By Geri Westphal
The AFP 2015 Annual Conference reveals that cybercrime and investment challenges will linger well into 2016.
Cybercrime and investment challenges were two of the major themes at this year’s Association of Financial Professionals conference in Denver.
The annual conference’s title, “Solutions for a More Complex World,” was apt, as treasurers indeed face increasing complexities. And to cover the issues, the conference boasted 140-plus sessions with eight tracks ranging from treasury management to FP&A to career development. The exhibit floor included more than 200 companies spanning all areas of treasury and finance.
Cyber and then some
The sessions presented at the 2015 conference touched on many of the same topics seen as top priorities of recent NeuGroup Network treasurer-level surveys, with cybersecurity and regulatory impacts on cash investments as two examples.
Cybersecurity has become a top priority for all companies. One threat that appears to be growing involves third parties acting as legitimate banking or corporate representatives to request inappropriate bank transfers from internal treasury staff. In other words, fraudsters are phishing by going directly to treasurers.
Taking this into consideration and hearing from the speakers at a session titled, “Cybercrime: Financial Leaders Fight a Common Enemy,” it was shared that companies, not financial institutions are responsible for wire transfers originated by their authorized representatives or with the use of authorized credentials, even if they are tricked into giving the funds transfer instruction to fraudsters.
This responsibility puts the onus squarely on corporates or perhaps more accurately, smack in the center of what treasury is responsible for on a day-to-day basis. Cyber criminals are getting more meticulous and more inventive in their efforts to impersonate an authorized representative; therefore, it is becoming increasingly harder to determine the authenticity of some requests.
In a similar vein and as a result of the changing landscape and the increased complexity of recent cyber-attacks, 91 percent of The NeuGroup Network respondents in a recent survey said they are implementing new company-wide training programs to alert employees about how to be more aware of potential risks. Corporate policies and procedures will most certainly be a top priority well into 2016.
Another common theme shared between this year’s AFP Conference and NeuGroup Network members is the challenge treasurers are facing as it relates to the investment of their short-term cash.
The increase in regulations, combined with a persistent low-rate environment, has introduced new challenges for many large multinational corporations. For instance, in some cases, existing bank partners have begun to discourage deposits by either charging a fee to hold the cash or simply not accepting the deposits in the first place. And Dodd-Frank and Basel III rules have created more stringent leverage limits, risk-based capital and liquidity requirements for the banks, forcing them to endure a higher cost of credit and thus making balance-sheet usage much more expensive.
short-term asset demand to continue
In an AFP session titled, “Changing Dynamics in the Corporate Liquidity Landscape,” panelists highlighted some of the changes corporate treasurers will experience in the future.
For instance, the demand for short-dated assets will continue to be strong given improving economic conditions. It’s the tight supply that creates the pressure. With reduced liquidity in the fixed-income markets, many practitioners are left with bouts of price volatility that must be addressed.
Based on a recent survey of NeuGroup Network Treasurers, a majority are considering new investment strategies that include exposure to 2a-7 (enhanced cash) funds, private placements and adjusting risk and duration tolerances as ways to manage their growing levels of excess cash. This new paradigm promises to call for greater attention going forward.
As we close out 2015 and look forward to 2016, there is no question that our world has become more complex. Today’s treasurer must address a new list of challenges while at the same time manage the already complex and overloaded day-to-day activity.
Strap in my friends, 2016 could get a little bumpy.