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通胀和加息压力下,中小企业如何活下去?

全球中小企业在所有企业中的占比达到90%,创造了接近70%的就业和国内生产总值。

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中等规模公司正在另辟蹊径,以满足自身的资金需求。图片来源:WITTHAYA PRASONGSIN —— 盖蒂图片社

国际货币基金组织(International Monetary Fund)的最新数据显示,全球通胀率达到7%。通胀升高及其对收入的影响,是我们不得不接受的现实,这是当前宏观经济环境的一部分。媒体每天都在曝光一些清晰的迹象,证明我们已进入一个新世界,至少是与过去20年全球经济趋势截然不同的时代。

虽然我们经常从对消费者的影响这个角度谈论通货膨胀,但关键在于,我们必须清楚通胀的影响并不局限于普通人。它还会影响人们任职的公司,以及人们购买商品或服务的商家,而且其中绝大多数都是中等规模的公司。

据世界经济论坛(World Economic Forum)统计,全球中小企业在所有企业中的占比达到90%,创造了接近70%的就业和国内生产总值。然而由于规模较小,一旦发生经济动荡,中小企业通常会受到更严重的影响。

面对通胀压力,各国接连调整货币政策,试图控制通胀。过去12个月中,利率大幅升高。在大金融危机之后,低成本获得资金的时代已一去不复返。

面对通货膨胀,银行业的财政保守和审慎是自然反应。中小企业通常无法像大公司一样轻松地从公共资本市场获得资金,因此他们必须另辟蹊径以获得资金,同时仔细审查公司可用的资本结构和融资选项。

我们发现更多中等规模公司选择资本结构多元化,包括通过以不同货币发行债券选择低成本融资,或者考虑非传统融资途径等。例如,我们发现私人债务领域持续增长。

中等规模公司正在采用流动性优化解决方案,包括虚拟资金池或目标余额结算等,以减少他们对信贷机构的过度依赖。通过这些方式,公司可以在地理上重新分配现金,并减少透支风险。公司的财务官还在寻找回报更高的资产,同时平衡交易对手风险和流动性要求。我们发现公司对短期和流动性更强的投资项目更感兴趣,如定期存款。

另外一种常见的策略是通过囤积原材料,减少通货膨胀对供应链的影响。但这种做法可能导致成本上涨,并提高流动性要求,导致公司需要额外流动资金。

虽然保证资金来源是公司要解决的问题之一,但我们经常会告诉客户,要摆脱当前的困境,提高效率和以批判性思维思考公司的需求与可消费项目才是关键。放弃“业余项目”,心无旁骛地投资核心主张或产品,才能提高公司的韧性。对自己和团队要做到残忍和诚实,这从长远来看将给你带来好处。

提高经营模式的灵活性同样大有裨益,你可以根据不同收入来源和整个行业的趋势调整方向和进行投资。经过过去四年的混乱,有一个事实变得显而易见:敏捷的公司,不受五年计划约束或目标灵活的公司,能够存活下来甚至繁荣发展。

灵活敏捷还意味着公司能够发现并且抓住更多机会。尤其是大公司或更成熟的中等规模公司,在当前的经济压力下,能够找到非营运式成长的良机。看看其他公司。想想业内有哪些小公司或者互补性的公司,能够增强你的价值主张。我们目前处在一个买方市场,因此应该考虑经过深思熟虑的战略扩张的机会。

虽然高通胀给中等规模公司带来了挑战,但也为这些公司创造了优化业务运营和提高效率的机会,让他们可以认真思考公司坚持的立场,以及他们想为全世界和客户创造什么价值。(财富中文网)

本文作者塔斯尼姆·吉亚瓦德瓦拉现任花旗商业银行(Citi Commercial Bank)的全球负责人。

Fortune.com上发表的评论文章中表达的观点,仅代表作者本人的观点,不代表《财富》杂志的观点和立场。

翻译:刘进龙

审校:汪皓

中等规模公司正在另辟蹊径,以满足自身的资金需求。

国际货币基金组织(International Monetary Fund)的最新数据显示,全球通胀率达到7%。通胀升高及其对收入的影响,是我们不得不接受的现实,这是当前宏观经济环境的一部分。媒体每天都在曝光一些清晰的迹象,证明我们已进入一个新世界,至少是与过去20年全球经济趋势截然不同的时代。

虽然我们经常从对消费者的影响这个角度谈论通货膨胀,但关键在于,我们必须清楚通胀的影响并不局限于普通人。它还会影响人们任职的公司,以及人们购买商品或服务的商家,而且其中绝大多数都是中等规模的公司。

据世界经济论坛(World Economic Forum)统计,全球中小企业在所有企业中的占比达到90%,创造了接近70%的就业和国内生产总值。然而由于规模较小,一旦发生经济动荡,中小企业通常会受到更严重的影响。

面对通胀压力,各国接连调整货币政策,试图控制通胀。过去12个月中,利率大幅升高。在大金融危机之后,低成本获得资金的时代已一去不复返。

面对通货膨胀,银行业的财政保守和审慎是自然反应。中小企业通常无法像大公司一样轻松地从公共资本市场获得资金,因此他们必须另辟蹊径以获得资金,同时仔细审查公司可用的资本结构和融资选项。

我们发现更多中等规模公司选择资本结构多元化,包括通过以不同货币发行债券选择低成本融资,或者考虑非传统融资途径等。例如,我们发现私人债务领域持续增长。

中等规模公司正在采用流动性优化解决方案,包括虚拟资金池或目标余额结算等,以减少他们对信贷机构的过度依赖。通过这些方式,公司可以在地理上重新分配现金,并减少透支风险。公司的财务官还在寻找回报更高的资产,同时平衡交易对手风险和流动性要求。我们发现公司对短期和流动性更强的投资项目更感兴趣,如定期存款。

另外一种常见的策略是通过囤积原材料,减少通货膨胀对供应链的影响。但这种做法可能导致成本上涨,并提高流动性要求,导致公司需要额外流动资金。

虽然保证资金来源是公司要解决的问题之一,但我们经常会告诉客户,要摆脱当前的困境,提高效率和以批判性思维思考公司的需求与可消费项目才是关键。放弃“业余项目”,心无旁骛地投资核心主张或产品,才能提高公司的韧性。对自己和团队要做到残忍和诚实,这从长远来看将给你带来好处。

提高经营模式的灵活性同样大有裨益,你可以根据不同收入来源和整个行业的趋势调整方向和进行投资。经过过去四年的混乱,有一个事实变得显而易见:敏捷的公司,不受五年计划约束或目标灵活的公司,能够存活下来甚至繁荣发展。

灵活敏捷还意味着公司能够发现并且抓住更多机会。尤其是大公司或更成熟的中等规模公司,在当前的经济压力下,能够找到非营运式成长的良机。看看其他公司。想想业内有哪些小公司或者互补性的公司,能够增强你的价值主张。我们目前处在一个买方市场,因此应该考虑经过深思熟虑的战略扩张的机会。

虽然高通胀给中等规模公司带来了挑战,但也为这些公司创造了优化业务运营和提高效率的机会,让他们可以认真思考公司坚持的立场,以及他们想为全世界和客户创造什么价值。(财富中文网)

本文作者塔斯尼姆·吉亚瓦德瓦拉现任花旗商业银行(Citi Commercial Bank)的全球负责人。

Fortune.com上发表的评论文章中表达的观点,仅代表作者本人的观点,不代表《财富》杂志的观点和立场。

翻译:刘进龙

审校:汪皓

The reality of higher inflation–7% on a global level according to the latest data from the International Monetary Fund–and its tangible impact on our wallets is a challenge we’ve all come to accept as a part of the current macroeconomic climate. There isn’t a day that goes by without some clear indication in the headlines that we are in a new world–or at least one that breaks from the past 20 years of global economics.

While inflation is usually spoken about in terms of the impact on consumers, it is critical to remember that the impact isn’t isolated to the average person on the street. It also affects the companies those people work for and purchase goods or services from, the vast majority of which are mid-sized corporates.

Small and medium-sized enterprises represent 90% of all companies and are responsible for close to 70% of jobs and gross domestic product globally, according to the World Economic Forum. Yet, due to their smaller scale, SMEs are often disproportionately affected by economic turbulence.

With inflationary pressures comes a litany of national monetary policy changes, which attempt to get inflation under control. Interest rates have increased significantly over the last 12 months. The era of cheap access to capital, a hangover from the Great Financial Crisis, has ended.

A natural response to inflation is fiscal conservation and prudence across the banking system. This then drives the need to innovate in financing whilst carefully examining the capital structures and funding options available to companies that don’t typically have easy access to public capital markets like large corporates do.

We’ve seen an uptick in mid-sized corporates moving to diversify their capital structures by including lower-cost financing options through debt issuances in a variety of currencies or considering funding sources that perhaps wouldn’t have been part of their traditional fundraising routes. Private debt, for example, is one area we’ve seen grow.

Mid-sized companies are moving toward liquidity optimization solutions to reduce their overreliance on credit facilities, including notional pooling or target balancing. These allow them to geographically redistribute pockets of cash and reduce overdraft exposure. Treasurers are also hunting for better returns on assets while balancing counterparty risks and liquidity requirements. We’ve seen an increased interest in short-term and more liquid investment options such as time deposits.

Another common approach is a strategy to mitigate the impact of inflation on supply chains by stockpiling raw materials. However, this approach may result in higher costs and increased liquidity requirements leading to a need for additional working capital.

While securing financing is one part of the puzzle, we often tell our clients that finding efficiencies and critically thinking about what you need and what’s expendable is key to weathering the current headwinds. Letting go of “hobby projects” and focusing on investing in your core proposition or product is what leads to resilience. Be brutal and honest with yourselves and with your teams–it will serve you well in the long run.

Building out flexibility in your operating model can also help as you can shift direction and invest in alignment with the trends you’re seeing in your revenue segments and your broader industry. With the tumult we’ve seen in the last four years, it has become abundantly clear: companies that are nimble, those not wed to five-year plans or rigid in their goals, are the ones that survive and even thrive.

Being nimble and flexible also means having the ability to identify opportunities and being in a position to seize them. This is especially the case for larger or more sophisticated mid-sized corporates that can find, in the midst of these economic pressures, golden opportunities for inorganic growth. Look around. Think about your smaller peers or complementary companies in your space that may add to your value proposition. We are in a buyer’s market, so opportunities for strategic and carefully considered expansion should be considered.

While higher inflation comes with its own set of challenges for mid-sized corporates, it does come with opportunities to optimize operations, drive efficiencies, and think truly about what your company stands for and what you aim to bring to the world and your customers.

Tasnim Ghiawadwala is the global head of Citi Commercial Bank.

The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary pieces are solely the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of Fortune.

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