Tesco 2015 Annual Report Download - page 125

Note 22 Financial risk factors continued
The impact on the Group Statement of Comprehensive Income from changing exchange rates results from the revaluation of financial liabilities used
as net investment hedges. The impact on the Group Statement of Comprehensive Income will largely be offset by the revaluation in equity of the hedged
assets. The sensitivity movements in equity includes £100m (2014: £310m) in relation to loans to Group entities that form part of their net investment.
Capital risk
The Group’s objectives when managing capital (defined as net debt plus equity) are to safeguard the Group’s ability to continue as a going concern in order
to provide returns to shareholders and benefits for other stakeholders, while protecting and strengthening the balance sheet through the appropriate balance
of debt and equity funding. The Group manages its capital structure and makes adjustments to it, in light of changes to economic conditions and the strategic
objectives of the Group.
To maintain or adjust the capital structure, the Group may adjust the dividend payment to shareholders, buy back shares and cancel them, or issue new shares.
The Group finances its operations by a combination of retained profits, debt capital market issues, commercial paper, bank borrowings, disposals of property
assets and leases. The policy for debt is to ensure a smooth debt maturity profile with the objective of ensuring continuity of funding. This policy continued
during the financial year with bonds redeemed of £1,493m (2014: £208m) and £2,095m of new bonds issued (2014: £844m). The Group borrows centrally
and locally, using a variety of capital market instruments and borrowing facilities to meet the Group’s business requirements of each local business.
Refer to Note 30 for the value of the Group’s net debt (£8.5bn; 2014: £6.6bn), and the Group Statement of Changes in Equity for the value of the Group’s
equity (£7.1bn; 2014: £14.7bn).
Tesco Bank
Interest rate risk
Interest rate risk arises where assets and liabilities in Tesco Bank’s banking activities have different repricing dates. Tesco Bank policy seeks to minimise
the sensitivity of net interest income to changes in interest rates. Potential exposures to interest rate movements in the medium to long-term are measured
and controlled through position and sensitivity limits. Short-term exposures are measured and controlled in terms of net interest income sensitivity over
12months to a 1% parallel movement in interest rates. Tesco Bank also use Economic Value Equity (‘EVE’) for risk management purposes with focus on the
value of Tesco Bank in today’s interest rate environment and its sensitivity to changes in interest rates. Interest rate risk is managed using interest rate swaps
as the main hedging instrument.
Liquidity risk
Liquidity risk is the risk that Tesco Bank is unable to meet its payment obligations as they fall due. Liquidity risk is managed within Tesco Bank’s banking
activities and adheres to the liquidity requirements set by the Prudential Regulation Authority (‘PRA’). Tesco Bank’s Board has set a defined liquidity risk
policy and contingency funding which is prudent and in excess of the minimum requirements as set out by the PRA and by Tesco Bank. A diversified portfolio
of high-quality liquid and marketable assets is maintained. Cash flow commitments and marketable asset holdings are measured and managed on a daily
basis. Tesco Bank has sufficient liquidity to meet all foreseeable outflow requirements as they fall due and its liquidity risk is further mitigated by its well
diversified retail deposit base and a pool of surplus cash resources that are invested in a range of marketable assets.
Credit risk
Credit risk is the potential that a bank borrower or counterparty will fail to meet its obligations in accordance with agreed terms. Credit risk principally arises
from the Bank’s retail lending activities but also from the placement of surplus funds with other banks and money market funds, investments in transferable
securities and interest rate and foreign exchange derivatives. In addition, credit risk arises from contractual arrangements with third parties where payments
and commissions are due to the Bank for short periods of time.
Retail credit policy is managed through the credit risk policy framework with standards and limits defined at all stages of the customer lifecycle, including new
account sanctioning, customer management and collections and recovery activity. Customer lending decisions are managed principally through the deployment
of bespoke credit scorecard models and credit policy rules, which exclude specific areas of lending, and an affordability assessment which determines a
customer’s ability to repay an outstanding credit amount. Wholesale credit risk is managed using a limit-based framework, with limits determined by
counterparty credit worthiness, instrument type and remaining tenor. A limits framework is also in place for the management of third party credit exposures.
Ineffective management and controls over the emerging asset quality of the Group’s lending portfolios could expose the Group to unacceptable levels of bad
debt. The Group’s asset quality is reflected through the level of its impairment by lending type. Asset quality profiles are regularly monitored and reported
to the appropriate senior management team and risk committees.
123Tesco PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015
Other informationGovernance Financial statementsStrategic report