Digital Transformation in Treasury
Old Dogs, New Tricks
If there is one thing that those close to the payments industry know, it is that the industry is constantly evolving. We see payments getting faster and more convenient. With that said, the one thing merchants rarely see, as a part of all this growth and innovation, is shrinking cost. Payments, particularly card payments, just seem to be growing more expensive. While it is true that some portions of card acceptance, such as the fees paid to an acquirer, may be getting slimmer and more competitive, merchants still foot the bill for the most expensive component – interchange.
Top Seven Tips for Better Bank Fee Negotiations
How do you know you are getting the best rates for the fees you are paying to your banks? You could compare what you have paid in the past or what you pay to other banks. However, are those truly accurate benchmarks? Each banking relationship varies with the multitude of services provided by each bank. The rates you pay in fees could vary just as much as the number of services you use at each bank. Utilize the below tips for smooth bank fee negotiations.
How to Survive the RFP Process
We have discussed the stages of your banking relationships and tips for a successful RFP but what does an effective RFP process look like? There are steps in the process every company should progress through for a successful RFP process. Below we detail those steps along with a few insider tips from Redbridge experts who have worked through countless RFPs with our clients.
Maximize the Value of Your Bank Relationship by Decoding Your Account Analysis Statements
There are two sides to the account analysis dilemma; establishing the baseline and regular auditing. To adequately solve for the bank fee problem you must do both.
The Challenges of Obtaining and Understanding International Bank Fee Statements
Analyzing international bank fee statements requires in-depth knowledge of international banking structures, accessibility and visibility into local bank fees, and copious amounts of time and resources. Many treasurers do not make it past the first step of obtaining their international bank fee statements in useable formats to then progress to understanding their fees across multiple countries.
Do Not Let RFPs Give You The Blues
Now that you have determined which stage in the relationship you are in with your bank, it is time to evaluate the strength of the relationship. Banking relationships are based on performance, risk, and profitability KPIs. These relationships come down to two main objectives: fairness and accountability. For something to be truly fair, there should be transparency on all sides. Transparency and accountability are the foundation of a long-standing relationship.
Borrowing base: a unique opportunity
Mihai Andreoiu, Senior Director at Redbridge, is a big fan of borrowing base structures as a superior form of financing for commodity players. Here are the reasons why he certainly hopes to see more such deals coming to market.
Planning For the Unexpected By Optimizing Your Credit Profile
The importance of having an optimal credit profile may seem obvious but also like a daunting task. You may not know when you will need access to credit but having an optimal credit profile at all times allows you to access credit when it is needed, even unexpectedly, according to a Forbes.com article.
Using Technology to Gain a Competitive Advantage
Analytics is helping banks and corporations gain a competitive advantage by delivering actionable insights as well as an effective solution for addressing issues like safety and compliance. The corporate world can use the same technologies and strategies to address the challenge of bank account management (BAM).
Interchange Fee Factors Merchants Can Influence
For businesses nowadays, accepting payment cards is non-negotiable. The process of a payment card transaction seems simple; a customer swipes, dips, or taps their card, receives approval, and easy as that, they are on their way with their newly purchased products or services. However, behind the scenes of this seemingly simple process, several participants are working to complete the transaction. Participants can include the cardholder, the merchant, payment card networks, issuing banks, and card acquirers, each of which can include a fee for their participation in the transaction. For corporations, who can see thousands or millions of transactions daily, the fees can quickly add up.
Are You Married to Your Bank?
Is the relationship you have with your bank really that different from your personal relationships?
No truce for the reduction of card interchange fees
In November 2018, the Visa and Mastercard networks offered to reduce inter-regional multilateral interchange fees (MIFs) in Europe by at least 40% in response to the European Commission’s competition concerns. These fees apply to payments made in the European Economic Area (EEA) with consumer debit or credit cards issued outside the EEA. An example of such a payment would be an American tourist using a Visa or Mastercard card to pay for a restaurant bill in Belgium.
“KYC4Corporates will help companies connected to SWIFT to reduce their compliance costs” – Marc Delbaere, SWIFT
The SWIFT network is set to extend its KYC solution, which is currently used by 5,000 banks for correspondent banking activities, to companies. It aims to offer the 2,000 companies connected to the network a structured information exchange solution – one that is already used by partner banks for customer verification processes – by the end of 2019. Interview with Marc Delbaere, SWIFT’s Head of Corporates & Trade.
Technological solutions are making it increasingly easy to monitor and optimize WCR
Many treasury software vendors strive to offer reliable and efficient modules to anticipate cash inflows and outflows. In addition to Treasury Management System tools, stand-alone solutions for managing and optimizing WCR are being developed. These niche solutions are designed to improve the management of the purchasing cycle (P2P) or sales cycle (O2C). Overview.
Trading firms and banks: who’s afraid of whom?
Commodity traders have a mutual interest in improving the overall risk perception of their sector and its practices. It is also important to understand what’s driving the banks’ lending decisions, says Mihai Andreoiu, Senior Director at Redbridge.