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Laurent Descout

Laurent Descout CEO at NEO Capital Markets

How CFOs can simplify their tech stack

The CFO role has evolved significantly in recent years, from being the financial gatekeeper who balances the books, to a key adviser and strategic decision maker for the business. As a result, they have become crucial decision-makers on what technology their business should invest in. There is a vast array of old legacy platforms and new technolog...

Treasury Management

Laurent Descout

Laurent Descout CEO at NEO Capital Markets

Tackling businesses’ cross-border payments challenge

When the Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures (CPMI) published its work programme for 2021–22, it highlighted shaping the future of payments as one of its key priorities. This includes cross-border payments – a market that the Bank of England predicts to be worth more than $250 trillion by 2027. The reality is there are significant imp...

/startups Treasury Management

Laurent Descout

Laurent Descout CEO at NEO Capital Markets

Real-time Data is Treasurers’ Top Priority

An industry survey conducted by the European Association of Corporate Treasurers (EACT) has revealed that treasurers are now recognising the value of the vast quantities of data at their disposal. When it is appropriately used – crunched, consolidated and analysed – it enables better, smarter decisions and faster reactions to crises. In fact, two-...

/startups Treasury Management

Laurent Descout

Laurent Descout CEO at NEO Capital Markets

Corporate hedging strategies: 5 simple ways to protect your business

A recent report showed that multinational corporations in the U.S. and Europe reported a loss of $9.5bn in Q1 2021 due to currency volatility. And these were just the published figures. If even the largest corporates with hedging experts are losing money, how are SMEs expected to fare, with fewer staff and smaller budgets? While volatility may be ...

/startups Treasury Management

Laurent Descout

Laurent Descout CEO at NEO Capital Markets

Shaping your treasury operations for the digital era

Corporate treasurers are constantly being faced with a multitude of challenges in the increasingly fast-moving world we live in. For instance, the events of the last two years have forced an entire re-think of how treasury departments operate. Priorities completely changed and the focus became cash flow, with a recent European Association of Corpor...

/startups Treasury Management

Laurent Descout

Laurent Descout CEO at NEO Capital Markets

Has the pandemic transformed treasury forever?

It’s difficult to remember what working life looked like pre-pandemic, but with many restrictions easing soon, it feels like we are closer than ever. That said, our nine to five working day won’t necessarily return to what it once was. The pandemic has re-shaped the workings of entire industries and while restrictions are easing, firms are adapting...

/startups Treasury Management

Laurent Descout

Laurent Descout CEO at NEO Capital Markets

Reflections on the revolution in fintech

The fintech revolution has swept through the financial services, not only modernising archaic processes but redefining what banking means in the 21st Century. Consumer payments are just one example – we can now make payments and split bills in an instant by tapping phones, watches or even rings on card machines. At the heart of this transformation...

/startups Fintech

Laurent Descout

Laurent Descout CEO at NEO Capital Markets

Should corporate banking take inspiration from consumer payment technologies?

Consumer payments have come a long way in recent years to the point where we can now make payments and split bills in an instant by tapping phones, watches or even rings on card machines. At the heart of this transformation is a new wave of challenger banks that have created a smarter, more personalised banking experience. They go beyond traditiona...

/startups Banking Strategy, Digital and Transformation

Laurent Descout

Laurent Descout CEO at NEO Capital Markets

Bridging gaps between corporate banking and SMEs

There’s a growing chasm between traditional banks and their SME clients requiring more agile, tailored and flexible services. This has led to growing numbers of challenger banks, payment providers and treasury systems stepping in to make sure small businesses are not left behind. The necessity of accessible corporate banking has been long overdue...

/startups Fintech

Laurent Descout

Laurent Descout CEO at NEO Capital Markets

UK Fintech Review: The steps for the future of the UK fintech scene

Ron Kalifa’s UK fintech review has been greeted relatively well across the market. Kalifa’s review identified many of the foreseen headaches that are anticipated by the fallout from Brexit and the pandemic, as well as identifying steps to solve them. Ahead of what is shaping up to be the UK’s most important budget for some time, the findings and r...

/markets /predictions Fintech

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