Non-governmental organizations, or NGOs, were first called such in Article 71 of the Charter for the newly formed United Nations in 1945. While NGOs have no fixed definition, they are generally defined as nonprofit entities independent of governmental influence. Since 1945, it is indisputable that operational NGOs working on addressing environmental, social and human rights matters played a huge and critical role in our global society.
Why NGOs are exposed to FX Risk
Most NGOs operate on an international level, typically receiving funding from governments, private donations and grants. Due to their multinational setup, they are usually also exposed to a significant degree of financial risk, ranging from exposure in foreign exchange to physical security related to delivering cash into a war-zone.
At Just, we cannot help with the latter, but we can help any NGO that are exposed to FX. We can help them better understand the level of FX pricing they receive from banks, increase their internal FX reporting capabilities, and manage their FX strategy in a more optimal manner.
How NGOs can manage their FX costs and FX risk
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is the first NGO to use Just FX Analytics. NRC is an independent humanitarian organization helping those that are forced to flee. They work across 30 countries, where they help save lives and rebuild futures. Annually, they assist more than 8,5 million people around the world.
Given their global nature, their financials are naturally exposed to FX. To manage exposure in a good manner they have established a pool of counterparty banks that assists with delivering funds in the right currency where they are needed.
"Before we started to use Just, we didn’t have a good way of evaluating the rates our banks gave us. Now, Just FX Analytics helps us measure how different banks price our FX flow on different currencies, enabling us to optimize our trading process, and improve our internal policy reporting. This helps us ensure that we can maximize the amounts for those in need”. Espen Ruud, Head of Finance, NRC.
If you work for an FX exposed NGO that works hard every day to improve human rights, improved health or encourage political participation you also, most likely, qualify for a free subscription to Just FX Analytics. Get in touch here to talk to us.