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FX Initiative Blog

Actionable insights on foreign exchange risk management from FX Initiative.

March 2021 Newsletter

March FX Risk Management Mastery: Read our March newsletter and discover the latest blog posts and insights from FX Initiative on currency risk management. We help finance, accounting, treasury, and sales professionals stay up to date with new training content, CPE webinars, and helpful tips & resources.

Scale the learning curve quickly and easily with our foreign exchange risk management training, which provides 24/7 365 access to our complete suite of foreign exchange (FX) continuing professional education (CPE), examples and events at FXCPE.com. Start Training >

 

CPE Webinar Invite: FX Forward Contracts

Program Overview

FX Initiative cordially invites you to attend webinar titled "FX Forward Contracts" on Thursday, February 25th, 2021 at 11AM Pacific / 2PM Eastern. Join us and learn what forward contracts are and why they are the most used derivative. This FX Forward Contracts webinar will explain what forward contracts are and why they are the most used foreign exchange (FX) derivative among multinational corporations. We begin with a basic understanding of over-the-counter (OTC) foreign currency derivatives that are sold by commercial banks as part of their international treasury and risk management products. We will then delve into the fundamentals of forward contracts, including long and short positions and forward point premiums and discounts. Additionally, we will examine the payoff profile of a forward contract and review the economic cash flow and financial reporting implications. To conclude, we will look at the overwhelming popularity of forward contracts using the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) FX data as well as highlights from the annual reports (10-K) of several multinational corporations that deploy forward contracts to hedge currency risk.

Learning Objectives
  1. Discover the concept of over-the-counter (OTC) foreign currency derivatives.
  2. Identify what forward contracts are and how forward points are calculated.
  3. Recognize the payoff profile, economics and accounting of forward contracts.
  4. Explore why forward contracts are the most used FX derivative by corporations.
Who Should Attend?

New and seasoned finance, accounting, treasury, and related professionals (CPA, CIA, CRMA, CFE, etc.) interested in international business.

Simulating FX Hedging Strategies

To become proficient in any skill, including currency risk management, practice makes perfect. To help companies practice in 2021, FX Initiative’s Foreign Exchange Transaction Simulator addresses a wide variety of FX scenarios by stress-testing hypothetical FX hedging strategies.

This interactive risk modeling tool illustrates the economics and accounting of the most common hedging strategies for underlying foreign exchange exposures such as revenues, expenses, receivables, and payables. You can simply input your company specific and foreign exchange market variables, and then select your hedging strategy, which includes not hedging or hedging with a forward contract, vanilla option or zero cost collar.

The resulting output is a highly detailed interactive FX risk analysis that charts the economic payoff of your selected hedging strategy, ranks the alternative hedging strategies, and reports the accounting journal entries and t-accounts with authoritative references to U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Behind the scenes, our robust pricing engine and database simplifies the risk analysis process for you so you can focus on the bottom line impact to your business.

This versatile tool transforms 16 inputs into one information rich analysis in 3 easy steps.

  • Step 1 is to select (1) the Underlying Exposure and input the related variables of (2) Functional Currency, (3) Foreign Currency, (4) Underlying Notional Amount, (5) Beginning Exchange Rate, (6) Currency Quoting Convention, (7) Start Date, (8) End Date and (9) the Day Count.
  • Step 2 is to select a (10) Hedging Strategy and input the related variables of (11) Hedge Ratio %, (12) Domestic Interest Rate, (13) Foreign Interest Rate, (14) Implied Volatility, and (15) the Collar Range.
  • Step 3 is to forecast (16) the ending exchange rate to see how positive and negative changes in exchange rates impact the cash flow and financial reporting of your selected hedging strategy.

This FX risk management web application customizes strategies and can be modified efficiently and effectively. For example, if you want to change your underlying exposure or hedge strategy, it’s as simple as one-click. If you want to know which strategy yields the best outcome, all 4 strategies are ranked for you automatically. If you want to see how the default or elective accounting treatment differ, the journal entries and t-accounts are instantly presented side-by-side. This Foreign Exchange Transaction Simulator acts as your own personal quantitative analyst, and puts you in a positions to make a qualified foreign exchange risk management decisions.

To begin practicing hypothetical FX hedging, start your FX risk management training today, which provides 24/7 365 access to our complete suite of foreign exchange (FX) continuing professional education (CPE), examples & events at FXCPE.com.

CPE Webinar Invite: FX Risk Management Policies

Program Overview

FX Initiative cordially invites you to attend our webinar titled “FX Risk Management Policies” on Thursday, February 11th, 2021 at 11AM Pacific / 2PM Eastern. Join us for a continuing professional education (CPE) program and earn CPE credit as we learn how to draft a corporate foreign exchange risk management policy. This FX Risk Policy webinar will address the basics for drafting a foreign exchange risk management policy. We begin with best practice policies for pricing and booking foreign exchange (FX) transactions that enable a corporation to retain the FX risk rather than the customer, supplier or vendor. We then discuss how FX personnel, resources and operations are incorporated into a policy document that serves as a guideline for managing foreign exchange risk. Furthermore, we will cover the essential elements of a formal written FX risk management policy, including which FX exposures to hedge, how to handle counterparty credit risk, segregation of duties (SOD), internal controls, and reporting among other areas. Lastly, we will observe how FX risk policy language is disclosed in corporate annual reports (10-K) using the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings of multinational corporations as real-world examples.

Learning Objectives
  1. Discover best practice policies for pricing and booking foreign exchange (FX) transactions.
  2. Recognize how to incorporate FX personnel, resources, and operations into a policy document.
  3. Identify the essential elements of a formal written corporate FX risk management policy.
  4. Explore how FX risk policy language is disclosed in corporate annual reports (10-K).
Who Should Attend?

New and seasoned finance, accounting, treasury, and related professionals (CPA, CIA, CRMA, CFE, etc.) interested in international business.

February 2021 Newsletter

February FX Education: Read our newsletter and discover the latest blog posts and insights from FX Initiative on currency risk management. We help finance, accounting, and treasury professionals stay up to date with training content, CPE webinars, and helpful resources.

Scale the learning curve quickly and easily with our foreign exchange risk management training, which provides 24/7 365 access to our complete suite of foreign exchange (FX) continuing professional education (CPE), examples and events at FXCPE.com. Start Training >

 

CPE Webinar Invite: Mastering Currency Risk Management

Program Overview

FX Initiative cordially invites you to attend our webinar titled “Mastering Currency Risk Management” on Thursday, January 28th, 2021. Join us for a continuing professional education (CPE) program and earn CPE credit as we address the fundamental concepts of corporate foreign exchange (FX) risk management. This informational session will share best practices on how to identify, analyze, execute, and optimize a foreign exchange (FX) risk management program. Participants will learn how to assess a firm’s FX risk profile using a step-by-step analysis framework, the four approaches for managing FX risk, the impact FX risk has on the financial statements, and key terminology and takeaways for building a world class FX risk management program.

Learning Objectives
  1. Discover how leading multinational corporations identify foreign exchange (FX) risk, including transaction, translation, and economic risk.
  2. Explore how to analyze FX risk management strategies, including balance sheet hedging, cash flow hedging, and net investment hedging.
  3. Identify key considerations when executing FX risk management plans, including the importance of strategy, policy and financial reporting.
  4. Recognize approaches to optimizing FX risk management plans by investing in personnel, resources, and operations to improve results.
Who Should Attend?

New and seasoned finance, accounting, treasury, and related professionals (CPA, CIA, CRMA, CFE, etc.) interested in international business.

Winter FX CPE Webinar Schedule

FX Initiative cordially invites you to attend our upcoming webinar series titled “Mastering Currency Risk Management.” To complement our self-study video training, these sessions are designed address common FX strategies and challenges global organizations encounter when managing currency risk. Each live webinar is eligible for CPE credit, and offers the ability to interact with the instructor, engage with the audience through real time polling questions, and participate in question and answer segments.

Upcoming Webinars Sessions & Dates

Mastering Currency Risk
Thursday, January 28th 2021 @ 11AM Pacific / 2PM Eastern
Learn the fundamentals of corporate foreign exchange risk management.

FX Risk Management Policies
Thursday, February 11th @ 11AM Pacific / 2PM Eastern
Learn how to draft a corporate foreign exchange risk management policy.

FX Forward Contracts
Thursday, February 25th 2021 @ 11AM Pacific / 2PM Eastern
Learn what forward contracts are and why they are the most used derivative.

Balance Sheet Hedging
Thursday, March 11th 2021 @ 11AM Pacific / 2PM Eastern
Learn how to hedge FX receivables & payables and mitigate gains & losses.

Cash Flow Hedging
Thursday, March 25th 2021 @ 11AM Pacific / 2PM Eastern
Learn how to hedge and account for forecasted FX revenues & expenses.

Whether you are interested in a timely session related to recent developments impacting the foreign exchange market or would like a scheduled approach to start learning FX risk management, our live webinar sessions are designed to help you solve unique FX risk management challenges that are not otherwise addressed in our video based programs. Explore our Events page to register and learn more about the learning objectives covered in our educational webinar series titled “Mastering Currency Risk Management.”

2021 Program: Currency Risk Management Training

FX Initiative is pleased to present our 2021 program on currency risk management training to our global audience of finance, accounting, and treasury professionals. Download the PDF brochure and discover our foreign exchange (FX) continuing professional education (CPE) training videos, software tools, and webinar topics at FXCPE.com.

Our mission is to help global businesses and sales professionals communicate FX risk management best practices efficiently and effectively. FX Initiative is a member of the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) National Registry of CPE Sponsors, and approved for self-study, internet-based, and in-person programs.

 

Since 2010, FX Initiative works with Fortune 500 companies, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and FX product & service providers on understanding, identifying, assessing, and mitigating currency risk. FX Initiative is an unparalleled resource for foreign exchange risk management and continuing professional education.

Managing currency risk remains a high priority for global organizations in 2021. To optimize your firm's international operations, start your FX risk management training today, which provides 24/7 365 access to our complete suite of foreign exchange (FX) continuing professional education (CPE), examples & events at FXCPE.com.

 

January 2021 Newsletter

New Year Knowledge: Read our January newsletter and discover the latest blog posts and insights from FX Initiative on currency risk management. We help finance, accounting, treasury, and sales professionals stay up to date with new training content, CPE webinars, and helpful tips & resources.

Scale the learning curve quickly and easily with our foreign exchange risk management training, which provides 24/7 365 access to our complete suite of foreign exchange (FX) continuing professional education (CPE), examples and events at FXCPE.com. Start Training >

 

Happy New Year 2021 from FX Initiative!

Happy New Year from FX Initiative!

FX Initiative is thankful for your support throughout 2020, and we wish you a safe and successful 2021!