Group treasury management system--a welcomed breakthrough solution
To improve core competitiveness, principal companies must commit to all around improvements and reforms, including integration of flow chart, organization and information, shared resources, service and knowledge, coordination of group business and strategies, fast response to changes in the market conditions and the developing of industry chain advantages etc.
The world-known consultant Mckinsey & Company. Inc pointed out that: One of the largest progresses of multinational corporations comparing to Chinese enterprises is the realization of centralized management, especially the centralized financial management.
“Centralized management, shared service”
Funds are the blood of enterprises. Due to the large scales, principal companies face lots of problems, such as the huge amount of funds involved in treasury management, numerous deposit banks, frequent collections and payments of funds, internal fund clearing, complex transfer procedures, fussy workload evaluation etc. To solve these problems, both effective treasury management system and proper treasury management tools are required.
Treasury management system (TMS) of China Merchants Bank is a system software for sharing financial resources , risk control and management, decision making as well as an integrated platform of management of cash flow, clearing, assets and liabilities, investment & financing and risk management, working as a sound support to the development and promotion of enterprise sharing operation center and the realization of integrated handling of multiple businesses and enterprises in a group company.
- Manage both the account funds in China Merchants Bank of enterprises and total account funds in other banks of enterprises
- In-depth service for group company to manage matters relevant to funds such as internal accounts, fund credit, planning and budgeting, commercial papers and supply chain etc.
- Offer overall fund decision making analysis
- For standardized and customized products, the services of professional teams of banks are required, including demand investigation and research, differentiated development and implementation, professional system maintenance etc.
Market Background
- Large and medium-sized clients are the target clients of all commercial banks;
- Strengthening client segmentation and presenting proper schemes according to the demands of different types of clients are the service orientation of the bank;
- Centralized fund management has become an inevitable tendency in principal companies and a group of financial companies and clearing centers appear;
- Principal companies require high electronic information application. Presently, their demand has upgraded from clearing to centralized fund management, risk control and decision making analysis etc.
- The current fund management is not only a business operation system but information management system and decision making analysis system;
- Currently, numerous software suppliers sell group fund management system, however, large groups’ requirements on the credit standing and subsequent capabilities of software suppliers are higher and higher and the technical strength and fund management experience of China Merchants Bank are recognized.
Limitations of existing fund management products of domestic banks:
The electronic banking functions supplied by all commercial banks are similar, which can not fully meet the requirements of group enterprises on management and decision making. The primary functions are inquiry, clearing and cash collection and consolidation etc. with the following defects:
- Similar product functions, and most of the commercial banks only offer business handling function; unsystematic product system; without business management functions such as cash flow budget, fund creditline, foreign exchange etc.; without supports on management and decision making; without complete group fund management system. ????
- Client-based mostly and without organic integration with its own system, which influences the full application; the group must apply network banking systems of several banks; without supervision or with low supervision efficiency towards local subsidiaries.
The market status quo and demand indicate that establishing integrated group treasury management platform is a tendency. The innovation of bank financial products will bring new level of treasury management service along with the adaptation and leading of market demands.
TMS implementation objection
- Integration of TMS and business
- Unified credit financing
- Establish fund plan (budget) and control mechanism
- Fund centralization of clearing center and subsidiaries; real-time monitoring function
- Offer decision making analysis supports to all departments and managements of the group based on data concentration
System design framework
(deleted)
Structure levels and system
Structurally, the system can be divided into four levels:
- Main system applied by clearing center (or financial company), which mainly handle various collections and payments, bills, credit, international clearing, inquiry and statement output etc.
- Subsidiaries connect with clearing center (or financial company) through client terminal and offer 3A services to subsidiaries, thus, subsidiaries are able to handle various businesses relevant to clearing center through internet.
- Treasury management platform and systems of all commercial banks realize connection through direct connection and mainly handle on-line real-time payment, bank information inquiry, balance inquiry, local and external cash collection and consolidation etc.
- The connection between treasury management platform and other business systems such as EPR, MRPII, MIS and financial software realizes the transmission and exchange of data and information among different systems.
Basic structure of the system (take clearing center as an example)
(deleted)
System positioning in group treasury management function structure
(deleted)
Functional module of the system
- Clearing business: including various collections and payments
- Credit/loan operations: inter-company loan and external financing
- Electronic bills: including paper trust, issuance, endorsement, discount and pledge
- International clearing: foreign currency remittance, L/C and other foreign currency transactions
- Program funds: including collection and payment planning, fund transfer and clearing etc.
- Financing: including bank financing and investment financing etc.
- Decision making analysis: Offer various analysis statements and data inquiry
- Other systems: including risk control, evidences management and cash stock management etc.
Basic ideas of system function design
- Uniform client (subsidiary) service channel, cash clearing platform and external information interface.
- Clients (subsidiaries)-centered management.
- High integrated system, data concentration; supporting the multi-level management model of several clearing centers.
- Business-driven accounts, system users do not need to pay much attention to accounting entry of specific business.
- Introduce the conception of workflow; focusing on “flowchart management” to realize the recreation of business flow chart.
- Realize complete post authorization management, such as multi-level, multi-power and multi-grade management; support full teller management.
- Open and flexible system design, multiple configurations and parameter setting, able to improve system expandability and design flexibility.
- Optimize system logging; offer traceability, reduce risk and strengthen control.
System operation model
- Hosting mode
The system is based on the in-house platform of China Merchants Bank. The enterprises connect to each other via internet and safety certification system of China Merchants Bank is applied. The system data is hosted by China Merchants Bank, which can save lots of hardware and network costs and smooth the way for maintenance.
- Non-hosting modes
The system platform is set inside the client. The enterprises shall furnish network and hardware devices by themselves. This mode is inconvenient for maintenance with large investments; however, the enterprises can enjoy higher independence.
Project technical specifications
Development technologies
- Background: JAVA development; J2EE framework applied
- Foreground: C++ Build 5.0 development; enterprise bank design framework applied; supporting manual upgrade by users.
Operation environment
- Database: D82, supporting many frequently-used databases such as Oracle.
- Operation system: AIX/ RS6000, supporting common WINDOWS servers.
- Network: Internet, supporting leased line.
Background:
- Three-tier C-S structure
- Apply J2EE framework, which has the advantages of portability, good extensibility, stable operation and high development efficiency etc.
- High efficiency and stable database connection pooling and transaction processing mechanism;
- Support frequently-used database such as D82, Oracle.
Foreground:
- Modularized design
- Auto download and upgrade available
- High operation speed, fast transaction handling speed
- High security and stability
- Support flexible transaction handling modes and user requirements
System security
- Digital Certificate: Apply the Digital Certificate and digital signature system of China Merchants Bank
- Log on: Apply effective user authentication mechanism, password fault-tolerance protection, safe password saving and transmission mechanism
- Communication: Offer VPN, private line connection; two-layer encryption, public SSL and private encryption protocols
- System operation environment: Multi-layer firewall protection, various levels of safety zones, system logging and real-time monitoring; passed the examination and appraisal of state security authorities
- Transaction: Power examination & verification control; Digital Certificate card operation is required for payment transaction.
- Client terminal: Programmed dynamic linkable library digital signature; unnecessary for the client to save important data & information; special Trojan Horse preventing technology and message notification mechanism are not saved at client terminal
- Disaster recovery and data backup: Load balancing, warm back-up and disaster recovery back-up center
Main structure system
Name of system |
Module architecture |
Notes
The system involves over 30 kinds of statements |
Main system of integrated fund transaction handling |
System setting, account system, client management, account management, statement inquiry |
Fund transaction integrated handling ?system |
Clearing business |
The clearing module includes cash and evidence management modules |
Billing business |
Loan & financing business |
International clearing business |
Fund plan management |
Fund management electronic banking system |
Transaction inquiry, payment clearing, account management, bill management, receipt printing |
Able to develop interface directly connected to other internal systems (such as ERP) if required |
On-line information platform of direct connection between bank and enterprise |
Integrated handling platform |
Support direct connection to head office systems of commercial banks such as China Merchants Bank, Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, China Construction Bank, Agricultural Bank of China and Bank of China etc. |
Interfaces of all commercial banks |
System application mode
- Fund monitoring mode
The account and collection & payment information of all subsidiaries are centralized through on-line information platform of direct connection between bank and enterprise, benefiting the principal company to update the fund status of subsidiaries in time. Meanwhile, detailed fund information flow for internal financial system and ERP system and data basis for fund decision making are offered through processing various fund information based on fund budget system.
The mode will not change the current fund operation modes of all subsidiaries. The subsidiaries can independently handle collection and payment businesses. Generally, it is applicable to principal companies of different industries, wide geographic distribution and relatively loose management.
- Clearing center mode
Applicable to principal companies with clearing center/ financial company, it applies systems similar to commercial banks to conduct management. All subsidiaries open internal accounts in clearing center/ financial company and all business relevant to funds such as clearing, loan, and billing are under the centralized management of clearing center/ financial company. From conception, all subsidiaries only establish business relationship with one bank, that is, clearing center/ financial company.
Through establishing fund management platform to support the group clearing center, it can unify and manage group funds, including unifying the collection & payment clearing, bank accounts, external financing etc. of subsidiaries. This mode requires the establishment of complete fund pricing system and internal clearing system inside the group.
- Treasury center mode
Through establishing treasury management platform, it closely combines daily operation, strategic development and financing activities of enterprises. Focusing on full life-cycle enterprise financial supply chain management, it conducts strategic planning, fund procurement, investment & financing decision-making ?and financial? operation etc. based on statistics, forecasting and analysis of cash flow and commits to the overall management of internal funds and external financing market operation.
The implementation of the mode shall be based on the clearing center mode. In order to meet the requirements of clients on comprehensive and refined management of funds, it conducts several individualized developments, thus it is mainly applicable to large principal companies which are complex in management.
Descriptions of functional modules supporting the above application modes
Clearing center or treasury center mode
Complete bookkeeping system
1) Establish a whole set of non-bank financial enterprise accounting system; offer management on accounts, currency, interest rate and exchange rate;
2) Support handling several clearing centers and accounts on one platform;
3) Flexible in handling accounts of all business modules; automatically generate accounting items of all business systems;
4) Offer functions of writing off, account wiping-out and automatic carrying forward for multiple internal clearing measures;
5) Account checking, daily and monthly clearing, automatic batch processing at close of a day;
6) Detailed and complete interest calculation function, same with that of bank.
Customer management
1) Unified customer numbering management towards every subsidiary and correspondent bank;
2) Detailed customer data registration;
3) Multi-level customer management modes such as multi-level management relations of group, division, secondary division and subsidiary;
4) Manage supply chain information of customers.
Account management
1) Open internal clearing accounts and relative business accounts for subsidiaries and internal accounts of clearing center;
2) Handle account opening, account closing, freezing and overdraft of subsidiaries and internal accounting;
3) Handle various call deposits, agreed deposits and regular deposits of subsidiaries;
4) Manage group accounts of clearing center in all banks and sub-accounts opened for all subsidiaries.
Clearing management
1) Unify and handle daily clearing business such as various payments, collections, salary release, fund transfer etc. of subsidiaries and the group;
2) Offer clearing channel of electronic chain based on e-bank and direct connection between bank and enterprise and realize fastest electronic clearing;
3) Customize and print clearing bills of all banks and offer bank bill management flow;
4) Offer cash and blank evidence management function;
5) Automatic account checking of clearing center and bank based on document analysis and bank direct networking platform.
Credit financing management
1) Offer credit line and security management of subsidiaries and clearing centers;
2) Offer multiple internal loan and guarantee business to subsidiaries;
3) Manage various financing and guarantee business of clearing center in bank;
4) Complete business flow, including business handling, examination and verification, full or partial repayment, extension and relevant interest handling.
Fund budgeting management
1) Manage periodic declaration and examination & approval flow of fund budget table of all enterprises
2) Offer functional management on freezing, adding and canceling etc.
3) Set pre-warning indexes of various budgets;
4) Settle budget items related to payments and be sure to realize advance reminding, in-process control and post analysis;
5) Analysis and inquiry of all implemented and unimplemented budget line and details. ?
Bill management
1) Unify and manage all received bank and commercial acceptance drafts and information of subsidiaries;
2) Offer bill service handling such as discounting, pledge etc. offer all paper businesses provided by banks.
3) Unify and handle all issued bank and commercial acceptance drafts of subsidiaries; follow up information of issued bills;
4) Conduct security and line management based on credit management module;
5) Offer electronic chain bill management based on electronic bill system and electronic banking system of China Merchants Bank.
Bank-enterprise direct networking platform
1) Support multiple bank interfaces and direct networking with head office systems of China Merchants Bank, Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, China Construction Bank, Agricultural Bank of China and Bank of China;
2) Automatic payment of all clearing & payment businesses;
3) Information collection at fixed time such as collection arrival notice, current account balance, day/past transaction details;
4) Self-defined cash centralization and transferring to accounts of subsidiaries.
E-bank of subsidiaries
1) Apply electronic banking system of China Merchants Bank such as business mode customization and multi-level examination and approval;
2) On-line client terminal of various businesses such as accounts, clearing business, loan, and billing business etc.
3) Detailed information inquiry including bank account transaction information of subsidiaries;
4) Powerful notification platform including payment collection, business due, message notification etc.
5) Account statement downloading, printing evidences of clearing center;
6) Offer direct networking with ERP or financial systems of different enterprises.
International clearing
1) Outward and Inward remittance of foreign currency;
2) Import and export L/C business;
3) Financing under international trade such as TT loan, TT negotiation and shipping guarantee etc.
4) Credit line management of international trade financing.
Investment and financing
1) Investment/financing analysis including status of self-owned funds and return on investment;
2) Business management of investment/financing such as bonds;
3) Manage the flow of investment/financing of subsidiaries and clearing center such as financing account management, purchase requisition, examination & approval and trust etc.
Financial statements
1) Independent statement server, various user-defined statements;
2) Various financial statements such as ledger accounts, itemized accounts, balance sheets and income statements etc.
3) Make statements of statistics, analysis and forecasting by virtue of database technology and offer decision making support.
Fund monitoring mode
Client and account management
1) Conduct client numbering for each subsidiary and correspondent bank; record detailed data and conduct unified management;
2) Embody the multi-level relationship of group such as the level relationship of companies, secondary companies, head offices, branch offices and sub-branches of banks;
3) Manage bank accounts opened by group and subsidiaries. The accounts can be divided into various natures such as group master account, collection and payment accounts of subsidiaries etc.
4) Define the property of bank accounts, for instance, whether with automatic collection and consolidation or not, whether with remaining balance or not etc.
Payment
1) Payment requisition and self-defined examination & approval flow management of subsidiaries etc.
2) Fund management division confirms and examines & approves payments and directly handle payment through direct networking platform;
3) Control by virtue of fund budgeting function;
4) Confirm collected bank transaction details and payment lists timely and daily
Fund budgeting management
1) Manage the flow of periodic declaration and examination & approval of budgeting lines of all enterprises;
2) Offer functional management on freezing, adding and canceling of budgeting line;
3) Transfer to subsidiaries as per budget line via direct networking platform;
4) Link budget line with obtained bank transaction details;
5) Forecasting monthly bank cost line, daily analysis of bank funds budgeting line implementation, various funds budgeting inquiry.
Bank-enterprise networking platform
1) Collect all bank account balances and transaction details regularly and save all historical bank transaction information in time;
2) Auto payment and timely feedback of payment results;
3) User-defined cash collection & consolidation from subsidiaries and transferring to subsidiaries through e-bank;
4) Support multiple bank interfaces and directly network with head office systems of China Merchants Bank, Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, China Construction Bank, Agricultural Bank of China and Bank of China.
Inquiry of statistics & analysis statements
1) Independent statement server allowing various user-defined statements such as statements of inflow and outflow of funds, statistics & analysis
2) Timely inquiry of daily fund flow and in-time balance summary;
3) Various user-customized complicated analysis statements and comprehensive inquiry etc.
Other system interfacing and account checking functions
1) Offer data access to financial system or ERP system of principal company and import true fund information into relevant system;
2) Offer the function of auto checking of bank accounts and enterprise daybooks and balance adjustment statements;
3) Offer standard XML and EXCEL formats, convenient for export/import of other systems.
Enterprise client terminal
1) Group or subsidiaries can timely inquire account balance and transaction information
2) Submit commands of external payments or internal transfer, user-defined examination & approval procedures and amounts;
3) Prepare budget line statements and timely inquire budget implementation situation;
4) Offer fund analysis statements required by enterprises.
Conclusion
Modern enterprise groups face an ever-changing environment and treasury management plays a very important role in enterprise management, which has been widely recognized. The decision makers of enterprises shall put stress on treasury management and select proper treasury management models and tools suitable for the existence and long-term development of enterprises. Presently, many world leading enterprise groups have been applying professional treasury management system, meanwhile, Chinese mainstream enterprises including foreign-funded enterprises come to realize that the change and development of management demands address TMS. The TMS system oriented to the economy with Chinese characteristics is growing, which requires us to break through the tradition based on international treasury management concepts. For the development of treasury management, China Merchants Bank shall play its own role with its own efforts.
|