Listing of AFP News Articleshttp://www.afponline.org/ArticleRss.ashxFri, 18 May 2012 11:28:40 -0400Fri, 18 May 2012 11:28:40 -0400The CTC Global Corporate Treasurers Forum in Phoenix opened Thursday morning with a panel discussion on key issues facing the European, U.S. and global economies. Not surprisingly, the focus quickly turned to the eurozone crisis and what its fragility could mean for the global financial system.http://www.afponline.org/pub/res/news/Corporate_Treasurers_Eye_the_Eurozone_Crisis_as_GCTF_Opens.htmlFri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400http://www.afponline.org/pub/res/news/Corporate_Treasurers_Eye_the_Eurozone_Crisis_as_GCTF_Opens.htmlThe rapid adoption of QDIA’s by plan sponsors and lessons learned from the 2008 financial crisis have prompted many changes to these ever-evolving investment vehicles and strategies. Many investment managers have sought to add asset classes to their allocations in an effort to reduce correlation between assets and combat volatility.http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/Design_Trends_in_QDIAs.htmlThu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/Design_Trends_in_QDIAs.htmlHealthcare costs have increased dramatically over the past decade, driving businesses and individuals to find ways to maintain insurance coverage options without breaking the bank.http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/Making_Patient_Payments_Pay_Off.htmlWed, 16 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/Making_Patient_Payments_Pay_Off.htmlAFP Governance, Accounting & Compliance newsletter is seeking volunteers to serve on its Editorial Advisory Board—and you are invited to join.http://www.afponline.org/pub/res/news/Governance,_Accounting___Compliance_Newsletter_Seeks_Editorial_Advisory_Board_Volunteers.htmlTue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400http://www.afponline.org/pub/res/news/Governance,_Accounting___Compliance_Newsletter_Seeks_Editorial_Advisory_Board_Volunteers.htmlAs the SEPA end date draws closer, European banks have largely determined that their corporate clients will determine the initiative’s success, according to new survey by Clear2Pay and Finextra.http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/Survey__Corporates_to_Determine_Fate_of_SEPA.htmlTue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/Survey__Corporates_to_Determine_Fate_of_SEPA.htmlIn a new a white paper released Tuesday, SWIFT urged banks to expand their mobile banking operations for corporates.http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/SWIFT_Urges_Corporate_Mobile_Banking_Expansion.htmlTue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/SWIFT_Urges_Corporate_Mobile_Banking_Expansion.htmlFormer Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker told a Senate Banking subcommittee May 9 that the contentious rule restricting investment banks from proprietary trading which bears his name is intended "to assure maintenance of a flow of credit to businesses and individuals and to provide a stable, efficient payment system and safe depository." http://www.afponline.org/pub/res/news/Volcker_Touts_Proprietary_Trading_Limits_and_Floating_NAV.htmlTue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400http://www.afponline.org/pub/res/news/Volcker_Touts_Proprietary_Trading_Limits_and_Floating_NAV.htmlIn this edition, an IC3 report shows an uptick in cybercrime in 2011, the FBI issues a warning to frequent travelers, new revelations about the Global Payments breach, the Royal Canadian Mounties crack down on a major card fraud ring, and some virtual cash has virtually disappeared.http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/AFP_Fraudwatch__$485MM_in_Cybercrime_Losses_in_2011.htmlTue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/AFP_Fraudwatch__$485MM_in_Cybercrime_Losses_in_2011.htmlWhen talking about business continuity, there is a plethora of information, research, and guidance on how to establish a remote or virtual office. Unfortunately, most treasurers devising business continuity strategies zero in on this one single aspect. But there is an even more menacing threat to treasury continuity: bank failure.http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/Business_Continuity__Can_Treasurers_Bank_on_Banks_.htmlMon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/Business_Continuity__Can_Treasurers_Bank_on_Banks_.htmlA new set of “voluntary, secure, open guidelines” for mobile payments in Canada was introduced on Monday. Some of Canada’s largest banks are expected to announce partnerships with wireless communications companies soon.http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/Mobile_Payments_Guidelines_Introduced_in_Canada.htmlMon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/Mobile_Payments_Guidelines_Introduced_in_Canada.htmlThis was a week where Europe was firmly in the spotlight. Following the election results from France and Greece, the markets decidedly showed their displeasure and concern.http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/This_Week_in_Corporate_Finance__Election_Results_Lead_to_a_Flight_from_Risk.htmlMon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/This_Week_in_Corporate_Finance__Election_Results_Lead_to_a_Flight_from_Risk.htmlMultinational corporations tend to have assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than their functional currencies. And when this happens, the income statement of that company will generally be subject to currency exchange rate risk.http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/Hedging_Currency_Risk_for_Foreign_Assets_and_Liabilities.htmlFri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/Hedging_Currency_Risk_for_Foreign_Assets_and_Liabilities.htmlEmerging technologies, such as mobile banking and payments and the cloud, took center stage at Payments 2012.http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/Emerging_Technologies_a_Major_Focus_at_Payments_2012.htmlFri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/Emerging_Technologies_a_Major_Focus_at_Payments_2012.htmlIf finance departments are famous for outsourcing, surely this is the ultimate. Instead of utilizing its space shuttles, NASA’s finance department is seeking commercial third parties to ferry astronauts to satellite space stations.http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/Best_Practices_for_Creating_and_Dismantling_Big_Projects.htmlThu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/Best_Practices_for_Creating_and_Dismantling_Big_Projects.htmlCanada’s Competition Bureau brought its case against Visa and MasterCard before the Competition Tribunal this week, accusing the card issuers of anti-competitive practices.http://www.afponline.org/pub/res/news/Are_Card_Acceptance_Fees_a_Threat_to_Canadian_Competition_.htmlThu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400http://www.afponline.org/pub/res/news/Are_Card_Acceptance_Fees_a_Threat_to_Canadian_Competition_.htmlIn this age of frequent Black Swan events, the traditional business approach to operate on an annual budget and forecast is no longer effective. In order to deliver a competitive advantage to company, modern FP&A function needs to be flexible and dynamic, be based on sophisticated analytics, examine life-time values of the products, and encourage business partnering.http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/Forward_Thinking__Modern_FP_A_Must_be_Flexible,_Dynamic.htmlWed, 09 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/Forward_Thinking__Modern_FP_A_Must_be_Flexible,_Dynamic.htmlThe election results just in from France and Greece, where respectively Francois Hollande has promised to renegotiate the fiscal compact and anti-bailout parties garnered more than 60 percent of the vote, has reignited fears about the future of the euro.http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/Austerity_Backlash_in_Europe_Reignites_Fears_for_the_Euro.htmlWed, 09 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/Austerity_Backlash_in_Europe_Reignites_Fears_for_the_Euro.htmlMasterCard has become the latest entrant in the increasingly competitive mobile wallet market with PayPass Wallet Services, joining Google and Western Union, among others. MasterCard’s new digital wallet network allows users to store their credit cards on their smartphones, tablets or laptops and make purchases online or in stores.http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/Wallet_Wars__MasterCard_Enters_the_Fray.htmlTue, 08 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/Wallet_Wars__MasterCard_Enters_the_Fray.htmlWestern Union Business Solutions launched a new mobile wallet Monday for U.S. and Canadian small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that regularly make cross-border payments.http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/New_Mobile_Wallet_Entrant_Makes_Cross-Border_Payments.htmlMon, 07 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/New_Mobile_Wallet_Entrant_Makes_Cross-Border_Payments.htmlThe recent official report calling for an overhaul of virtually the entire Canadian payments system continues to generate discussion, as attendees at last week’s Payments 2012 conference debated whether the findings in the Final Report by the Canadian Task Force for the Payments System Review were on target or misguided.http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/Payments_2012__Experts_Discuss_Canadian_Task_Force_Report.htmlMon, 07 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/Payments_2012__Experts_Discuss_Canadian_Task_Force_Report.htmlAFP is seeking volunteers to join its newly created Corporate Tax Reform Task Force. The group will advise AFP on its corporate tax reform advocacy efforts and assist in the formation of policy positions on corporate taxation, including effective tax rates and shifting to a territorial tax system. http://www.afponline.org/pub/res/news/AFP_to_Create_a_Corporate_Tax_Reform_Ad_Hoc_Task_Force.htmlMon, 07 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400http://www.afponline.org/pub/res/news/AFP_to_Create_a_Corporate_Tax_Reform_Ad_Hoc_Task_Force.htmlIf this week’s Employment report had been a boxing match, I would have scored it a split decision. The April payrolls number came in weaker than expected at up +115k, versus a consensus of +160k, but if you add in the upward revisions to February and March, + 19k and +34k respectively, you come up with a gain of +168k jobs.http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/This_Week_in_Corporate_Finance__Split_Decision.htmlMon, 07 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/This_Week_in_Corporate_Finance__Split_Decision.htmlAttendees at NACHA’s Payments 2012 conference in Baltimore this week had the opportunity to attend a variety of sessions centered around innovation, collaboration and education. The opening general session, which featured a conversation with Green Dot Founder and CEO Steve Streit, reflected all of these themes.http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/Streit_Discusses_Innovation_in_Prepaid_Cards_at_Payments_2012.htmlThu, 03 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/Streit_Discusses_Innovation_in_Prepaid_Cards_at_Payments_2012.htmlIn this edition, important updates to two of the biggest cybercrime stories this year: the Microsoft Zeus botnet bust, and the Global Payments breach.http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/AFP_Fraudwatch__Updates_on_Microsoft_Zeus_Bust,_Global_Payments_Breach.htmlThu, 03 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/AFP_Fraudwatch__Updates_on_Microsoft_Zeus_Bust,_Global_Payments_Breach.htmlThis week was certainly chock-full of news. Between the two-day FOMC meeting, the 1Q GDP report, failing governments in Europe, and credit downgrades, it seems like we are experiencing our third consecutive spring of “now is the winter of our discontent”.http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/This_Week_in_Corporate_Finance__The_Spring/Winter_of_Our_Discontent.htmlWed, 02 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400http://www.afponline.org/mbr/res/mbr_news/This_Week_in_Corporate_Finance__The_Spring/Winter_of_Our_Discontent.htmlMoney Market Fund Systemic Risk Analysis and Reform Options, a new report by the International Organization of Securities Commissions, listed several MMF reforms to reduce systemic risk, including floating the net asset value. http://www.afponline.org/pub/res/news/International_Regulatory_Body_Looks_at_Floating_NAV_for_MMFs.htmlWed, 02 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400http://www.afponline.org/pub/res/news/International_Regulatory_Body_Looks_at_Floating_NAV_for_MMFs.htmlAverage debit-card interchange fees from banks with assets greater than $10 billion plummeted from 43 cents in 2009 to 24 cents in 2011 -- a decline of 45 percent -- according to new Federal Reserve Board data.http://www.afponline.org/pub/res/news/Debit_Interchange_Fees_Dropped_45_Percent,_Fed_Data_Shows.htmlWed, 02 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400http://www.afponline.org/pub/res/news/Debit_Interchange_Fees_Dropped_45_Percent,_Fed_Data_Shows.htmlIn his 30 years as a senior executive with Citibank and American Express, Robert Sicina certainly enjoyed his share of successes. He also witnessed failures along the way, however, and he believes treasury and finance professionals can learn more from the latter than the former.http://www.afponline.org/pub/res/news/Learning_from_Failure__The_Treasurer%E2%80%99s_True_Path_to_Success.htmlMon, 30 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400http://www.afponline.org/pub/res/news/Learning_from_Failure__The_Treasurer%E2%80%99s_True_Path_to_Success.html AFP EconWatch - April 30, 2012 Staff Writers 2012-04-30 The U.S. economy lost some of the momentum that it had recently gained as the gross domestic product (GDP) increased at a disappointing 2.2 percent annualized rate during the first three months of 2012. Read the report. http://www.afponline.org/pub/res/news/AFP_EconWatch_-_April_30,_2012.htmlMon, 30 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400http://www.afponline.org/pub/res/news/AFP_EconWatch_-_April_30,_2012.htmlWhile tentative signs for the global economy point to a U.S. dollar rally, any bulls should maintain vigilance for the downside risks carried by the world’s premier reserve currency.http://www.afponline.org/pub/res/news/Expert__A_U_S__Dollar_Rally_Would_Come_With_Risks.htmlMon, 30 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400http://www.afponline.org/pub/res/news/Expert__A_U_S__Dollar_Rally_Would_Come_With_Risks.html