the banking sector.
The more forward-looking are trying to inject liquidity into their wider supply chains, as suppliers have come under pressure.
Companies also increasingly need to manage counterparty, bank and country risk. Using technology to provide efficiency and information-sharing along supply chains has resulted in better trading relationships.
The ever-changing regulatory environment is also altering the cost and complexity of transacting business, particularly internationally. Many governments have revamped their support for exports, in a bid to underpin economic growth.
This had led to a number of innovations, for which the banks are now able to provide solutions in conjunction with organizations such as UK Export Finance. In this context, many treasurers are taking the opportunity to focus on managing working capital as efficiently as possible.
They are also looking to traditional trade techniques that offer the opportunity to both provide funding and mitigate risk. The Treasurer’s Guide to Trade Finance examines trade finance’s traditional role of facilitating transactions.
It assesses how technology is making it possible for treasurers to integrate trade and cash, providing the opportunity to unlock working capital and reduce costs. The guide also considers how traditional trade techniques can be used to support and finance activity along a supply chain.
This guide is designed to support treasurers who are new to the subject, or those wanting to take a fresh look, by showing how traditional techniques can be used in new and imaginative ways.
The ACT is delighted to work with RBS once again to produce this comprehensive guide to help the professional treasurer consolidate their influence in their organizations – in particular in the boardroom offering their skills, technical knowledge and professional discretion to shape and drive their organizations.
To ensure that tomorrow’s treasurers are capable of taking on these responsibilities, we need to support the growth of high-potential, well-rewarded, skilled and experienced treasury professionals who use their knowledge to unlock the full growth potential of their businesses.
Amongst other things, this means the ACT must continually develop its range of support products to ensure that they are up to date, in demand and deliver what our customers want.
The invaluable support of RBS in producing this book is an example of the treasury
community working together for everyone’s benefit.
