Top-Priorities-for-2020

Treasury and Trade Solutions Top Priorities for 2020: Time to Future Proof Treasury Companies worldwide face an environment of change. Global supply chains are being reconfigured in response to a surge in protectionism and trade interventions. The growth outlook is clouded by geopolitical, regulatory and economic uncertainties. Digital disruption is reshaping industry ecosystems, and innovation has become a focus for investors in valuing companies. 1 In response, CEOs are transforming their enterprises through digitization. Meanwhile, treasurers are as busy as ever. The London Interbank Offer Rate (LIBOR), underpinning much corporate borrowing, faces its demise at the end of 2021. Low or negative G10 interest rates and a strong dollar have become the norm, creating headaches for treasury in FX risk management and investing liquid cash assets. Major tax changes — in U.S. tax reform and the slow-burning but accelerating OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) initiative — are changing corporate trading models, with knock-on consequences for the distribution of cash and funding needs across enterprises. Fast-growing Emerging Markets have become core drivers of corporate revenue growth. With governments in many of these “complex countries” easing regulations, and fostering financial and technology innovation, demands for treasury resource time are increasing. Meanwhile, rapid advances in technology and changes in financial services — perhaps best exemplified by the transformation of the payments landscape — can create a conundrum for treasurers: Should they invest in reengineering infrastructure now, or wait until the direction of travel becomes clearer? All of this leaves many treasurers facing greater uncertainty than at any time over the past decade. We believe it is time to future proof treasury by digitizing, moving toward real-time operations, and focusing resources toward supporting enterprise growth while navigating the heightened risks — and leveraging the opportunities — that are likely to define the 2020s. Citi Treasury Advisory Group 1 Source: Citi Financial Strategy Group, 2020. The gap between the highest- and lowest-valued enterprises is at its greatest for a decade, with companies differentiated based on ability to innovate, exposure to protectionism, earnings reliability, and financial flexibility.

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjE5MzU5