AFP Conversations

Organizations that rely on Libor as a benchmark rate need to prepare for its potential end in 2022. But while Federal Reserve and the Alternative Reference Rates Committee (ARRC) have been working diligently to help companies make the transition, many are still not prepared. There are a number of steps that treasurers need to take—and they need to start making them now.

In this episode of AFP Conversations, sponsored by Santander, Amol Dhargalkar, Managing Director for Chatham Financial, and Jennifer Earyes, CTP, Head of CFO Strategic Initiatives for Navient and a member of several ARRC workgroups, explain how this major paradigm shift will impact treasury and finance professionals.

To learn more, check out AFP's Libor Transition Guide at https://dynamic.afponline.org/libor/

FinNext 2020 is where you can discover the future of finance. This event, which takes place March 15-17, 2020 in New Orleans, provides attendees with the opportunity to learn from experts in the FP&A community, while connecting with professional peers.

In this episode of AFP Conversations, we discuss all that FinNext has to offer with Bryan Lapidus, AFP's Director of the FP&A Practice. Lapidus has been instrumental in putting together this year's agenda.

Register for FinNext here.

Finance executives know all too well the importance of having good timing. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of hard evidence out there about so-called "perfect" timing itself. We make a lot of "when" decisions in our professional lives based largely around guesswork. But there is a better way.

In this episode of AFP Conversations, Jim Kaitz, President and CEO of AFP, discusses good timing with New York Times Bestselling Author Daniel Pink. Pink's books on work, business and behavior have won multiple awards and have sold more than 3 million copies worldwide. His latest book, "When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing," reveals how timing is truly a science that can help us make smarter decisions, enhance productivity, and boost the performance of our organizations.

Pink will be discussing his research in a keynote presentation at FinNext 2020. FinNext, which takes place in New Orleans from March 15-17, is where FP&A professionals meet to create what's next. Register here.

AFP 2020 in Las Vegas will be here before you know it. It's the most important event in treasury and finance, and that's why the call for session proposals is already open.

In this episode of AFP Conversations, we speak with Aurora Gregory, Marketing Communications Strategist and Author of "Get Picked: Tips, Tricks and Tools for Creating Irresistible Speaker Proposals." She has worked with some of the largest companies in the world to help them get their stories up to speed, and in this interview, she provides you with tips on how to get your session proposal ready for prime time.

Would you like to tell the story of your organization in front of your peers? Submit a proposal for AFP 2020 today. Submissions will be accepted through January 17, 2020. To view the guidelines and to submit your proposal, go to AFP2020.org/CFS

Real-time payments (RTP) have had a bit of trouble catching on in the U.S., but they may finally be turning the corner, with The Clearing House's Real Time Payments Network, as well as the Federal Reserve's upcoming service, FedNow. Treasury professionals on the whole tend to take their time when it comes to adopting new technology. Nevertheless, the prospect of paying and settling B2B payments in real-time is enticing, and it seems like it's only a matter of time before it breaks through in the U.S.

In this episode of AFP Conversations, sponsored by Santander, Larry Mills, Vice President and Assistant Treasurer for Travelers Insurance, and Beatriz Saldivar, Director of Treasury and Payments for Axletree Solutions, discuss how treasury organizations are grappling with transitioning from a batch world to a real-time world.

For more insights on real-time payments, check out the 2019 AFP Electronic Payments Survey.

In the latest episode of AFP Conversations, sponsored by Santander, we turn our attention to U.S./China business relations. Though China is the fastest growing market in the world and it has gradually opened its doors in recent years, the U.S./China trade dispute has threatened the ongoing relationship between both nations. So the question is, what comes next? To discuss where businesses on both sides go next are Frank Sansone, Treasurer and Senior Vice President for China Construction Bank, and Anton Chan, RMB Specialist, Financial Markets, Americas for Standard Chartered Bank.

Libor is expected to be phased out by the end of 2021. Alternatives to Libor rates are emerging across the globe and mechanisms for establishing contractual fallbacks and adjustments to Libor-indexed financial instruments are being developed to minimize disruption, if in fact it does end in 2022. If Libor does end, however, the impacts on treasury will be significant.

In this episode of AFP Conversations, sponsored by Santander, we'll talk about what some of the implications could be for treasury and finance professionals, and what they should be doing in case Libor does end. Joining the podcast are Robert Owens, Director of Fixed Income Strategy for Farmer Mac, and Ruth Hardie, Senior Director of Client Services for Hedge Trackers, who both discussed this topic at AFP 2019.

For more insights, visit AFP's Libor Transition Guide.

Data, cyber and identity controls are top priorities for corporate treasury and finance professionals. What do practitioners need to consider when working with their team, their banks and their technology partners when attempting to protect themselves?

At AFP 2019, Stacy Rosenthal, Senior Vice President and Head of Payments Product for Santander and Bob Stark, Vice President of Strategy for Kyriba, joined the AFP Conversations podcast to discuss practical approaches to strengthening cybersecurity, focusing on three fronts: people, processes and tools.

This episode of AFP Conversations is sponsored by Santander.

This episode of AFP Conversations, sponsored by Standard Chartered, looks at digitization in Asia, and how it's changing the way that corporate treasury and finance professionals handle their day-to-day operations and interact with their customers. Treasurers who embrace the latest technology like instant (or real-time) payments have a better chance at becoming value-added advisers to their business.

Alan Lin, Global Head of Cash, Transaction Banking for Standard Chartered, looks at how payments and technology trends are impacting treasury and finance departments in Asia. Located in Singapore, Lin has an inside view of how consumer behavior and the launch of new digital tools are driving innovation.

AFP 2019, this October in Boston, has multiple sessions on both Asia and payments trends. Visit www.afp2019.org/register to sign up and use discount code PODCASTAFP2019 at checkout to save $100.

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more sophisticated, it is increasingly taking on roles that are traditionally done by humans. From forecasting and liquidity management to payments processing, consumers and practitioners alike need to be able to trust these AI systems.

In this episode of AFP Conversations, AFP 2019 MindShift Keynote Dr. Rana el Kaliouby, co-founder and CEO of Affectiva, discusses Emotion AI, which combines facial expression and tone of voice to infer how a person is feeling. Dr. el Kaliouby's work promises to ensure that organizations are better attuned to the needs of their people as they implement AI programs into various aspects of the operation, including the treasury and finance practice. So it's no surprise that she was selected to speak at AFP MindShift this year. The AFP MindShift keynote is sponsored by Capital One.

AFP 2019, this October in Boston, is where treasury and finance professionals separate the hype from the reality. Visit www.afp2019.org/register to sign up and use discount code PODCASTAFP2019 at checkout to save $100.