In terms of core cash management objectives the corporate treasurers’ main areas of focus continue to revolve around two key questions: 'how can I optimise my cash and liquidity?' and 'how can I make my payments and collections more efficient?' Both issues should be viewed against a backdrop of risk and control, with factors, such as exposure to fraud or sovereign and counterparty risk increasing in importance in recent times. Cash Management is often defined as having the right amount of money, in the right currency, in the right place, at the right time. In order for these simple objectives to be achieved it is key that companies have access to the right payment and reporting tools providing information on a timely basis.
In response, banks are continuing to develop and enhance their product offering in order to make liquidity management less of a challenge and more of an opportunity. BNP Paribas, for example, is now offering its clients web-based, intraday liquidity balances on a multibank basis. Companies with accounts in multiple banks, can avail of this 'one-stop shop' solution that can help to forecast end of day value positions, whilst providing increased visibility and control. We can also offer traditional liquidity management techniques, such as same-day value cash pooling, but now on a multibank basis. These two offerings combine to create a more holistic and efficient liquidity management proposition.

The new SEPA / PSD landscape is also an interesting framework for treasurers today and is a great opportunity for companies to increase the efficiency of their payments and collections. On the back of SEPA, there is an increased interest in structures such as payment factories from multinationals looking for a single disbursement account to pay all of their suppliers across Europe, for instance. At BNP Paribas we have also developed a solution which allows customers to centrally drive paper-based collections across different countries, by means of in-country collection accounts.

The advancement in technology based solutions, which in turn leads to the demise of old technologies, such as ETEBAC in France, can be viewed as a hindrance by Treasurers. However, it is an opportunity to move forward. For example, the SWIFT network and the ISO 20022 XML standard (SEPA Credit Transfer and SEPA Direct Debit) are increasingly being used to form the backbone of payment factory solutions across Europe. This host-to-host connection provides benefits such as increased standardisation and reduced maintenance costs. From the outset, BNP Paribas has been one of the leading banks offering SWIFTNet to its corporate customers, and now has more SWIFTNet FileAct customers than any other bank worldwide.
What differentiates BNP Paribas’ international cash management offer from the competition?
Following BNP Paribas’ acquisition of BNL and more recently of Fortis, BNP Paribas now has leading domestic retail banking positions in France, Italy, Belgium and Luxembourg and also substantial retail branch networks in Turkey, Ukraine and Poland. Building on the acquisition of Fortis, a new unit has been created; Corporate & Transaction Banking Europe, operating in 32 Business Centers operating across 18 countries, including Ireland. The unprecedented geographical coverage that bank now has is another worthy differentiator as it is positioned to provide standardized solutions across Europe, accompanied by in-depth knowledge of local practices, which facilitates local requirements.

BNP Paribas is committed to providing clients with strategic financing solutions including loan financing, debt capital markets and equity related and also have an excellent track record in the Irish market on mergers acquisition advisory, risk management, global trade solutions and operational banking services.

BNP Paribas is a European leader in global banking and financial services and one of the six strongest banks in the world (Rated AA by Standard & Poor's i.e. 3rd rating on a scale of 22). It has one of the largest international networks with operations in 84 countries and 202,500 employees, including 159,600 in Europe, 15,000 in North America and 11,100 in Asia.