Jeanne Capachin
research vice president,
global banking
IDC Financial Insights
Post originally appeared on Institutional FinTech Focus Blog
The AFP Exchange Magazine that landed in my mailbox today contains an article about cash management in 2009 and 2010, which is based on interviews with six corporate treasurers. Not surprisingly, the conversations with this group align completely with the research we did earlier this year - counterparty risk overshadows all other concerns, cash forecasting must be improved, banking relationships will change as rates rise and FDIC coverage changes, and the need for efficiency is greater than ever as expectations of treasurers and their staff increase. Looking forward to 2010, this group plans to rationalize banking relationships, continue to focus on safety and soundness, and invest in technology to improve efficiency.
As you all plan for the future, I know that one big question is how corporate treasurers’ plans will impact financial institutions and technology providers. We’ve just closed out our next survey of corporate treasurers. We’re examining the competitive issues banks are now facing as their corporate clients switch providers and look for new solutions - one year into the financial crisis. I’ll be analyzing responses over the coming weeks, and can provide a preview here of the focus and breadth of this research. For this survey, we reached out to not only treasurers, but also financial institutions and technology providers to gather different points of view. The intent of this research is to identify trends regarding financial institution relationships, for instance:
-for businesses seeking additional credit, what sources are most likely to gain their business and what is driving their need for credit?
-which institutions are gaining and losing banking relationships?
-are treasurers consolidating business again?
-how are concerns about counter-party risk impacting decision-making?
This is our most comprehensive survey yet of North American treasurers, and thanks to those treasurers who took the time to compete our surveys, we’ve got some great information about specific institutions and overall trends that we can report out to our clients. In the meantime, do you have any thoughts about what 2010 will bring to the world of corporate treasury services?