Capital Markets & Investments

The London Interbank Offered Rate (Libor) is scheduled to be replaced by the end of 2021. It’s replacement, the Secure Overnight Finance Rate (SOFR), globally effects over $350 Trillion in open derivatives, capital markets, loans, leases and other financial instruments contracts. Hear about the numerous challenges that lie ahead; gain actionable insights into the effects this move will have on outstanding contracts and Treasury Management Systems; and walk away with a checklist of action items to prepare your organization to successfully navigate this transition.

As businesses move through their natural lifecycle, finance executives must choose between numerous working capital finance options to fit the organization’s needs. As needs change, the emphasis on managing unnecessary stress on operating capital and cash flow becomes that much more important to ensure sustained business growth. This session reviews potential working capital finance structures to match each stage of your business life cycle and includes discussion of key industry sectors such as manufacturing, transportation, wholesale distribution and energy.

Many corporate Treasury programs focus on Treasury, agency, and investment grade corporate credit securities. But as this economic expansion continues to set longevity records, there are risks that can be managed by adding new investment grade sectors that are historically less volatile during economic downturns. In this session, two corporate Treasurers discuss strategies for diversifying and protecting corporate operating funds at this stage of the economic cycle. Learn strategies for managing cash funds in a high growth, cashflow positive technology company, best practices and governance related to changing guidelines, and managing through stringent SEC regulations.

The days of LIBOR are numbered, and borrowers that rely on this key benchmark for loans, debt, or derivatives need to prepare for the phase-out after 2021! Join leaders in the industry for an informative discussion on the most recent updates on the transition, the ins-and-outs of the ARRC proposed replacement language, and what you should be thinking about and doing now to prepare for the phase-out. This discussion highlights the practical and commercial implications of the transition away from Libor and how to best prepare your organization when it happens.

As organizations build or transform their investment guidelines, treasury technology stack and treasury organizations they must minimize risk, maintain liquidity and maximize yield while also ensuring they can meet specific business operational needs. MGM Resorts, American Honda and ICD do a deep dive into their short-term investment objectives, technologies and operational behavior and how it’s tied into the needs of their respective businesses. Speakers share their investment guidelines and vehicles (including Prime MMFs), the compliance rules utilized to adhere to those guidelines and the reporting involved to prove good investment behavior to leadership.

Companies looking to finance their existing business and add new sources of funding need to look beyond traditional bank financing. Today, there a number of financing alternatives that can provide companies with the day to day working capital they need as well as funding for growth. Doing this in an effective and cost efficient manner that best suits your company will give you a strategic advantage. This session explores the alternatives and show you how companies are successfully financing their business by using a combination of financing alternatives.

Refinancing your credit facility can be a burdensome process for any treasury department. As a result, there is more priority placed on building a hefty rainy-day fund and less emphasis on the size of the revolver and bank group size. Evaluating data from over 10 years to assess its credit facility, Kansas City Southern (KCS) decreased their facility by 25% and saved $1.5 million. Through KCS’s process, learn how your company can test its credit facility size while trimming your bank group without burning any bridges.

Companies have set ambitious sustainability commitments. Progressive treasury teams recognize that finance and investments are a critical piece in achieving their firms’ sustainability goals. Proactive action on such issues can help treasury teams get ahead of competitive and regulatory pressures on environmental and social topics. Innovative financing solutions play a critical role in meeting these commitments while also giving companies access to preferential pricing as sustainability performance improves. In this session, hear how leading treasury teams view sustainability issues shaping trade finance, corporate cash management, financing and investor relations.

The definitive Shakespearean soliloquy on life and death is transmuted into a slightly less morbid yet deeply profound question for corporate cash investors: should BBB investments exist in a corporate cash portfolio? With more than 50% of S&P 500 companies rated BBB or lower, corporate investors need to understand the implications of excluding BBB-rated investments from their investment policies. Hear from three market participants: a strategist, a specialist, and a generalist, in a session designed to ensure attendees can navigate this critical investment decision.  

In reaction to the global financial crisis and the current pandemic, the Federal Reserve has developed new, more resilient frameworks in approaching monetary policy to maintain strength in the U.S. economy. This includes adjustments to policy instruments, markets impacted, and their balance sheet. Learn how the Fed has applied these new policy tools, including a perspective on their effectiveness.

Monitoring interest rate trends and following traditional best practices in credit and risk management are necessary but no longer sufficient. In today’s dynamic corporate cash management environment treasury professionals must also prepare for hidden risks. In this session arm yourself with actionable information on how to plan for and manage emerging risks in the new cash management landscape. Real-world examples from Capital Advisors Group, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Toyota Financial Services, and American Honda Motor Company help attendees understand where to look for hidden risks and how to manage them.

For decades, the Fed Funds Rate has been the anchor for short-term interest rates and is an oft-cited starting point for conversations about reasonable return expectations. But with dramatic market changes like liquidity injections, the transition from LIBOR to SOFR and the re-opening of the Fed’s repo window, is that starting to crack? A panel of industry experts explore the viability of the Fed Funds Rate as a benchmark and discuss what other measures should be considered when making business decisions regarding lending, liquidity, foreign exchange, investments and strategic planning.