Supply Chain Finance Is Coming of Age

The global financial regulations that resulted from the financial crisis in 2008–2009 are taking full effect as world commerce and banking proceed headlong through 2016. While the regulatory impetus is primarily directed at financial institutions, most notably the various adaptations of Basel III capital and liquidity requirements into specific market legal schemes, corporations must be prepared to manage the consequences, whether intended or not. Banks are required to adeptly manage balance sheets given higher capital and asset quality mandates, which has a downstream effect on corporate clients of all sizes. Added pressure is now resident within corporate CFO and Treasury operations, as they navigate the ensuing effects of these regulations on liquidity and cost of capital. Technology maturation is also having an impact of the ability for corporate cash managers to more effectively manage financial operations. Supply chain finance (SCF) solutions are playing an increasing role in helping financial institutions to expand their options for lending opportunities in the face of demanding risk management requirements around balance sheets.

In a new research report, Supply Chain Finance Is Coming of Age, Mercator Advisory Group reviews and compares the various forms of trade finance available to corporates and indicates where banks have opportunities, particularly in “open account” scenarios. The report discusses how the current and expected worldwide economic, trade, and regulatory conditions necessitate alternative financing and end-to-end visibility of industrial supply chains.

"Supply chain finance solutions are playing an increasing role in helping financial institutions expand their options for lending opportunities in the face of demanding risk management requirements around balance sheets,” commented Steve Murphy, Director of Mercator Advisory Group’s Commercial and Enterprise Payments Advisory Service and author of the report. “SCF impacts working capital and banks’ ability to help corporate clients to meet cash management challenges, so digitizing areas along the financial operations continuum tends to set off a positive chain reaction within corporate processes for maximizing the value of cash usage.”

The report is 21 pages long and contains 9 exhibits.

Companies mentioned in this research report include ACI, Ariba, Basware, CGI, Demica, GSCF, GT Nexus, Orbian, Prime Revenue, Misys, Taulia, Tieto, Tradeshift