Update from the Technical Committee 
The December Technical Committee meeting provided an opportunity for the committee to reflect on the FTA Conference and planning for the 2019 conference in Melbourne. As we expect the conference to be scheduled during the Spring Racing Carnival, there is sure to be some crossover! Needless to say the Technical Committee are keen to be involved in the preparations for the conference and interested in hearing about the issue you’d like to see covered. Feedback for the 2018 Conference was great and the topics and sessions were well-received. We have an opportunity to build on that to attract more members and prospective members to the event.
We also discussed some current issues, such as the international accounting bodies discussing potential changes to IFRS and risk. There have been further developments and we would expect to see a public consultation on how to review the risk components and dealing with IBOR fallbacks. As a committee we see this as another issue we need to provide input on and will be seeking member feedback when the consultation is issued. In a payments update, we are represented on the RBA’s Payments Consultation Group and the most recent meeting discussed the Buy-now, Pay later (BNPL) landscape and implications. This has become a big issue for bricks & mortar retailers as it is being demanded by consumers, having initially started as mostly a service for online retailers (it insulates the online retailer from card not present fraud). We also discussed future uses for NPP, particularly in payment of salaries. We also discussed the recent dislocation in currency forward markets and looked at possible explanations for the changes.
We reviewed the 2019 professional development calendar with a focus on the scheduling of Essential Treasurer, Treasury Fundamentals, the networking drinks (expanded to include guest speakers), the International Women’s Day lunches and new webinars. Stay tuned to the fortnightly update for more.
2019 is shaping up to be a great year with many opportunities to improve your skills and knowledge around Treasury topics and I look forward to bringing you more updates over the year. A reminder we will be calling for expressions of interest to join the Technical Committee over the next couple of weeks. If you have wanted to get involved, now is the time!
Finally, all the best for 2019 as we get back into work after the summer break.
Many thanks,
Lindesay Brine, FFTP
Technical Committee Chair
Get to know Luke Derham – NSW Chapter Chair
