With macroeconomic uncertainty taking the wind out of the sails of a globalisation process that has played out over the past few decades, corporate treasurers find themselves posed with a particular conundrum. How can they secure their own working capital positions without adversely affecting their supplier base? One solution gaining favour is payables finance – a buyer-led programme that enables suppliers to sell their receivables contracts to receive early payment at a financing rate linked to the buyer’s credit profile. In an article for CTM file, Deutsche Bank’s Christian Hausherr explores how payables finance is helping to drive stability in the face of uncertainty.
Nuclear power is “dead and alive” says S&P Global Ratings, covered by the specialist press
A recent report by S&P Global Ratings has concluded that growing competition from cheap renewable electricity, safety concerns, and rising costs of new plants are slowly undermining the viability of nuclear power.
“We see little economic rationale for new nuclear builds in the U.S. or Western Europe, owing to massive cost escalations and renewables cost-competitiveness, which should lead to a material decline in nuclear generation by 2040,” said Elena Anankina, the report’s author.
Despite these challenges, however, nuclear still has its role to play in the energy mix – largely due to the continual development of new nuclear capacity in Russia and China, supported by energy policies and significantly lower construction costs. Moreover, with regions such as Europe installing more intermittent sources, nuclear is playing a crucial role in ensuring grid stability.
Following outreach by Moorgate, news of the report was covered by Republic World, Stockhead here and here, NucNet, IREI, Euractiv, ESI Africa, Power Engineering International, and World Nuclear News.
The importance of expanding access to SCF: Commerzbank’s Alexander Pawellek writes for The Global Treasurer
Large enterprises have traditionally led the way in adopting supply chain finance programmes. But this trend is slowly changing.
Writing for The Global Treasurer, Alexander Pawellek, Head of Product Management, Supply Chain Finance & Innovation at Commerzbank, sets out why expanding access to supply chain finance (SCF) is one crucial aspect of the bank’s strategy. According to Pawellek, the benefits are clear: by providing access to working capital that would otherwise be unavailable, financial institutions are striving to create new opportunities for small businesses to engage in global supply chains.
To read the full article, please click here.
BNY Mellon’s Saket Sharma features in Finextra’s “leveraging data” Sibos video
As part of the “Finextra at Sibos” video highlights series, Saket Sharma, Chief Information Officer, BNY Mellon Treasury Services, was interviewed at Sibos for the video focusing on leveraging data.
He says: “In order to really harness the power of data and derive meaningful insights, a data strategy needs to be in place.
To view the full “vox pop style” video (with Saket’s commentary at 2 minutes in), please click here.
Natixis’ Head of CIB Marc Vincent discusses the bank’s expansion in Saudi Arabia with Arab News
Speaking to Arab News, Marc Vincent, Natixis’ Global Head of Corporate and Investment Banking, comments on the bank’s expansion in Saudi Arabia and the importance of establishing a presence in the region. Saudi’s economic strength has been a significant draw for Natixis’ expansion, despite ongoing political unrest and economic uncertainty in the Middle East.
Natixis is currently waiting for final approval to set up in Saudi Arabia, but Vincent notes that the company has ambitions for their presence in the Saudi market and that they could bring “credibility and expertise” to the Kingdom.
To read the full article, please click here.
The payments revolution: BNY Mellon examines the evolving cross-border transaction landscape in the Journal of Payments Strategy & Systems
The payments landscape is evolving at a phenomenal rate. New technology developments are emerging faster than ever, driven by the growing culture for digital solutions, new regulatory requirements, and the increasing number of new entrants in the market that are challenging more traditional practices with cutting-edge concepts that appeal to the tech-savvy society of today. This convergence of factors is acting as a catalyst for banks to take action and modernise payments.
In the Journal of Payments Strategy & Systems, Michael Bellacosa, Global Head of Payments and Transaction Services, BNY Mellon Treasury Services, discusses the transformational power of SWIFT gpi. Importantly, the article also examines how banks need to maximise the possibilities of the new landscape and deliver real added value; looking beyond the payment itself and considering how they can harness toolkits such as SWIFT gpi to create solutions that best support their clients.
To read the full article, please click here (please note, the article lies behind a paywall)
Technology for now and the future: BNY Mellon discusses the importance of technology investment in bobsguide
Following an interview during Sibos, Paul Camp, CEO of Treasury Services at BNY Mellon features in a bobsguide article examining technology investment. Paul explains that there is a need to invest both in current systems that are used daily by clients, while also looking to the future.
“What we are very cognisant of – and the technology companies don’t always get it – is that our clients need both,” said Camp on the side lines of the conference. “They need the stuff which works today and has worked for years, because that model is not going to switch instantaneously, and they need a path to the future.”
To read the full article, please click here
Natixis’ Eric Arnould and Anne-Christine Champion discuss the emergence of ‘green unicorns’ in IFR article
In a guest commentary for IFR, Eric Arnould, Global Head of Equity Capital Markets, and Anne-Christine Champion, Global Head of Real Assets at Natixis CIB, discuss why investors need to watch out for the emergence of Europe’s ‘green unicorns’ – private companies that specialise in generating power from renewable wind and solar sources.
The success of green unicorns is underpinned by their profitable growth, which is reflected in investor confidence and leads to high-profile financial transactions. The hope is that the next breed of green unicorns “will prompt other industries to adapt and shape their models, thereby promoting sustainability and safeguarding the environment for all”, explain Arnould and Champion.
To read the full article, please click here.
BNY Mellon picks up three EMEA Finance Treasury Services Awards
BNY Mellon has won three awards in EMEA Finance magazine’s 2019 Treasury Services Awards, including retaining its title of “Best Transactional Bank for Financial Institutions in EMEA” for an astonishing tenth consecutive year. BNY Mellon was also named “Best Transactional Bank for Financial Institutions in the Middle East” and the provider of the “Best FX Services in EMEA” for its market-leading FX solution, SmartPaySM Global.
The awards were presented to BNY Mellon Treasury Services’s Bana Akkad Azhari, Head of Relationship Management MEA and CIS; Marcus Sehr, Head of Europe; and Ross Jones, Head of FX and Multicurrency Payment Product, at Sibos.
To read the full awards write-up in EMEA Finance, please click here (please note, the article lies behind a paywall)
ICC’s Olivier Paul discusses how to ensure a successful and accessible trade finance market in Banker Middle East article
Writing for Banker Middle East, Olivier Paul, Director, Finance for Development, ICC, outlines how industry-led advocacy is necessary for the fair regulatory treatment of trade finance, both in the Middle East and globally.
Paul explains that, “achieving fair treatment of trade finance across regulatory frameworks will, in turn, allow for increased access to trade finance for MSMEs”.
Read the full article here, in the November 2019 issue of Banker Middle East, on p60-63.