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Conclusion
ALM has evolved since the early 1980's. Today, financial firms are increasingly using market value accounting for certain business lines. This is true of universal banks that have trading operations. Techniques of ALM have also evolved. The growth of OTC derivatives markets has facilitated a variety of hedging strategies. A significant development has been securitization, which allows firms to directly address asset-liability risk by removing assets or liabilities from their balance sheets. This not only eliminates asset-liability risk; it also frees up the balance sheet for new business.
Thus, the scope of ALM activities has widened. Today, ALM departments are addressing (non-trading) foreign exchange risks as well as other risks. Also, ALM has extended to non-financial firms. Corporations have adopted techniques of ALM to address interest-rate exposures, liquidity risk and foreign exchange risk. They are using related techniques to address commodities risks. For example, airlines' hedging of fuel prices or manufacturers' hedging of steel prices are often presented as ALM. Thus it can be safely said that Asset Liability Management will continue to grow in future and an efficient ALM technique will go a long way in managing volume, mix, maturity, rate sensitivity, quality and liquidity of the assets and liabilities so as to earn a sufficient and acceptable return on the portfolio.
Concluded.
* Contributed by -
Sayonton Roy,
MBA (Finance), IMT Ghaziabad,
Currently working as Consultant - Global Financial Services (Risk and Business Solutions Group) at Ernst & Young, Mumbai.
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