What is FX exposure, and how do you track it in Metabase?
Definition
FX exposure is the reporting-currency value at risk from balances, receivables, payables, and committed cash flows denominated in foreign currencies. Gross exposure shows both sides; net exposure applies an approved netting policy by currency and entity.
Formula: Net FX exposure by currency = foreign-currency assets and inflows - liabilities and outflows, translated at the valuation rate
What data do you need?
- Foreign-currency cash balances
- Open receivables and payables by currency and due date
- Committed transfers or forecast cash flows
- Approved spot or accounting rates with timestamps
- Legal-entity and hedging or netting rules
SQL pattern
Net exposure by currencyPostgreSQL
SELECT
valuation_date,
currency,
SUM(native_amount) AS net_native_exposure,
MAX(reporting_fx_rate) AS reporting_fx_rate,
SUM(native_amount * reporting_fx_rate) AS reporting_currency_exposure
FROM modeled_fx_exposure
WHERE valuation_date = {{valuation_date}}
AND currency <> {{reporting_currency}}
GROUP BY 1, 2
ORDER BY ABS(SUM(native_amount * reporting_fx_rate)) DESC;Common pitfalls
Netting across legal entities without policy approval.→ Report gross and net views and apply entity-level netting rules explicitly.
Mixing FX rates from different timestamps.→ Use one approved valuation set and retain rate source and timestamp.
Showing only cash balances.→ Include material receivables, payables, and committed flows for economic exposure.
Where does this metric apply?
This metric commonly uses data from Wise, Airwallex, NetSuite, SAP, Plaid, Paystack, Flutterwave, plus any reconciled warehouse or ledger models that provide the same business grain.
Related
Dashboards
Integrations
Metrics
Analytics
FAQ
Is FX exposure the same as realized FX gain or loss?
No. Exposure is the amount at risk at a point in time; realized gain or loss comes from settlement against booked rates.
Which rate should I use?
Use the treasury or accounting-approved rate for the dashboard purpose and show its source and valuation time.