1. Multinational Cash Management
Chapter Nineteen
This chapter discusses various issues associated with multinational cash management.
Copyright © 2012 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

2. Chapter Outline The Management of Multinational Cash Balances
Bilateral Netting of Internal and External Net Cash Flows
Reduction in Precautionary Cash Flows
Cash Management Systems in Practice
19-2

3. The Management of International Cash Balances
The size of cash balances
The currency denomination
Where these cash balances are located
19-3

4. The Size of Cash Balances
The optimal size of the firm’s cash balances depend upon:
The cost of keeping “too much” cash on hand.
i.e., the opportunity costs of holding cash.
The cost of not keeping enough cash on hand.
i.e., the trading costs associated with having too little cash.
The variability of cash flows.
19-4

5. The Size of Cash Balances
Trading costs increase when the firm must sell securities to meet cash needs.
Trading costs
Total cost of holding cash
Costs in dollars of holding cash
Opportunity Costs
The investment income foregone when holding cash. C*
Size of cash balance
19-5

6. Choice of Currency
By maintaining cash balances in a particular currency, the MNC is essentially speculating (or hedging?) in that currency.
19-6

7. Where Cash Balances are Located
Should the firm have centralized cash management in the home country?
Should the firm let each affiliate handle it locally?
Where are borrowing costs lowest and investment returns highest?
19-7

8. Netting: Bilateral and Multilateral
Multilateral netting is an efficient and cost-effective mechanism for settling interaffiliate foreign exchange transactions.
Not all countries allow MNCs to net payments.
By limiting netting, more unnecessary foreign exchange transactions flow through the local banking system.
19-8

9. Consider a U.S. MNC with Three Subsidiaries and These Intrafirm Transactions ($000s):
$30
$20
$35
$10
$40
$30
$10
$60
$40
$25
$20
$30
19-9

10. $10
$25
$20
$15
The U.S. MNC Can Use Bilateral Netting to Cut the Number of Transactions by Half
$30
$10
$20
$20
$15
$35
$10
$40
$30
$10
$25
$40
$10
$60
$25
$20
$10
$30
19-10

11. $25
$10
$20
Multilateral Netting Reduces the Number of Transactions Further: First Total Each Party
+$10
−$10
−$15
−$20
−$40
+$20
+$25
$55
$15
−$25 $0
Multilateral Netting Reduces the Number of Transactions Further: First Total Each Party
$10
+$10
$10
+$20
−$10
+$25
−$15
$55
−$15
$10
$25
$20
$15
−$10
$15
−$20
$10
−$25
−$10
$10
−$40
−$0−
19-11

12. $15
$40
−$40
−$15
$55
−$0−
Multilateral Netting Reduces the Number of Transactions Further: Then Minimize the Transactions
Multilateral Netting Reduces the Number of Transactions Further: Then Minimize the Transactions
$10
+$10
$10
$15
+$20
−$10
+$25
−$15
$40
$30
$55
$10
−$15
$10
$25
$15
$10
$20
$15
−$10
$15
−$20
$10
−$25
−$10
$10
−$40
−$0−
19-12

13. Netting with Central Depository
Some firms use a central depository as a cash pool to facilitate funds mobilization and reduce the chance of misallocated funds.
$55
$15
Central depository
$40
19-13

14. Netting with Central Depository
In a new example, consider the net cash flows of the affiliates with the rest of the world:
Affiliate
Net Receipts from Multilateral Netting
Net Excess Cash from Transactions with Third Parties
Net Flow
U.S.
$55,000
$20,000
$35,000
Canada
($15,000)
($30,000)
$15,000
Germany
$75,000
($75,000)
U.K.
($40,000)
($25,000)
Total
Notice that there is a new outflow of $40k to vendors and other third parties outside the firm.
19-14

15. Netting with Central Depository
Net cash flows after multilateral netting and net payments from external transactions:
$15
$35
Note that the central depository has $40,000 leftover to settle up with the third parties.
Central depository
$15
$75
19-15

16. Reduction in Precautionary Cash Balances
An additional benefit of a centralized cash depository is that the MNC’s investment in precautionary cash balances can be substantially reduced without a decline in its ability to cover unforeseen expenses.
In the above examples, suppose that each affiliate had to have the cash on hand to make disbursements before it received what it was owed—that would result in a big cash drain on the firm.
19-16

17. Cash Management Systems in Practice
The most frequently cited benefits of a multilateral netting system are:
The decrease in the expense associated with funds transfer, which in some cases can be over $1,000 for a large international transfer of foreign exchange.
The reduction in the number of foreign exchange transactions and the associated reduced cost of making fewer (but larger) transactions.
The reduction in intracompany float, which is frequently as high as five days even for wire transfers.
The savings in administrative time.
The benefits that accrue from the establishment of a formal information system, which serves as the foundation for centrally managing transaction exposure and the investment of excess funds.
19-17

18. Exposure Netting with Multiple Currencies
Many multinational firms use a reinvoice center, which is a financial subsidiary that nets out the intrafirm transactions.
Once the residual exposure is determined, then the firm implements hedging.
In the following slides, a firm faces the following exchange rates:
£1.00 =
$2.00
€1.00
$1.50
SFr 1.00
$0.90
19-18

19. Exposure Netting SFr150 $150 €150 £150 €150 £150 $150 SFr150 $150
19-19

20. Exposure Netting Exposure Netting $225 $300 $150 $135 SFr150 = $135
€150
$150 =
$135
€150
$225
£150
£150
$135 = =
$150
$300
SFr150
$225
$300
SFr150
$225 =
€150
£150 =
$300
19-20

21. Exposure Netting $75 $165 $90 $150 $15 $135 $15 $150 $225 $90 $225
$300
$75
$165
$300
$150
$135
$150
$135
$225
$75
$300
19-21

22. Exposure Netting $180 $90 $210 $15 $15 $180 $210 $165 $150 $90 $75
$150 + $75 = $225
$225 = $210 + $15
$180 = $165 + $15
$75
19-22

23. Exposure Netting: How to Double Check Your Answer
It’s always good practice to check your work.
It’s better for you to find your mistakes than your professor (or the boss).
You can check your work in exposure netting by adding up each subsidiary’s debits and credits.
When you’re done, check that you haven’t destroyed or “created” any money.
A new example follows to practice checking your work.
19-23

24. $125
$155
$100
$80
$100
$125
$80
+$125
+$80
+$155
+$155
$100
–$240
–$300
$140
$60
$125
$100
$125
$155
$80
$155
$100
$80
$100
$80
+$80
+$100
+$155
$125
+$125
–$375
–$465
–$40
$155
–$160
19-24

25. $25 $30 $75 $20 $55 $45 $20 $75 $55 $45 $25 $30 $25 $20 +$55 +$45 –$20
+$75
$60
$140
$75
$55
$45
$25
–$30
+$30
–$75
–$45
–$55
–$25
$30
–$160
–$40
19-25

26. $100
$40
$60
$100
+$40
$60
$140
$100
$40
$60
–$100
–$60
–$40
–$160
19-26

27. Alternative Solution
$60
$140
$40
$140
$20
–$140
–$20
–$40
–$160
19-27

28. Another Example $20 $35 $30 $40 $10 $25 $60 Another Example $30 $20
√√:$55–$15 –$40=$0
$20
$30
+$60
$30
+$10
+$35
+$40
–$10
$20
–$30
–$40
–$25
–$20
–$30
$35
$10
$55
$40
$30
–$15
$10
$60
$40
$25
$20
$25
+$30
+$30
+$10
+$40
–$35
–$30
–$20
$20
–$60
–$10
–$40
$30 $0
–$40
19-28

29. Another Example
$15
$55
–$15
$40 $0
–$40
19-29