Marketing
TREASURY
10 1
r i
treasury
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WHAT'S NEWS Issue 6 June 1996
At present, the Antwerp treasury
generates three-quarters of its
income through interbank
trading and one quarter through
corporate dealing. But the
treasury team is actively
developing the corporate side
and is looking to grow its
corporate trading through
strategie, targeted marketing.
Of Antwerp's 12 dealers headed
up by Walter van Mieghem, three
are currently dedicated to
corporate trading. But the new
corporate plan means Van
Mieghem is in the market for a
further two. 'One will certainly be
a derivative specialist,' he says,
'because we see that as the
future. While our interbank
trading will always remain
extremely important, we believe
that we can certainly do more on
the corporate side.'
CLOSER TIES
Doing more has led to the
development of a structured
treasury sales plan which is
aimed at proactively working the
market.'Up until now,'says Van
Mieghem, 'we have worked
closely with our colleagues on
the account management side to
develop this area of our business.
Clearly,we'll continue to do that.
But it is not always the most
productive or effective way of
approaching clients.ln bigger
companies, the account manager
usually deals with one
department while we have
contacts with, say, the controller
or the treasury people. What we
want to do now is strengthen
those relationships through our
own marketing efforts.The idea
is to build up closer personal
relationships, not least because
in a world of small margins, this
approach can make all the
difference between bringing in
the business or losing it to the
competition.'
SOLVENCY FOCUS
Bringing in business is also
dependent to a major extent on
the products on offer to dients.
In recent years, the Antwerp
treasury has added a number of
new products to its range.
'Besides the basics, we also do
some of the typically Belgian
products, like Linear bonds,
treasury bills, and we've also
started doing repo-trading. As a
Walter van Mieghem
B-treasury, we have established a
good relationship with the
Utrecht derivates desk.This
enables us to provide full
product service. In the future,
we're planning proprietory
trading as well. But the focus is
also very much on solvency. We
are already thinking about our
budget for next year and we're
looking carefully at which
products are most attractive in
solvency and profit terms.'
CROSS-BORDER
The treasury team also has its
sights set on working more
actively for IPB customers.
'Luxembourg has recently
started building a team to
market Belgian high net-worth
individuals and I think this will
lead to even more interaction
between us and them.We
already have private Belgian
customers who are doing typical
treasury business through us in
Luxembourg.'
FLEXIBLE
RESPONSE
Already in the process of
implementing its corporate
marketing strategy and with
plans to do more with colleagues
in Luxembourg while remaining
profitable in interbank trading,
will a projected 14-dealerteam
be adequate? 'I don't want to use
a cliché, but we're certainly living
and working in a challenging
environment/Van Mieghem says.
'But I think that a small room also
means you can maintain
flexibility and respond to
changing environments through
new products, enhanced
products, and even the abolition
of some products - all
depending on what the market
and especially the cliënt needs
from us.'
Moer. 'Will it be Atlas? If so,
we want to get on with
preparations. In my
department, we have three
different reporting
requirements - one to the
Central Bank, one to head
office and a third to the IBLC,
which gathers information
daily for balance of payments
statistics. What we must have
is a stable and reliable system.'
HIGH-VALUE CLEARING
The Antwerp operation was
one of the first users of
MIDAS in Belgium, so
personnel are not new to
implementing and working
with new systems. Mare van
Mieghem's money transfer
team is also currently in the
process of gearing up for the
launch of a new nationwide
Louis van Moer
payment system in September.
'It is for larger value
payments,' he explains. In
essence, it is a real-time
settlement system. Our IT
people will be involved in
installing the software we need
to achieve the link. We're
already looking at retraining
options because the new
system will mean payment
flows will be different. And
we're also investigating linking
into an on-line system for
smaller value payments. Again,
what we do will depend on
which system we will be using
internally.'
OBJECTIVE
ADVANTAGE
While there are certainly
question marks surrounding
the selected system, Belgian
Rabobankers like Staf Van der
Gucht are also extremely
pleased with the impact study.
'Systems are one of the most
important elements in a bank.
In my view, the survey done by
the Atlas people has been 4
really useful for us in the back
office. It has forced us to step
back and look objectively at
how we do things now, where
the gaps are. To question
whether our procedures are the
best practice possible, or
whether there is a way to
improve them. So, whatever
system we ultimately install,
the study has helped us
reevaluate our current
efficiency. And in the end,
efficiency is the name of the
game.'
OPERATIONS AND TREASURY
Eenderde van de medewerkers houdt zich bezig met de administratieve ondersteuning. Nieuwe systemen zijn een hot item. De
nieuwe Rabobank Branch module wordt onderworpen aan inspectie om te onderzoeken of hiermee aan alle specifieke informatie
behoeften kan worden voldaan.
Driekwart van de opbrengsten wordt behaald met interbancaire deals en slechts eenkwart door klanttransacties. Om het klantaandeel te vergroten
wordt het productaanbod uitgebreid en wordt een persoonlijkere relatie met contactpersonen binnen de bedrijven nagestreefd.
