All Posts By

Justin Jones

BankingRegionalTalking Shop
April 29, 2021

Talking Shop: Use a Non-Canadian Bank for Cash Management in Canada?

Editor’s note: NeuGroup brings members together to answer questions and help each other in a variety of forums, including online communities—one of many benefits of membership. Talking Shop shares valuable insights from these members-only exchanges, anonymously. Send us your responses: [email protected]. Member question: “Has anyone successfully used a non-Canadian bank for its primary cash management bank in Canada? If so, who? If not, why, and which Canadian bank are you using? “Our understanding is we need to have a Canadian bank,…
Justin Jones
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BankingCapital Markets
April 27, 2021

Deal Defense: Building a United Front When Debt Underwriters Grouse

The weeks and days leading up to the sale of a company’s debt can be nonstop crazy. Then there’s the bank group. After weeks of extremely busy days, late-night phone calls and early morning meetings, you’re just days away from a multibillion-dollar debt issuance. The phones are ringing and one (or more) of the calls is from a co-lead bank, still complaining about its share of the deal. After you manage to get off the phone, they call your boss…
Justin Jones
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Cash & Working CapitalFX
April 22, 2021

Improvements in Forecasting Open Doors for Hedge Changes

A move from a current-year to a rolling forecast allows one risk manager to fine-tune the cash flow hedging program.A new CFO can mean a little change—or a lot. In the case of one NeuGroup member who manages FX risk, the new CFO drove an initiative to ensure budget forecasts would have a longer horizon and be available earlier. Over the course of two years, this has enabled an evolution from a program that only hedged a year out from…
Justin Jones
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Cash & Working CapitalTechnology
April 22, 2021

Overcoming Resistance: Integrating Data in Cash Flow Forecasting

Treasurers at mid-cap corporates looking to use large-scale data analysis to enhance cash flow forecasting are finding colleagues hesitant.The advantages of using sophisticated data analysis in cash flow forecasting are clear to a growing number of treasurers intent on improving accuracy and eliminating human error. But implementing and executing a data-driven approach often requires collaboration with teams outside treasury, such as AR and credit collections—and some NeuGroup members are meeting resistance. Solid support from leadership and showing the benefits of…
Justin Jones
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Capital MarketsESG
April 22, 2021

A Virtuous Cycle Including Treasury Bolsters Sustainability Efforts

Building a framework sets the stage for green bonds—an umbrella to systematize initiatives. Increased scrutiny of corporate sustainability efforts by investors and other stakeholders has made it essential for companies to place ESG initiatives into a clear framework.   Building the framework to coordinate decisions and address investor inquiries more effectively requires communication among key parts of the company, with treasury playing a critical role.These were among the takeaways from a recent meeting of NeuGroup for Capital Markets sponsored by Wells Fargo…
Justin Jones
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Accounting & DisclosureTalking Shop
April 22, 2021

Talking Shop: SOX Entity-Level Control for Shared Service Centers?

Editor’s note: The NeuGroup Process brings members together to solve problems and answer each other’s questions in a variety of forums, including online communities for specific groups—one of many benefits of membership. Talking Shop shares valuable insights from these members-only exchanges, anonymously. We welcome your responses—and any questions you want answered: [email protected]. Member question: “Does your company have a finance/accounting shared service center? “If yes, do you have a SOX entity-level control (ELC) related to monitoring the shared services center activities, e.g., error rates,…
Justin Jones
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BankingCash & Working Capital
April 20, 2021

Treasury’s Eternal Question: What is the Right Level of Liquidity?

Wells Fargo’s risk-adjusted liquidity ratio offers insights on how corporates view liquidity during recessions.Setting a target for a company’s ideal liquidity level is never easy. Corporates use a variety of metrics and liquidity ratios to get it right. But what happens when events like the global financial crisis or the pandemic push the economy into recession and force corporates to go into crisis mode? In theory, given that most companies revenues and expenses drop somewhat during a recession, they should…
Justin Jones
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NeugroupNeuGroup News
April 15, 2021

COIN of the Realm: NeuGroup’s Cryptocurrency Education Campaign

The huge hype surrounding the Coinbase IPO this week is just another sign that finance teams trying to stay ahead of the curve can only benefit by boning up on Bitcoin and the rapidly moving world of cryptocurrency. NeuGroup is committed to helping members learn from those in the know. This week—before the IPO—Allison Rossi, treasury lead at the digital payments company Square, explained the decision-making process and logistics involved in the company’s $220 million investment in bitcoin, made in…
Justin Jones
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ComplianceFXNeugroupRisk Management
April 15, 2021

Adding Complexity to Hedging: An Adventure in Entity Restructuring

An FX risk manager faces hedging and forecasting challenges amid changes made in response to BEPS regulations. It’s no surprise that the 15-point action plan announced by the OECD in 2015 to address base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) would create various headaches for finance teams at multinational corporations. But a member presentation at a recent meeting of NeuGroup FX risk managers provided a fuller picture of some specific challenges facing companies as they comply with the new regulations.At issue for…
Justin Jones
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NeugroupRisk ManagementTechnology
April 15, 2021

‘Heat Maps Must Die’: Out With the Old ERM Tools, in With the New

Critics say traditional tools are inadequate for illustrating risk; one ERM member has found success modernizing them.Pity the poor risk heat map. This well-worn tool, traditionally used by ERM teams to provide a visual representation of the range of risks a corporate faces, is now an object of scorn for some risk managers, including NeuGroup members. “Heat maps must die,” one member said at a recent NeuGroup meeting for ERM heads, a sentiment echoed by a number of his peers.Also…
Justin Jones
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