Join FX Initiative at the Windy City Summit

Join FX Initiative at the Windy City Summit! Attend our educational session on Tuesday, May 21 at 4PM CT titled “Defining FX Spot & Derivatives.” This program will address how organizations use currency derivatives to hedge foreign exchange (FX) risk, which is the change in value of one currency against another. This informational session defines currency derivatives, which are financial contracts between two parties whose value is derived from the exchange rate of one or more currencies. Participants will learn how forwards, options, and zero cost collars work to achieve FX risk management objectives.

Following the FX Global Code

Following the FX Global Code: The FX Global Code explains the set of global principles of good practice in the foreign exchange (FX) market, and was introduced by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Markets Committee in May 2017. To date, over 500 market participants have signed Statements of Commitment to the FX Global Code.

The FX Global Code aligns with the foreign exchange (FX) risk management best practices FX Initiative teaches to FX market participants, including FX sales teams and treasury professionals. The goal of the FX Global Code is to promote fairness in FX trading, and FX Initiative encourages our audience to learn about and benefit from the code in 2023.

Download the FX Global Code PDF

Ready to learn more about FX risk management best practices? 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.

Conquering Currency Risk Management

Conquering currency risk management involves identifying, analyzing, and prioritizing various foreign exchange (FX) exposures, and developing and implementing a coordinated and systematic plan that utilizes company resources efficiently and effectively to mitigate and optimize FX risk. An important part of mitigating FX risk is hedging exposures such as revenues, expenses, receivables, payables, assets, liabilities, and equity.

The degree to which companies implement adequate foreign exchange risk management practices can vary substantially, from not managing the risk at all to engaging in robust hedging activities. As a result, the FX impact on the bottom line can vary widely across organizations.

Global companies face questions including, but not limited to: How to manage currency risk? How to draft a FX risk policy? Where to look for FX risk exposures? What currency risks to hedge and how? Which strategies meet FX hedge objectives? What are the economics? How to do FX accounting? That's a lot of questions! It's time to take the FX Initiative!

FX Initiative's foreign exchange risk management training starts with watching our online video series about:

1. Foreign Exchange (FX) Market Overview
2. FX Risk Exposures
3. FX Risk Management
4. FX Spot & Derivatives
5. Hedging FX Transactions
6. Hedging Foreign Subsidiaries

Then, review and test with quizzes and CPE exams, and reinforce learning using real examples with our:

• Currency Code Locator
• FX Risk Policy Drafter
• FX Derivative Speculator
• FX Transaction Simulator
• FX Subsidiary Consolidator

FX Initiative training is available 24/7 365 to help you with FX risk policies, FX accounting, FX hedging strategies, FX risk management, and more.

Are you ready to manage FX risk? Become a FX Initiative subscriber today and access our complete suite of foreign exchange (FX) continuing professional education (CPE), examples and events at FXCPE.com. Managing FX risk has become a higher priority for many firms in 2022 and it is now easier than ever to learn the fundamentals of currency risk management. Make this the year to reduce FX risk and reap rewards abroad by taking the FX Initiative for your international business today!

Webinar Training & Workshops

FX Initiative cordially invites you to attend our 6 part 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.

FX Risk Management Webinar Series

Mastering Currency Risk
Learn the fundamentals of corporate foreign exchange risk management.

FX Risk Management Policies
Learn how to draft a corporate foreign exchange risk management policy.

FX Forward Contracts
Learn what forward contracts are and why they are the most used derivative.

Balance Sheet Hedging
Learn how to hedge FX receivables & payables and mitigate gains & losses.

Cash Flow Hedging
Learn how to hedge and account for forecasted FX revenues & expenses.

Net Investment Hedging
Learn how to hedge assets & equity in foreign subsidiaries operating abroad.

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.”

FX Risk Management Maturity Model

Foreign exchange (FX) risk management involves identifying, analyzing, and prioritizing various foreign currency exposures, and developing and implementing a coordinated and systematic plan that utilizes company resources efficiently and effectively to mitigate FX risk.

The degree to which companies implement adequate foreign exchange risk management practices can vary substantially, from not managing the risk at all to engaging in robust hedging activities, and as a result, the impact on the bottom line can vary widely across organizations.

This FX Risk Management Maturity Model outlines the 5 stages of a comprehensive currency risk management program. The process involves performing a FX risk assessment, developing a FX risk management policy, and implementing progressive FX hedging strategies.

5 Stage FX Risk Management Maturity Model

1. FX Risk Assessment: Exposure Identification & Measurement
2. FX Risk Management Policy: Hedging Guidelines & Procedures
3. Balance Sheet Hedging: Booked Receivables & Payables
4. Cash Flow Hedging: Forecasted Revenues & Expenses
5. Net Investment Hedging: Subsidiary Earnings & Equity

The design and implementation of a FX risk management program must take into account the specific goals and objectives of the firm, the organizational structure and operations, the line of products and/or services, and any other variable that may be material and of relevance.

For firms that are new to foreign exchange risk management, emphasis should be placed on progress over perfection. Initial risk management plans are never perfect, and should be viewed as a process that is responsive to change and capable of continuous enhancement.

To learn more about FX risk assessments, policies, and hedging strategies, 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.

White Label FX Web Applications

FX Initiative's white label web applications are designed to help treasury professionals and FX sales teams with a wide variety of foreign exchange (FX) risk management challenges and opportunities. Whether you are creating a FX risk policy or analyzing economic and accounting scenarios, our risk models and strategy simulations share best practices in easily understandable formats.

Examples include:

Applying FX Accounting Booking Rates

Applying FX Accounting Booking Rates (Video): Recognize how businesses use specific foreign exchange (FX) rates, such as the daily FX spot rate or prior month end FX spot rate, for accounting purposes to record FX transactions on the financial statements. This video is a preview of FX Initiative’s Balance Sheet Hedging webinar as part of Learning Objective #4.

To learn more, 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.

Simulating FX Hedging Strategies

To become proficient in any skill, including currency risk management, practice makes perfect. To help companies practice, 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.

Hypothetical FX Hedging Simulations

To become proficient in any skill, including currency risk management, practice makes perfect. To help companies practice, 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.

An Overview of FX Options

An Overview of FX Options (Video): Explore the value drivers of foreign exchange (FX) put and call options, and recognize the payoff profile of option contracts. This video is a preview of FX Initiative’s FX Spot & Derivatives course as part of Learning Objective #2.

To learn more, 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.