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Emerging Trends in Finance

Duration: 3 Days

Overview

Outline

The last two decades have brought a huge change in all aspects of our lives. Those changes are, if anything, accelerating rapidly. All the signs are that we are on the brink of some radical and revolutionary shifts in financial practices and the processing of information.

 

This course is designed to provide an overview and prepare the Finance Function to adopt and embrace the social, technical, legal and cultural changes that are currently underway. It provides an insight into an array of emerging trends.

 

Each trend is supported with practical examples and case studies.  

Remote Working

  • Emergence of technical and communication capability

  • Use of remote working during the pandemic

  • Reassessment of corporate culture

  • Challenges of managing teams and tasks

Social Media

  • Overview of the rise and reach of social media

  • Use of social media in financial communications

  • Legal and compliance issues

  • Governance and protocol considerations

Digitization

  • Recession of manual data processes

  • Data capture and conversion factors

  • Centralization of finance analytics

  • Demand for decision-ready data

  • Reporting on demand

Investment in Sustainability Initiatives

  • What costs and benefits to consider?

  • Deriving the financial information/data

  • Tangible & Non-tangible costs

  • Tangible and non-tangible benefits

  • Measuring ROI – tools and techniques

  • Insight into Socially Responsible Investment (SRI)

Big Data

  • Use of data for trends and underlying shifts

  • Importance of accurate data collection

  • Storage, Confidentiality and privacy factors

Artificial Intelligence and automation

  • Impact on working practices

  • Changes in skills and thinking

  • Security and confidentiality considerations

  • Re-evaluation of internal controls

  • Labour force of the future

Blockchain

  • By-passing conventional banking

  • Security and transparency

  • Advantages from cost and confidentiality perspectives

  • Transaction monitoring and tracing

  • Supplier and customer engagement

ESG

  • Broadening of corporate responsibility

  • New reporting demands

  • Accountability to stakeholders

  • Operational considerations

Cloud-based Accounting

  • Pros and cons of cloud-based accounting

  • Security, control and business continuity considerations

  • Licencing and backup factors

  • Control and confidentiality

Outsourcing the Finance Function

  • Cost efficiency imperatives

  • What aspects of finance are relevant for outsourcing

  • Security and confidentiality considerations

  • Managing the relationship with providers

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