This strategy utilizes options. Options are derivatives (derivatives are financial instruments whose value is derived from the value of another instrument, e.g foreign currency in our example) which give their holder the right but not the obligation to buy/sell foreign currency at preset prices (called the Exercise Price). A call option on a foreign currency is the right but not the obligation to buy a foreign currency at the Exercise price while a put option is the right but the not the obligation to sell the foreign currency at the Exercise Price.
Going back to the Safaricom example, let’s assume that Safaricom now decides to hedge its transaction exposure using options. Recall that the firm has a $1,000,000 payable due in one year. For simplicity comparison purposes, let’s assume that the exercise price of the dollar is KES 88. To hedge a payable, we use call options on the foreign currency. Our call option will give us the right (BUT NOT THE OBLIGATION) to buy the dollar at KES 88. This means that we will exercise our call option only if the exchange rate exceeds KES 88. If the future actual exchange rate turns out to be lower than KES 88, e.g. KES 79 like in our previous example, we will forfeit the option and buy the dollar at KES 79. Conversely, if Safaricom has a receivable of $1,000,000, it will buy a put option which will give it the right but not the obligation to sell its dollars at the exercise price (KES 88). Thus Safaricom will exercise its put option iff (if and only if) the actual price at year end is below KES 88. If for instance the actual price of the dollar will be KES 85, Safaricom will invoke its option and sell the dollar at KES 88 but if the actual price is KES 95, there is no gain to be made from the put option and the firm will simply forfeit it.
As we have seen, options are thus a great way to preserve the prospective gains of hedging firms from exchange rate movements while protecting against prospective detriment posed by the same.