AFP Conversations

In a repurchase agreement, or repo, one party sells an asset to another party and agrees to repurchase the asset at the same price, plus a premium in the future. The first party gets a much-needed funding and the second party gets to make a little extra money. The repo market is vital to the entire financial system. So when the repo markets fall into trouble, the impact can be massive. That was th...

In this episode of AFP Conversations, Tom Hunt, CTP, AFP's Director of Treasury Services, speaks with Drew Wolff, CFO of International and Channel Development and former Treasurer of Starbucks, about his career. Wolff, a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, explains how Elbert Hubbard's famous essay, "A Message to Garcia," Matters relates to the treasury and finance profession. Financial p...

There's often a tendency in FP&A to focus too much on the budgeting, forecasting and planning process, without taking a good hard look at how the overall organizational strategy, people and technology play into the equation. At AFP 2019, a panel discussion looked at how to improve upon that.   In this episode of AFP Conversations, sponsored by Santander, Sarah Moriarty, Associate Director of Finan...

As waves of new technology are being integrated into finance, the FP&A function has a chance to seize the moment and move from a cost center to a service center. But simply adopting new tools is not enough; successfully navigating change requires developing a new mindset that creates value by clearly communicating the meaning of business data. At FinNext 2020 , finance and leadership expert Amy Ve...

This episode of AFP Conversations, sponsored by MUFG, looks at liquidity management, and where it needs to go. What are some of the key considerations for managing current liquidity structures? Olu Adebiyi, Managing Director, Head of Transaction Banking Liquidity for MUFG; Glisson Inguito, Cash Management Manager and Head of Treasury/Cash Management for Konica Minolta; and Amanda Schreiber, Head o...

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 Conv...

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 h...

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...

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...

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...

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 s...

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 Conver...

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...

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 busine...

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, di...

Corporate treasury and finance professionals operating in China and Hong Kong currently face a number of unique challenges, which are creating a lot of uncertainty. And if there's one thing financial professionals try to avoid, it's uncertainty. In this episode of AFP Conversations, Jim Kaitz, President and CEO of AFP, sits down with Craig Allen, President of the United States-China Business Counc...

This special edition of AFP Conversations, looks at the city of Boston and what it has to offer treasury and finance professions when they descend upon the city in October for AFP 2019 . Dave O'Donnell, Director of Strategic Communications with the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau, provides attendees with an insider's view to the best spots to visit while you're in town. AFP 2019, this...

Peter Warren Singer is a best-selling author and strategist for New America. Named one of the nation's 100 leading innovators by the Smithsonian, one of the 100 most influential people in defense issues by Defense News, and one of the Top 100 Global Thinkers by Foreign Policy, Singer is one of the United States' leading experts on security and 21st century warfare. This October, he will deliver th...

Rosie Rios served as the 43rd Treasurer of the United States, under President Barack Obama. Sworn in as Treasurer in 2009, she was part of the team that implemented the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, a stimulus package developed in response to the Financial Crisis and Great Recession. Given her experience during one of the most volatile times of our nation's economic history, it is no sur...

An award-winning performance coach and recognized educator and mentor, Dr. Ivan Joseph is passionate about empowering others by helping them build self-confidence. As the Director of Athletics at Ryerson University, Dr. Joseph leads the department of athletics and recreation including 11 varsity teams and more than 20 intramural leagues. In this interview with the AFP Conversations podcast, Dr. Jo...

Casey Gerald , author of "There Will Be No Miracles Here," was the poster child for the American Dream, escaping a harrowing childhood to enter a new world of elite universities and secret societies. But as he climbed the social ladder, he saw how this hierarchical divide stifled those at the margins. He came to understand that "salvation stories" like his could be used to keep others from rising....

Anne-Marie Slaughter is the CEO of New America, a public policy institute and idea incubator whose mission is to realize America's highest ideals by confronting the challenges posed by technological and social change. Together with her team of scientists, technologists and political and economic thinkers, Slaughter works to generate big ideas as templates for change. Slaughter, who was named one o...

In this episode of AFP Conversations, we speak with Fareed Zakaria, best-selling author, host of Fareed Zakaria GPS for CNN Worldwide, and a columnist for The Washington Post. Esquire magazine once called Zakaria "the most influential foreign policy adviser of his generation." From the volatility of the financial markets to the innovation trends impacting the future of work, treasury and finance l...

  Peter Warren Singer is a best-selling author and strategist for New America. Named one of the nation's 100 leading innovators by the Smithsonian, one of the 100 most influential people in defense issues by Defense News, and one of the Top 100 Global Thinkers by Foreign Policy, Singer is one of the United States' leading experts on security and 21st century warfare. His award-winning books includ...

Neil Pasricha believes we can be happy at work – or at least we need to be happier at work. After graduating from Harvard Business School, he spent a decade as Director of Leadership at Walmart. While there, he wrote the 50-million-hit, award-winning blog, "1000 Awesome Things" and the New York Times bestsellers, "The Book of Awesome" and "The Happiness Equation." Pasricha uses scientific research...