European treasurers are poised to save a substantial amount of money on cross-border credit card transactions for their companies now that Visa Europe has announced it is reducing interbank fees for these payments. 

The SEC held a roundtable May 14 to discuss a new system wherein an independent board would randomly assign initial ratings to nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (NRSROs). Needless to say, the concept generated many opinions. 

Adopting electronic payments is essential for corporates, but one study uncovered substantial obstacles that treasurers must surmount to ensure a successful implementation.

With payments fraud running rampant, a recent AFP webinar held by a treasury executive provided especially timely advice. Effective internal controls include exception processing, activity specific accounts and more.  

Following the $1.1 billion acquisition of Norit N.V., Cabot's debt balance grew from $600 million to $1.4 billion. Cabot’s treasury team was mandated with reviewing the capital structure and establishing ways to optimize interest expense by rebalancing the company’s fixed versus variable debt.

U.S. businesses are growing increasingly confident about their intermediate and longer-term prospects, according to the AFP Corporate Cash Indicators™ (AFP CCI™), underwritten by State Street Global Advisors. The forward indicator measuring expectations for the second quarter of 2013 was at -5, following a -4 reading during the previous quarter and only the third negative reading in the history of the survey.

AFP and Aite Group released a new Payments Decision Guide at NACHA PAYMENTS 2013 Monday, presenting retail treasurers with strategies for managing payment acceptance costs and negotiating with merchant acquirers. The guide also provides details on the impact of industry mandates and legislative and court challenges to interchange fees and pricing.

In their 16-year history the annual AFP Pinnacle Awards for excellence in treasury have received many submissions. Tom Hunt, CTP, AFP’s Director of Treasury, offers some tips to make your Pinnacle Awards submission as strong as possible. The AFP Pinnacle Awards are sponsored by Wells Fargo.

The Financial Sharing and Analysis Center (FS-ISAC) conducted the latest Cyber Attack against Payment Processes (CAPP) Exercise on March 12-13 and 19-20, putting 67 corporate participants’ cybersecurity preparedness to the test.

As part of its May issue, Exchange magazine will focus on leadership in treasury and finance. We would love to hear from corporate practitioners: Tell us, in 200 words or less, about a leadership challenge that you faced and how you handled it.