Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific

12/13/2011 >> CEO Forum VIII in Bhutan on GNH warmly received

ADFIAP has successfully held the 8th edition of its annual CEO conference and networking event (CEO Forum VIII) with the theme “Financing for Development in Pursuit of Gross National Happiness”, on December 5-7, 2011 in Thimpu, Bhutan. Hosted by the Financial Institutions Associations of Bhutan (FIAB), the event was attended by about 70 delegates from ADFIAP members, partner organizations and other invited guests from 17 countries. The event was also supported by the Association of DFIs of Malaysia (ADFIM).

The conference theme evolved around the four pillars of Gross National Happiness or GNH – the promotion of sustainable development, preservation and promotion of cultural values, conservation of the natural environment, and establishment of good governance – the same areas that ADFIAP has been advocating for. There were two (2) technical sessions held on the theme. In Technical Session I, Dasho Karma Ura, discussed the philosophy and principles of GNH while Ms. Eden Dema, Deputy Governor of the Bhutan Central Bank, spoke about the importance of financial inclusion in the country. In Technical Session II, the topics focused on development banking and how it relates to the four pillars of GNH and included the following: (1) “Environmental Finance Programs” presented by Mr. Uwe Ohls, Director General for Europe & Asia, KfW Bankengruppe and Mr. Tajekiro Sueyoshi, Special Advisor, UNEP Finance Initiative in the Asia-Pacific region (2)“Financial Inclusion Programs” elaborated on by Mr. Sushil Muhnot, Chairman & Managing Director of the Small Industries Development Bank of India and Mr. Omar Bin Othman, General Manager & Chief Financial Officer, Tekun Nasional Malaysia; (3) “Institutional Capacity Building Programs for DFIs” presented by Mr. Isidro Sobrecarey, Vice President and Chief of Staff, Chairman’s Office, Development Bank of the Philippines and (4) “Good Governance Programs” presented by Mr. Nihal Fonseka, ADFIAP Chairman & CEO/Director, DFCC Bank and Mr. Irfan Yasar, Deputy General Manager, Development Bank of Turkey.

Mr. Kipchu Tshering, President, FIAB and CEO of Bhutan National Bank Limited, and Mr. Nihal Fonseka, ADFIAP Chairman and CEO of DFCC Bank, gave the welcome remarks to the delegates. His Excellency Lyonchen Jigmi Y. Thinley, Prime Minister of Bhutan, delivered the inaugural speech. Mr. Octavio B. Peralta, ADFIAP Secretary General, gave the vote of thanks.

12/13/2011 >> CGC’s Datuk Wan Azhar elected ADFIAP Vice Chairman

The ADFIAP Board of Directors, in its 74th Meeting on December 6, 2011 held in Thimpu, Bhutan, has elected Datuk Wan Azhar Bin Wan Ahmad, Managing Director of the Credit Guarantee Corporation (CGC) Malaysia Berhad, as new ADFIAP Vice Chairman.

Datuk Wan Azhar rose from the ranks since he joined the CGC in 1993 as Manager. He was promoted Assistant General Manager in 1995 and further promoted to Chief Executive Officer in 1997. In 2000, he was appointed to the Board of Directors as Managing Director of the Corporation.

Datuk Wan Azhar also holds directorship and membership with the following organizations: Credit Bureau Malaysia (Board Member & Chairman); UK-based equity funding institution (Board Member); Aureos CGC Advisers; Small Debt Resolution Committee (Member); Association of Development Finance Institutions of Malaysia (Council Member); and ADFIAP (Board Member, prior to his election as ADFIAP Vice Chairman).

12/13/2011 >> ADFIAP session on sustainability reporting attracts CEO interest

Delegates attending the CEO Forum VIII (please see related story) held in Thimpu, Bhutan, expressed interest to learn more and eventually go into sustainability reporting after attending the special session on sustainability reporting conducted by Mr. Enrique Florencio, ADFIAP’s Head of Knowledge Management Unit and Sustainability Officer. Mr. Enrique Florencio is a Certified Sustainability Assurance Practitioner.

During the special session, Mr. Florencio discussed the latest trends as well as the basic steps or processes on sustainability reporting, using the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) reporting framework. The GRI is a network-based organization that has pioneered the development of the world’s most widely used sustainability reporting framework. Mr. Florencio pointed out the importance of reporting using the triple bottomline or ESG in the form of sustainability strategy, with sustainability reporting and management integrated into the core business operations and development missions.

For interest on how ADFIAP can assist in producing your sustainability report using the GRI guidelines, please contact the ADFIAP Secretariat at inquiries@adfiap.org

12/13/2011 >> KfW to serve as Independent Director in ADFIAP Board

KfW Bankengruppe, Germany’s promotional bank, will serve as an Independent Director in the ADFIAP Board of Directors (BOD) based on the affirmation of Board members attending the 74th BOD meeting on December 6, 2011 in Thimphu, Bhutan held in conjunction with the CEO Forum VIII. ADFIAP now has two Independent Directors, with the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) occupying the other seat. The ADFIAP constitution allows for three (3) Independent Directors from among non-voting members of the Association. Until further notice, Ms. Barbara Schnell, Division Chief, Financial and Private Sector for Asia, will represent KfW in the ADFIAP Board.

KfW’s relationship with ADFIAP dates back to 1979 when KfW was instrumental in the founding of the World Federation of Development Financing Institutions (WFDFI) wherein ADFIAP is a founding member. KfW http://www.kfw.de/kfw/en/index.jsp is one of the leading and most experienced promotional banks in the world. Established in 1948 as a public law institution, KfW is owned 80% by the Federal Republic of Germany and 20% by the federal states. As a promotional bank, KfW Bankengruppe applies its expertise and strength to sustainably improve the economic, social and ecological conditions of people´s lives in Germany and abroad.

12/13/2011 >> ADFIAP’s corporate citizenship program featured in CIPE’s bulletin

The ADFIAP program on institutionalizing and improving responsible corporate citizenship in DFIs has been featured in the latest issue (No. 50) of the Center for International Private Enterprise’s (CIPE) “Overseas Report” http://www.cipe.org/publications/overseas/pdf/CIPE_OR_50_Fall%202011.pdf. The article, written by Ms. Anna Nadgrodkiewicz, Program Officer of CIPE’s Global unit, covers the rationale, structure, activities and results of the program funded through a grant from CIPE.

ADFIAP’s corporate citizenship program builds on the Association’s successful multi-year corporate governance project http://www.governance-asia.com/ that was also supported by CIPE. The program is based on a sound corporate citizenship framework that entails four key elements: governance and ethics, people, environment, and contribution to development.

Among the activities of the program were five training events, the first of which was a regional workshop held in Manila and attended by 30 DFI representatives from 10 countries and four national seminars conducted in Ha Long City, Vietnam hosted by the Development Bank of Vietnam (August 24-26, 2011), in Bangkok hosted by the SME Development Bank of Thailand (September 26-28, 2011), in Mumbai, India, hosted by the IDBI Bank (October 7-8, 2011) and in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, hosted by the Association of Development Finance Institutions of Malaysia (November 2-4, 2011).

CIPE http://www.cipe.org/ is a non-profit affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and one of the four core institutes of the National Endowment for Democracy. CIPE has supported more than 920 local initiatives in 105 developing countries, involving the private sector in policy advocacy and institutional reform, improving governance, and building understanding of market-based democratic systems. CIPE programs are also supported through the United States Agency for International Development.

12/13/2011 >> ADFIAP’s annual meeting planning featured in Mix magazine

ADFIAP’s annual meeting strategy and approach has been featured in Asia’s creative meetings magazine, Mix,http://www.panaceapublishing.com/content/mix a bi-monthly publication of Panacea Publishing International’s Hong Kong office. The article, entitled “Planning Ahead” is in the “Inside Knowledge” section of the magazine and presents ADFIAP’s annual meeting planning from site selection, preparation through implementation. The article subtitle mentions that while ADFIAP’s annual meeting is usually no more than a three-day event, its planning and organisation can take a whole year and then elaborates on how the Association does it to make sure its conference successful. For the article, please click on this link, MIX – ADFIAP featured article in Inside Knowledge

12/13/2011 >> ADFIAP welcomes 2 new members

Upon approval by the Board of Directors during their 74th Meeting in Thimpu, Bhutan, ADFIAP welcomed in its roster two (2) new members – People’s Credit & Finance Corporation (PCFC) and Avantage Venture – bringing the total number of ADFIAP members to 131 in 45 countries and territories.

Philippine-based PCFC was established by virtue of Memorandum Order 261 and Administrative Order 148 to provide affordable credit to the marginalized sector. Republic Act 8425 of 1998 or the Social Reform and Poverty Alleviation Act further strengthened the role of PCFC as the lead government entity specifically tasked to mobilize resources for microfinance services for the exclusive use of the poor. Following its mandate to provide the poor access to credit and other microfinance services to uplift their economic status, PCFC wholesales short, medium and long-term investment loans to accredited microfinance institutions (MFIs). These are rural and cooperative banks, thrift banks, non-government organizations and cooperatives that implement credit assistance programs using any proven microfinance lending methodology to finance livelihood projects that can augment the income of targeted poor clients.

Hongkong-based Avantage Ventures was founded by Chandran Nair and Yvonne Li. It is a boutique investment and advisory firm fostering sustainable development by promoting investments in social ventures that effect positive social and environmental change while demonstrating financial viability. The firm’s core mission is to create a marketplace for social capital by addressing the information and funding gaps in the impact investing industry.

12/13/2011 >> ADFIAP, ISU-MDI to continue partnership

ADFIAP met with the Illinois State University’s Office of International Studies and Programs Management Development Institute (ISU-MDI) delegation at the Association’s headquarters in Makati City to further improve its decade-long partnership on providing joint training and capacity-building programs on development finance, project management, human resource management and finance management. It will be recalled that ISU hosted the ADFIAP Board’s 57th meeting at its campus in Bloomington, Illinois on September 24, 2002.

Dr. Momar Ndiaye, Dr. Alberto Pena and Ms. Grace S. Brown, Director, Associate Director and Administrative Aide, respectively, met with ADFIAP’s Secretary General, Mr. Octavio B. Peralta and Ms. Sandra C. Honrado, Senior Executive for Training, and discussed further strengthening of cooperation, including new programs that could consist of both online and face-to-face training courses. The delegation also visited ADFIAP members and other educational institutions in the Philippines.

MDI http://internationalstudies.illinoisstate.edu/mdi/ is the focal point for development management training seminars at ISU. Founded in 2002, MDI provides participants with the necessary knowledge and skills to succeed in a challenging and continuously changing world.

12/13/2011 >> ADFIAP receives Hand-in-Hand India study mission

ADFIAP met with and briefed a three-man study mission from Hand-in-Hand, an Indian non-governmental organization with an international outreach working on and advocating for uplifting the situation of the poor through self-help groups (Jobs for Growth), child labour eradication and education, citizens’ centre enterprises, health and environmental programs. The ADFIAP Secretariat and Consulting group discussed, among others, ADFIAP and its members’ work as well as microfinance in the Philippines with Messrs. Hemantha Kumar Pamarthy, N. Jeyaseelan and Srinivas Krishnaswamy, Managing Director and Directors, of Hand-in-Hand Microfinance Limited and Hand-in-Hand India, respectively. The meeting was also an opportunity to explore potential areas of cooperation between the two institutions, particularly in training and capacity-building in the areas of social enterprise and microfinance.

Hand-in-Hand http://www.hihindia.org/ is an Indian public charitable trust registered in 2002 but has been in operation since 1988 in Kancheepuram District in Tamil Nadu. Over time, its activities have expanded based on the demands from the rural communities where it operates and has developed an integrated strategy to address the challenges of poverty and underdevelopment.

12/13/2011 >> AC moderates session at national renewable energy forum

The ADFIAP Consulting Group (AC) was invited to attend and moderate a session at the Philippine Renewable Energy (RE) Forum organized by the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP). The well-attended event had the theme, “Moving Forward with Renewable Energy: Challenges and Opportunities” and was held on December 7, 2011 at the New World Hotel in Makati City.

The ECCP aims to establish a platform for discussing opportunities and challenges in the country’s Renewable Energy (RE) sector and for sharing best practices as well as experiences among the various stakeholders through the holding of a series of forums. The keynote address was delivered by Philippine Senator Hon. Edgardo Angara, Chairman of the Congressional Commission on Science, Technology and Engineering.

The invited panelists were RE end-users, developers, technology and finance providers as well as technical cooperation partners, who shared their perspectives and first-hand experiences on various opportunities and challenges in the RE sector, particularly in wind, solar, hydro and bioenergy.

Atty. Alberto B. Reyno, AC Managing Partner, acted as moderator for the session on “Making RE Project Financing Accessible” where issues on RE financing programs were discussed by panelists from IFC, DBP and BPI. AC Group Head, Ms. Cora Conde and Programs and Projects Head, Ms. Arlene Orencia, also participated in the forum.

11/29/2011 >> ADFIAP speaks at UNDP-Japan regional forum on SMES

On invitation of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Country Office for Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei Darussalam, ADFIAP represented by its Secretary General, Mr. Octavio B. Peralta, spoke on “Development Banks and SME Financing: The ADFIAP Experience” before 40 delegates from 18 countries, highlighting the Association’s work and advocacy on SME development and growth as well as its member-DFIs’ financing programs for the important economic sector.

The regional forum and workshop on SME policies and institutional reforms was held on November 23-24, 2011 in Kuala Lumpur and was jointly organized and supported by the Government of Japan under the South- South and Triangular Cooperation for SME Development in Asia project, the UN’s Special Unit for South-South Cooperation located in UNDP, TechnoNet Asia, SS-GATE, and SIRIM Berhad.

The event was aimed at building on and facilitating exchange of knowledge about SME development among senior-level policy makers and stakeholders responsible for SME development from governments and the private sector. The dialogue also presented a strategic opportunity and a common platform for the participants to discuss challenges for SME development as well as the best means to support SME development, especially in light of increasing regional integration.

The workshop was divided into three main sessions, namely, regional Integration and coordination and impact on SMEs; implementing institutional support for SMEs and innovation in financial mechanisms; and new tools to increase and improve SME access to capital. The program also included visits to Intrade Malaysia 2011, an annual trade expo that connects trade exhibitors, buyers and visitors to global markets; and to SIRIM Berhad, Malaysia’s technology research, development and quality standard-setting group. The event was also an occasion to learn more about SS GATE (South-South Global Assets and Technology Exchange), a global platform that provides business facilitation to exchange technology, assets, services and financial resources for SMEs and TechnoNet Asia, a regional network sharing technology for SMEs.

11/28/2011 >> ADFIAP arranges study mission of Bhutan member, RICBL

On the request of its member, the Royal Insurance Corporation of Bhutan Limited (RICBL), the ADFIAP Secretariat has arranged a study mission for the RICBL group to three insurance companies in Manila from November 21-22, 2011 to learn from the Philippine insurance industry’s best practices. The RICBL delegation was comprised of its key management officers.

The delegation’s first visit was at the ADFIAP Secretariat where they were informed of the Association’s current programs and services. Ms. Sandy Lim, Events Management and Membership Consultant and Mr. Enrique Florencio, Knowledge Management Unit Head and Sustainability Officer, briefed the group. The second visit was at the DBP Insurance Brokers, Inc. (DIBI), a subsidiary of Philippine member, Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), where they were welcomed and briefed by its President, Mr. Manuel Quijano. The third visit was at the Philippine Insurers and Reinsurers Association (PIRA), an organization that represents the collective interest of the country’s non-life insurance industry, where they met with key officers of PIRA’s several members and discussed and learned from them the best practices in the non-life and life insurance business. The group also visited the Federal Phoenix, one of the leading independent non-life insurance companies of the Philippines, where they were briefed by its President and CEO, Mr. Mon Dimacali and Senior Insurance Practitioner, Mr. Rey de Dios.

For members interested in study missions, the ADFIAP Secretariat in Manila, through its Country Host Program, is equipped to organize such visits in different countries in the region. For request, please email
the ADFIAP Secretariat at inquiries@adfiap.org

11/28/2011 >> AC, Eastern Telecom, E-Storm mull tie-up for SME development

ADFIAP Consulting (AC) recently met with Philippines’ Eastern Telecom and Singapore-based E-Storm Technologies to discuss, among others, a possible partnership involving the implementation of an SME portal that would address the various bottlenecks to SME growth and development, among others, access to finance.

Eastern Telecom and the Financial Executives of the Philippines (FINEX), with inputs from the Department of Trade and Industry, are developing a portal where SMEs can avail of their key requirements, namely: access to affordable funding, access to knowledge and on-line productivity tools, and access to market opportunities. Banks, IT and other service providers are welcome to participate and provide services which SMEs need. The portal will also have a dynamic data base where the registered SMEs, banks, and service providers, as well as academic and development institutions can access information and do research work. The portal will use the latest in cloud computing technologies such that it is viewable anywhere and anytime using any device that can connect to the internet. This initiative is envisioned to be a platform that will be adapted and replicated by other countries for their own SME development programs.

ADFIAP, being at the forefront of SME development through its member-DFIs in 45 countries in Asia and the Pacific, is an ideal key player in the promotion and successful implementation of the aforementioned initiative. The meeting was attended by Ms. Cora D. Conde, AC Group Head, Atty. Alberto Reyno, AC Managing Partner, Ms. Arlene S. Orencia, Head, AC Projects and Programs, Ms. Cecilia M. Ibarra, Head, AC Advocacy and Training, Mr. Edwin Domingo, Head of Sales, Business Development & Corporate Planning of Eastern Telecom and Ms. Eka Mardiarti, Sales Director of Singapore-based E-Storm Technologies.

11/23/2011 >> ADFIAP speaks on green computing, sustainability reporting at computer society forum

On invitation of the Philippine Computer Society (PCS), ADFIAP, represented by its Knowledge Management Head and Sustainability Officer, Mr. Enrique Florencio, spoke about sustainability reporting and the role of the technology sector in national sustainable development during the monthly networking meeting of the PCS on November 17, 2011 at the Microsoft Headquarters in Manila, Philippines. The event was attended by about 50 participants from various technology groups, associations and organizations in Manila.

In his presentation, Mr. Florencio discussed the basics in coming up of a sustainability report. He also stressed the important role of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) practitioners, software and hardware developer in promoting green computing. In addition, Mr. Florencio encouraged the participants to effectively address the environmental impacts of computing by adopting a holistic approach and make the entire IT lifecycle greener by addressing environmental sustainability along the following four complementary paths on green use, green disposal, green design, and green manufacturing.

The ADFIAP Secretariat is now further equipped to assist members prepare and enhance their sustainability reporting. For interest on how the Secretariat can help members in their sustainability reporting process and practice, please email inquiries@adfiap.org

11/22/2011 >> ADFIAP partners with ADB for its Asian Urban Forum 2011

On invitation by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), ADFIAP is one of the partners of the multilateral financial institution’s Asian Urban Forum 2011 held from November 15-17, 2011 at the ADB Headquarters in Manila. The forum, with the theme “Financing Future Cities”, explored the range of financing mechanisms for infrastructure investments currently available to promote green, competitive and inclusive cities. This was done through sharing of experiences in new enabling frameworks and planning systems for urban infrastructure investment, explaining and discussing the use of new financing structure and investments, and showcasing project proposals and discussing practical financing potentials.

The forum focused on financing green, competitive and inclusive investments that are the thrusts of the new ADB Urban Operational Plan which was launched during the event. Leading figures in public and private financing and urban development discussed how innovative financing mechanisms support and promote technologies and approaches that make cities environmentally-friendly, energy efficient, competitive and inclusive. In-depth discussions on the three themes of environment, competitiveness and inclusiveness followed introductory presentations in parallel break-out sessions that elicited inputs from the participants. The forum was capped by a panel discussion on how the key topics can be taken forward by governments, multilateral development banks, the private sector and development agencies. Specifically, the panel commented on key tasks that need to be done, by whom, how and how this is going to be funded.

The event was attended by over 300 ministers, CEOs and other decision-makers in both the public and private sector, drawn from national and urban financing agencies in Asia, Asian cities and their network organizations, private sector financiers, equity providers and international organizations.

ADFIAP’s shared its expertise, knowledge and experience on its members’ green finance initiatives and projects by participating in the forum. ADFIAP was represented in the event by the ADFIAP Consulting Team led by Ms. Cora D. Conde, Group Head; Atty. Alberto B. Reyno, Managing Principal; Ms. Cecilia M. Ibarra, Head-Advocacy and Training; and Ms. Arlene S. Orencia, Head-Programs and Projects.

11/18/2011 >> IDF conducts 6th Core Development Banking Program, grants credentials to 15 DFI officers

ADFIAP’s Institute of Development Finance (IDF) has granted the credential “Associate in Development Banking” to fifteen (15) DFI officers who have successfully completed the 6th edition of its Core Development (CoreDev) Banking Program, held on November 14-18, 2011 in Manila, Philippines. This brings to a total of 100 officers from DFIs worldwide who now have completed this credentialing program which started in 2004. The fourteen successful participants were from Bhutan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Vanuatu, and the Philippines.

CoreDev is Level 1 of the two-level ADFIAP Career Credentialing Program (ACCP). Level II is the Development Bank Management (DevMan) Program. ACCP is a process of accrediting and recognizing the professional competence of a development banker and is open to professional staff of development banks and financial institutions engaged in the financing of development, members of ADFIAP, as well as any other development finance organization or association with which ADFIAP has a working relationship.

CoreDev consists of two (2) modules. The first module, “Principles and Practices of Development Banking”, provides an understanding on economic development models and theories and the role and evolution of development banks. It also provides pertinent knowledge and skills on the operational policies and workings of a development bank as well as the nature of development projects, the role of the development bank in project management, project design and appraisal, and in the technical and financial aspects of project design. The second module, “Design and Appraisal of Development Projects”, provides for an appreciation of the different aspects of project investment design and how the financial and economic aspects fit into the overall investment plan submitted by a loan client. In addition, the module includes appraisal techniques that distinguish between purely private-oriented investments and development projects.

Aside from lectures and workshops, the participants made an institutional visit to the Land Bank of the Philippines, one of the top-tier DFI in the country, where they were briefed on how the Bank assess projects that are submitted for loan request, its existing credit and equity facilities, its risk management programs and other current development initiatives.

The main resource person is Dr. Alberto Peña, Professor and Associate Director of the Office of International Studies and Programs at the Illinois State University, U.S.A. For more information on ADFIAP’s credentialing programs, please visit the IDF microsite at http://www.adfiap.org/idf/

11/16/2011 >> ADFIAP organizes study tour program for Bank of Bhutan

Upon request of its member – the Bank of Bhutan (BOB) – ADFIAP has designed and organized a 3-country, 11-day study tour program for BOB in the Philippines (November 7-10), Singapore (November 10-13) and Malaysia (November 13-17) to learn good industry practices of different financial institutions in the countries mentioned. The delegation included six senior Board and management officials of the Bank.

The program aims to broaden the knowledge and appreciation of BOB’s key people on product development strategies and policies, outreach and IT system as well as human resource development and practices of the similar financial institutions in the region. The Manila programme included visits at the ADFIAP Secretariat, the Planters Development Bank, and the Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) Savings Bank. In Singapore, the group visited the AFC Merchant Bank, the Banking Computer Services (BCS), Singapore Clearing House, the United Overseas Bank and E-Storm, an IT company. In Kuala Lumpur, the visits included Bank Negara Malaysia (Central Bank of Malaysia), CIMB Bank, Malaysia Debt Venture, Affin Bank and KJSB, Th Saujana, an IT company.

On request, the ADFIAP Secretariat in Manila is equipped and well-connected to design, structure and organize study tour programs for its members. For interest, please email the ADFIAP Secretariat at inquiries@adfiap.org

11/15/2011 >> ADFIAP presents green finance initiatives at APRSCP conference

On invitation of the EU-funded SWITCH Asia Programme, ADFIAP, represented by Datuk Wan Azhar Wan Ahmad and Octavio B. Peralta, Board Member and Secretary General, respectively, made presentations on green finance initiatives before the delegates to the 10th Annual Conference of the Asia-Pacific Roundtable on Sustainable Consumption and Production (APRSCP) held on November 9-11, 2011 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The event, attended by over 300 participants from 28 countries, had the theme, “Sustainable Consumption and Production: Leading to Green Business, from Local Initiative to Global Winner” and was hosted by Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Indonesia and Indonesia Solid Waste Association (InSWA), with support from the Indonesia Center for Cleaner Production (ICPC), Ministry of Industry, Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology, and the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.

Datuk Wan Azhar, CEO of Credit Guarantee Corporation (CGC) Malaysia Berhad http://www.iguarantee.com.my/iguarantee/, presented the CGC-managed Green Technology Financing Scheme (GTFS) that was established by the Malaysian government to promote investments in green technology, a sector that is envisaged to be one of the emerging drivers of economic growth for the country. Investment in green technology refers to products, equipment, or systems which satisfy the following criteria: (a) minimises the degradation of the environment (b) has zero or low green house gas (GHG) emission (c) safe for use and promotes healthy and improved environment for all forms of life (d) conserves the use of energy and natural resources or (e) promotes the use of renewable resources. Mr. Peralta, on the other hand, presented ADFIAP’s environmental governance practices and advocacies as well as the green finance programs of the Association’s member-institutions.

The aim of SWITCH Asia Programme http://www.switch-asia.eu/ is to promote sustainable consumption and production (SCP) in Asia by working simultaneously on the ground with projects that target producers and consumers. At the same time, the programme addresses the level of policy-making by supporting formulation and implementation of SCP-related policies while its network facility connects project, policy makers and stakeholders in the world of SCP. APRSCP http://www.aprscp.net/ is a forum of Asia-Pacific countries concerning of the implementation aspects of sustainable consumption and production.

11/15/2011 >> ADFIAP, ADFIM conduct Malaysian program on corporate citizenship

Under the CIPE-funded program on corporate citizenship, ADFIAP and its counterpart organization, the Association of Development Finance Institutions in Malaysia (ADFIM), conducted the national seminar-workshop on “Institutionalizing Responsible Corporate Citizenship in Development Financial Institutions” on November 2-4, 2011 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The 3-day program was structured to give a more relevant and practical perspective of the different facets and models of corporate citizenship/CSR through discussions and presentations by Malaysian speakers, representing, among others, big corporations in the country like FC Corporation, Institute of Integrity Malaysia, and Bank Rakyat.

One of the highlights of the event was the visit to Proton Holdings Bhd, the country’s only automobile manufacturing company, where the participants appreciated and understood better occupational health and safety issues, which is an essential element of corporate responsibility. Another was the visit to SME Corporation, Malaysia’s coordinating agency for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), where the participants gained a broader appreciation of the sector as a CSR program by itself because of its economic and social impacts on the stakeholders. A large percentage of workers in the country are employed by this sector.

Attendees from ADFIM member-institutions were formally welcomed by Mr. Dzulkifli Fadzilah, ADFIM Chairman and CEO of Pebadanan Usahawan Nasional Berhad Malaysia PUNB). ADFIAP was represented by Ms. Sandra C. Honrado, Senior Executive on Programs. Dr. Cesar Saldana, ADFIAP’s adviser on governance and risk management, was the main resource speaker and facilitator.

For more information on the ADFIAP-CIPE corporate citizenship program, please go to the ADFIAP Responsible Citizenship (ARC) Institute microsite by clicking on this link: http://www.adfiap.org/arc/

11/02/2011 >> ADFIAP-partnered SMART-Cebu project wins top Southeast Asia peer award

The SMEs for environmental Accountability, Responsibility and Transparency (SMART-Cebu ) project bested nine (9) other EU SWITCH-Asia projects, garnering the top award during the SWITCH-Southeast Asia Networking Meeting held in Jakarta, Indonesia on October 25-27, 2011.

The top peer award is a recognition by SWITCH-Asia project colleagues in the subregion that SMART-Cebu, complete with its green financing component undertaken by ADFIAP, has the best project presentation and coverage.

ADFIAP is part of the consortium of organizations participating in the 3-year SMART-Cebu project. The project is implemented by SEQUA gGmbH in cooperation with ADFIAP, the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP), Effizienz Agentur NRW (EFA), Cebu Fashion Accessories Manufacturers and Exporters (Cebu FAME), Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation (CFIF) and Cebu Gifts Toys and Housewares (Cebu GTH). The project is aimed at increasing the competitiveness and productivity of Cebu SMEs through their respective chambers of industries by instituting sustainable consumption and production (SCP) related processes, such as cleaner production and energy and resource efficiency, to meet the green standards of the European and Asian markets.

ADFIAP’s main role in the project is to advocate for SCP through training and technical assistance and provision of green financing by DFI-members. The Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) and Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP), both ADFIAP members, have green financing programs and are looking at opportunities in developing focused lending programs for the SMART Cebu SMEs.

SMART-Cebu was represented in the event by Project Director Thomas Ritter of SEQUA, ECCP Vice President Gerry Constantino, and ADFIAP Consulting Group Head, Ms. Cora Conde.

For more information on the SMART-Cebu project, please visit http://www.smartcebuproject.com

10/25/2011 >> ADFIAP, Planters Bank host ASrIA briefing on climate change & sustainable investment

ADFIAP, in cooperation with its member, Planters Development Bank (PDB), hosted an executive briefing on “Climate Change and Sustainable Investment in Asia” for the Association for Sustainable & Responsible Investment in Asia (ASrIA) and its new initiative called, the Asia Investor Group on Climate Change (AIGCC). The half-day by-invitation-only forum was held on October 25, 2011 at PDB’s SME Center premises in Manila. Including PDB, a total of 20 participants attended the event from Land Bank of the Philippines, Development Bank of the Philippines, Philippine Export-Import Credit Agency, Al-Amanah Islamic Investment Bank of the Philippines, BOT-ASKI Foundation and China Bank.

The briefing, which is part of an ADFIAP and ASrIA cooperation, is aimed at raising awareness of the financial risks and opportunities associated with climate change, and provided learning to as well as knowledge-sharing among the participants to help them in their investment and lending decisions. A sector-specific workshop on measuring the sustainability of real estate investment was also part of the event.

ADFIAP Secretary General Mr. Octavio B. Peralta gave the opening and closing remarks to the participants and moderated the forum. The two main resource persons of the event were ASrIA Chairman, Ms. Alexandra Tracy, who introduced ASrIA and the AIGCC, and Dr. Christine Chow, AIGCC Director.

ASrIA www.asria.org is a not-for-profit membership association dedicated to promoting corporate responsibility and sustainable investment practices in Asia and the Pacific region.

10/24/2011 >> ADFIAP hosted by ITB Asia 2011

On invitation by the Singapore-based Messe Berlin Pte Ltd, ADFIAP, represented by its Knowledge Management Head, Enrique I. Florencio, was hosted by the organizers of ITB Asia 2011, a B2B trade show and convention, held on October 19-21, 2011 at the Suntec Singapore & Convention Centre. The event, now in its 4th year and supported by the Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau, was attended by about 500 delegates from associations, organizations and businesses from 28 countries around the globe.

ITB Asia is an annual three-day event where international exhibitors of all sectors of the travel-value chain, Asia-Pacific’s leading travel companies, and emerging small and medium-sized enterprises meet with top international buyers from the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions), leisure and corporate travel markets. The trade show featured a full range of travel products, services and goods.

The conference was a unique event for the participants as it was an excellent platform for them to learn from their experiences and to share with each other updates on infrastructural facilities, latest database systems for online registration, techniques and other related services for planning and organizing meetings and conferences in their respective countries.

Invited speakers during the event were active industry professionals who spoke about the new trends, best practices and experiences on the industry. ADFIAP’s attendance in the ITB Asia is part of its mainstreaming and visibility initiatives.

10/19/2011 >> ADFIAP briefs SWITCH Asia Network field consultation team

To identify lessons learned by all stakeholders involved in SMART Cebu project, Mr. Julio Andrés Rozo Grisales, a consultant of the UNEP/Wuppertal Institute Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production (CSCP) visited the ADFIAP Secretariat on October 17, 2011 and met with ADFIAP Secretary General, Mr. Octavio B. Peralta, ADFIAP Consulting (AC) Group Head, Ms. Cora  Conde, AC Head for Programs, Ms. Arlene Orencia and Development Bank of the Philippines’ AVP Ms. Anita Salayon and Ms. Leonore Tianco.

The meeting was organized through the SWITCH-Asia Network Facility http://www.switch-asia.eu/ which is being managed by CSCP as a platform to generate knowledge and to share experiences that enable the promotion of sustainable consumption and production (SCP), the development of social, environmental and economic impact benchmarks, and to propagate the replication of good practices. The network is funded by a grant from the European Union (EU) through its SWITCH Asia Programme that aims to promote SCP patterns among Asian small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

ADFIAP is part of the consortium of organizations undertaking the 3-year EU grant-funded SMART Cebu project http://www.smartcebuproject.com/. Other partners include SEQUA and NfW of Germany. SMART Cebu stands for SMEs for Environmental Accountability, Responsibility and Transparency in Cebu. The project is aimed at increasing the competitiveness and productivity of Cebu SMEs through their respective chambers of industries in three sectors, namely, furniture and furnishings, fashion accessories, and gift, toys and house wares by instituting sustainable consumption and production (SCP) related processes and practices in, among others, cleaner production, energy and resource efficiency as well as to contribute to an overall greener environment.

ADFIAP’s main role in the project is to advocate for SCP through training, technical assistance and potential lending programmes by DFI-members to these sectors in their pursuit of environmentally-responsible, economically-viable and socially-oriented projects which are within the scope of work and advocacies of the Association. The Development Bank of the Philippines and Land Bank of the Philippines, both ADFIAP members, have green financing programs and are looking at opportunities in developing lending programmes for the SMART Cebu SMEs.

10/19/2011 >> AC invited to IMF economic report launch

The ADFIAP Consulting (AC) Group was invited by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (Central Bank of the Philippines – BSP) in the launching of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Report on Regional Economic Outlook for Asia and the Pacific on October 17, 2011 at the BSP Assembly Hall.  The report contains the assessment of the IMF on recent economic developments and policy challenges in Asia and the Pacific with focus on the theme “Navigating an Uncertain Global Environment While Building Inclusive Growth”.

BSP Governor Amando M. Tetangco, Jr, in his opening remarks and presentation of the report, cited BSP’s initiatives on inclusive growth and its advocacy on microfinance and financial inclusion. Sessions were held on the topics “The Asia-Pacific Economic Outlook and Policy Changes” presented by Mr. Anoop Singh, Director of the Asia and Pacific Department of the IMF and on “Building Inclusive Growth in Asia” presented by Dr. Vivek Arora, Assistant Director of the Asia and Pacific Department of the IMF.

In attendance were the BSP Monetary Board Members and top-ranking officials from financial institutions, industry associations, government agencies, NGOs and the academe, who gave their own reactions and views on the regional economic outlook and actively participated in the ensuing Q& A.

The AC team was represented in the event by its Group Head, Ms. Cora Conde, and Programs and Projects Head, Ms Arlene Orencia.  In the photo with Ms. Conde and Ms. Orencia is Monetary Board Member Alfredo C. Antonio, former Chairman of the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), an ADFIAP member.

10/12/2011 >> AC invited to “green economy” forum

On invitation of Germany’s GIZ (formerly GTZ), ADFIAP Consulting (AC) participated in a high-level forum with the theme, “Greening the Philippine Economy: Getting Ready for the Future Today” organized by the German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (GPCCI) and GIZ on October 7, 2011 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Manila. The event, which featured a panel of experts from Germany, Korea, and the Philippines, was attended by over 200 delegates from various government agencies, public and private business organizations, regulatory bodies and environmental practitioners.

The forum, which is on its 3rd run this year, was aimed at creating a broader awareness on the Philippine government’s perspectives, direction and initiatives on its “green economy” aspirations; deepening understanding of the emerging concepts, practices and impacts of green economy; and disseminating information on existing green finance windows for government and business enterprises. It has also afforded the participants to exchange and share new ideas, best practices and trends in renewable energy as well as to develop partnerships among private sector, green businesses and social entrepreneurs.

The AC team was represented in the event by its Group Head, Ms. Cora Conde, Managing Principal Atty. Bert Reyno, Programs and Project Head, Ms Arlene Orencia, and Advocacy and Training Head, Ms. Cecille Ibarra. ADFIAP’s Knowledge Management Unit Head, Mr. Enrique Florencio, also joined the AC team.

10/06/2011 >> ADFIAP now in GRI’s network of organizational stakeholders

Advancing on with its sustainability mandate, ADFIAP is now included in the Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) Organizational Stakeholders (OS), a worldwide network that demonstrates their commitment to transparency, accountability and sustainable development. The OS is an integral part of GRI’s governance.

As part of the network, ADFIAP aims to further enhance its quality service to its members by stepping up sustainability practices and by setting up frameworks and guidelines at the core of their development mission. Among the benefits of being in this program are access to regional exclusive OS events; monthly on-line meetings on sustainability reporting topics, news on GRI projects and networking opportunities; free sustainability report services; GRI application level check and matchmaker program, news and discounts on all GRI events and publications; exclusive GRI OS logo for use on websites, presentations and publications; and an opportunity to promote ADFIAP events on GRI’s website.

The GRI Sustainability Reporting Guidelines is the de facto world standard for sustainability reporting. ADFIAP has started its integrated sustainability reporting since 2008 under these guidelines. For more details about GRI OS program, please click http://www.globalreporting.org/aboutgri/joingri/

10/05/2011 >> ADFIAP, SME Bank Thailand conduct national corporate citizenship seminar

Thirty one (31) officers from development banks and other financial institutions in Thailand successfully completed the national program on “Institutionalizing Responsible Corporate Citizenship in Development Financial Institutions” conducted by ADFIAP in cooperation with its member-bank, the SME Development Bank of Thailand, on September 26-28, 2011 at the Grand Mercure Fortune Hotel in Bangkok. The seminar-workshop is the second of a series of four national programs under the grant project supported by the Washington, D.C.-based Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE). The objective of this program was to increase awareness on and to implement corporate citizenship best practices in the development finance sector.

The seminar-workshop followed the regional program held in Manila in July and the first national program held in Hanoi, Vietnam last August. The third national program will be conducted in Mumbai, India in October and the fourth will be held in Kuala Lumpur in November.

In addition to the main resource speaker in the person of Dr. Cesar Saldana, ADFIAP’s adviser on governance and risk management, Thai speakers representing big corporations in country, namely, the PTT Group, Siam Cement Group, Krung Thai Bank, and SME Bank presented and discussed with the participants the different facets and models of their respective corporate citizenship/CSR projects that have been integrated into their business operations.

Mr. Soros Sakornvisava, President and Managing Director of SME Bank Thailand formally welcomed the participants while Ms. Sandra C. Honrado, ADFIAP Senior Officer for Programs, gave the welcome remarks. The occasion was also graced by Mr. Sirichai Sakornrattanakul, Advisor of the Stock Exchange of Thailand, who presented an overview on corporate citizenship/CSR in Thailand.

For more details on the corporate citizenship project, please click on this link: http://www.adfiap.org/arc/rcc/

10/26/2010 >> ADFIAP speaks at financial inclusion forum in China

ADFIAP, represented by its Secretary General, Octavio B. Peralta, spoke before 46 participants from government ministries, NGOs, microfinance institutions and the academe in 18 countries at a financial inclusion conference held on October 20-22, 2010 in Shanghai, PRC. The event was organized by the ADB Institute, the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) and the Asia-Pacific Finance and Development Center (AFDC) in Shanghai, PRC.

The theme of the conference, “Financial Inclusion: Trends, Challenges and Policies for Rebalancing Growth” dealt with issues on financial inclusion through microfinance and micro small and medium enterprise (MSME) support as well as surrounding aspects such as risk mitigation, information sharing and legal framework.

Mr. Peralta took the opportunity to introduce ADFIAP to the audience and highlight the Association’s environmental governance initiatives and its members’ green financing programmes.

ADBI www.adbi.org was established in 1997 to respond to two needs of ADB’s developing member-countries: (1) development management training and (2) exchange of ideas on policy issues.

ABAC www.abaconlinne.org was established by the economic leaders in November 1995 in response to a call for a private sector body that could advise the APEC leaders on matters of primary importance to business in the region.

AFDC www.afdc.org.cn is a public institution directly under the administration of the Ministry of Finance, China that aims to strengthen capacity building in the region through training workshops, forum and academic research.

10/26/2010 >> ADFIAP invited to SWITCH Asia Networking Meeting

As part of its mainstreaming and partnering initiative, ADFIAP was invited by the EuropeAid Cooperation Office and the SWITCH-Asia Network Facility to participate in the 2nd SWITCH-Asia Networking Meeting held in Beijing, China on October 12-14, 2010 The theme of the meeting was “Advancing Sustainable Consumption and Production in Asia.”

The international event gathered about120 participants including representatives from the SWITCH-Asia funded projects, SWITCH–Asia Network Facility project partners, government officials from Asian countries, officials from the European Commission and its delegations to Asia.

The SWITCH-Asia meeting is held annually to provide a platform for the participants to share their experiences on the ongoing SWITCH-Asia project implementation and exchange views and knowledge on effective replication mechanisms of successful sustainable consumption and production (SCP) practices in Asia. There are 30 projects being implemented under the SWITCH-Asia programme in 15 out of the 19 eligible countries in Asia. The projects are funded by the European Union (EU).

ADFIAP is a partner in one of the three projects under implementation in the Philippines, the SMART Cebu project which aims to increase the competitiveness of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in 3 sectors in Cebu in southern Philippines by implementing and marketing cleaner production in compliance with SCP standards.

Discussions in the various interactive workshop sessions during the meeting focused mainly on effective replication mechanisms of successful SCP practices in Asia and on good communication practices in dissemination of project results and achievements, especially how the projects can prepare a good exit strategy

ADFIAP was represented in the meeting by Mr. Alberto Reyno of the ADFIAP Consulting group. He was also one of the four panelists during the closing session where he emphasized that to ensure the sustainability of the SCP movement, SMEs must be assisted to become bankable. He explained that most SMEs cannot access formal finance because banks are hesitant to lend to them for a variety of reasons. This situation affects SMEs’ operational sustainability and their ability to adopt processes that are consistent with SCP principles. At the same time he said, banks have to be equipped with the tools they need to evaluate SME projects, identify and mitigate credit risks in SME lending and assess the management competencies of SME managers.

10/18/2010 >> ADFIAP represented at Regional Investment Conference

As a supporting organization of the 10th Pacific Region Investment Conference and on invitation of the Asia Pacific Association for Fiduciary Studies (APAFS), ADFIAP attended the event on October 14-15, 2010 at the New World Hotel in Manila and was represented by the ADFIAP Consulting’s Head of Projects and Programs, Ms, Arlene Orencia.

The event, which brought together about 400 expert fiduciaries and investment professionals from all over the region, including some member-DFIs of ADFIAP, was designed to equip them in exercising prudent fiscal stewardship as well as to provide them with the platform to gain knowledge and understanding of the current economic issues.

APAFS, formed by a forward thinking group for fiduciaries from throughout the diverse geographical area of the Asia Pacific region, is a non-profit educational association with the aim of providing educational forums for fiduciaries to better exercise prudent stewardship of the funds entrusted to their care.

09/29/2011 >> ADFIAP chairs ASrIA conference session on sustainable finance

As part of its cooperation agreement with the Association for Sustainable and Responsible Investment in Asia (ASrIA), ADFIAP, represented by its Secretary General, Mr. Octavio B. Peralta, chaired a plenary session on Asian regional round up on sustainable finance. The panel discussion afforded Mr. Peralta to highlight the role and programs of ADFIAP member-DFIs in advocating for sustainable finance, which in the context of ADFIAP, means supporting projects and activities that are socially-beneficial, environmentally-responsible and economically-viable.

The 10th year anniversary event of ASrIA held on September 28-29, 2011 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel Hong Kong was attended by over 200 hundred delegates from its members, partners and affiliates and had the theme, “Scaling up Sustainable Finance in Asia” which covered topics such as sustainability in traditional asset classes and alternative assets, climate-focused investment products, shareholder engagement, impact investing, ESG and related issues.

ASrIA www.asria.org is a non-profit membership association that fosters the creation of socially-responsible investment (SRI) products and services by and for asset owners, investment managers, ESG research houses, investment and professional service providers, corporate and civil society organizations.
ADFIAP and ASrIA signed a memorandum of cooperation in December 2010 that covers a wide range of programs and activities in sustainable finance and related themes. Both organizations started working together in 2005.

09/23/2011 >> ADFIAP speaks at IDB Forum

On invitation of the Inter American Development Bank (IDB). ADFIAP, represented by its Secretary General, Mr. Octavio B. Peralta, spoke about the key issues and challenges of development finance institutions (DFIs) in Asia and the Pacific as well as current and future opportunities for DFIs to pursue such as green banking, MSME finance, rural finance, etc.

The forum, jointly organized by IDB and ALIDE, the regional DFI association in Latin America and the Caribbean, was held on September 22, 2011 at the Hamilton Crowne Plaza Hotel in Washington, D.C. Over 30 participants, mostly CEOs and senior officers of Latin American DFIs and associations, participated in the event with the theme, “Challenges and Opportunities for Public Development Banks”. Other presentations included case studies on financing for housing, renewable energy, SME consulting, innovation promotion, infrastructure, agriculture, guarantee fund, microfinance and related areas.

The forum was opened by Ms. Julie Katzman, IDB Executive Vice President, Mr. Kurt Focke, IDB Chief of Capital Markets and Financial Institutions and Mr. Rodrigo Sanchez Mujica, FIRA Mexico Director General and present ALIDE President. Mr. Fernando de Olloqui, IDB Lead Specialist of financial markets, acted as the forum director and moderator.

09/20/2011 >> ADFIAP organizes APEC dialogue on financial inclusion

ADFIAP, through its consulting and advisory group, ADFIAP Consulting (AC), has organized successfully the APEC-supported operational dialogue on innovative financial inclusion policies with the theme, “Accelerating Financial Inclusion in Asia and the Pacific” on September 15, 2011 in Honolulu , Hawaii . The event brought together 24 policy makers, regulatory officials and experts on financial inclusion from 10 APEC member-economies. ADFIAP acted as technical coordinator and content provider for the event on behalf of the Philippine Department of Finance which is the project’s overseer.

The conference was undertaken to further advance the new inclusive growth agenda launched during 17thAPEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Singapore in November 2009, focused on the implementation of the leaders’ instructions to build capacity and map strategies and programs related to the agenda. The dialogue offered an opportunity in promoting inclusive finance given that large segments of the region’s economies still lack access to financial services. Among the topics discussed were national strategy and regulatory framework for effective financial inclusion, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) access to finance, micro-insurance, movable asset registry, credit information bureau and client protection.

The conference, which included a workshop, also afforded the participants the opportunity to share each other’s country experiences and to formulate a draft financial inclusion definition and action plan that will accelerate APEC’s agenda in member-economies. The presentation materials can be download below.

Presentation Materials

• Accelerating Financial Inclusion in Asia and the Pacific: An Operational Dialogue on Innovative Financial Inclusion Policies
• Financial Inclusion Consumer Protection in the Philippines
• Registry for Movable Assets: Easing SME Access to Credit
• Crafting Frameworks for Effective Financial Inclusion: The Philippine Experience
• Financial Inclusion and Microinsurance
• Peruvian Credit Information Registry (CIR) & Financial Inclusion

09/19/2011 >> ADFIAP supports “The Karlsruhe Declaration”, a message to Rio+20

As current Secretariat of the World Federation of Development Financing Institutions (WFDFI), ADFIAP has co-organized together with its partner, E-TECH Germany, the 1st WFDFI Global Sustainable Finance Conference held on September 8-9, 2011 in Karlsruhe, Germany which was the venue for 58 participants from 25 countries in 5 continents to draft and issue “The Karlsruhe Declaration”, a set of statements enjoining development banks and other financial institutions, development organizations, government bodies, the academe and civil society to do their respective share in the pursuit of sustainable development.

Specifically, the world development bank association sends a message to the Rio+20 that it will continue to use, through its member-institutions, their finance and investment resources and skills as levers to promote and pursue sustainable finances policies, practices and programs to alleviate the effects of climate change and other environmental and social problems besetting the world today.

The Rio+20 or the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/ will take place in Brazil on June 4-6, 2012 to mark the 20th anniversary of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro and the 10th anniversary of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg. It is envisaged as a conference at the highest possible level, including heads of state and government and other representatives.

Please refer to the “The Karlsruhe Declaration” below.

(Drafted by the delegates attending the 1st Global Sustainable Finance Conference held on September 8-9, 2011 in Karlsruhe, Germany under the auspices of the World Federation of Development Financing Institutions (WFDFI) composed of regional associations in Africa (AADFI), Asia-Pacific (ADFIAP), Latin America and the Caribbean (ALIDE) and the Middle East (ADFIMI). The event, organized by ADFIAP and ETECH Germany, was also an occasion to launch the Global Sustainable Finance Network (GSFN), a voluntary membership global initiative that brings together financial institutions and other stakeholders committed to the advancement of sustainable finance).

Recognizing that finance and investment are an essential resource in advancing sustainable development do hereby:

• Acknowledge that economic activity at current levels consumes more of the Earth’s living and non-living resources than it can sustainably re-generate;

• Note that the momentum towards a green development and growth paradigm, of which “green economy” is an integral part, is essentially driven by a profound shift in public opinion which has generated a positive response from policy makers, development institutions, financial institutions, civil society, and industry;

• Stress that Rio+20 is a major milestone on the road to sustainable development and a unique opportunity to achieve agreement on significant innovations to ensuring economically, socially and environmentally sustainable development;

• Applaud the substantial progress made in the years since the first Rio conference to further the social and economic dimensions in context of UNDP’s HDR/HDI and the World Bank’s World Development Report;

• Underscore the urgent need for Rio+20 to prioritize the environmental dimension of sustainable development;

• Agree that the further development of existing indexes to more fully incorporate environmental concerns merits particular attention;

• Recognize the important contribution to the methodological agenda made by the Report of the Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress (2010);

• Acknowledge that integrating the economic value of ecosystems into national income accounts is key to achieving sustainable development, including a commitment at Rio+20 to implementing this by 2030;

• Support, therefore, accelerated development of standards, methodologies, and tools for the “greening” of national accounts (ref. WAVES and TEEB), including an agreement on a concrete road map for achieving this at Rio+20;

• In particular, call for enhanced efforts to overcome statistical and measurement challenges, which may facilitate the incorporation of the environmental dimension into the Human Development Index of the HDR.

• Encourage the development of measures to enable stakeholders, including financial institutions, to effectively and efficiently manage the risks of sustainability.

09/19/2011 >> ADFIAP leads launch of WFDFI Global Sustainable Finance Network

ADFIAP, together with its partner E-Tech Germany, joint organizers of the 1st Global Sustainable Finance Conference, provided the technical support and venue for the launch of the World Federation of Development Financing Institution’s (WFDFI) Global Sustainable Finance Network (GSFN), a voluntary membership-based global initiative that aims to bring together financial institutions and other stakeholders committed to the advancement of sustainable finance.

The launch was held during the conference on September 8-9, 2011 in Karlsruhe, Germany that attracted 58 delegates from 25 countries across 5 continents – Africa, Asia-Pacific, North America, South America and Europe – from national and multilateral financial institutions, development agencies, associations and the academe. Among multilateral organizations represented consisted of the United Nations Environment Programme, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.

The GSFN provides for: (a) a network for financial institutions and industry partners to share experience, successes and challenges in their efforts to contribute to global sustainable development (b) a forum for the finance sector, industry partners and sustainable development experts to exchange ideas and strategies to help each other develop and execute sustainable finance policies and practices and (c) a marketplace for members to promote their sustainable finance expertise and business ideas.

For more information on the GSFN and how to join the network, please refer to the GSFN brochure and online membership form below.

09/16/2011 >> ADFIAP, AADFI visit CIPE, explore grant funding

ADFIAP and AADFI, represented by their Secretaries General, Messrs. Octavio B. Peralta and Joseph Alfred Amihere, respectively, visited the headquarters of the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) in Washington, D.C. and met with Ms. Anna Nadgrodkiewicz, Program Officer of CIPE’s Global Programs, to explore grant funding for a capacity-building program for the World Federation of DFIs. The meeting was a continuing one from the initial exploratory talks that was held in Karlsruhe, Germany during the WFDFI Board of Governors meeting there in conjunction with the 1st Global Sustainable Finance Conference held on September 8-9, 2011.

The envisioned project will be building on the experiences, results, and resources of an earlier CIPE-supported ADFIAP program called “DFIs for Corporate Governance” and the multi-regional “Responsible Corporate Citizenship” program for development banks. The new demand-driven program will cover seminars and tools to be developed along the themes on corporate governance, responsible citizenship and performance measurement. The program is expected to be on stream in mid-2012 once the documentary and the procedural requirements by the funders are satisfactorily met.

CIPE www.cipe.org strengthens democracy around the globe through private enterprise and market-oriented reform and is one of the four core institutes of the National Endowment for Democracy. CIPE’s key program areas include anti-corruption, advocacy, business associations, corporate governance, democratic governance, access to information, the informal sector and property rights, and women and youth.

09/15/2011 >> 1st Global Sustainable Finance Conference successful

The 1st Global Sustainable Finance Conference, a joint ADFIAP-E Tech Germany event under the auspices of the World Federation of Development Financing Institutions (WFDFI), was held successfully on September 8-9, 2011 at the Akademie Hotel in Karlsruhe, Germany. The conference attracted 58 delegates from 25 countries across 5 continents – Africa, Asia-Pacific, North America, South America and Europe – from national and multilateral financial institutions, development agencies, associations and the academe. Among multilateral organizations represented consisted of the United Nations Environment Programme, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.

The event with the theme, “Greening Financial Institutions” featured some 20 technical, best practice and case study presentations on sustainable finance by experts and practitioners in the field from all over the world. It was also an occasion for the WFDFI to launch the Global Sustainable Finance Network (GSFN), a voluntary membership-based global initiative that aims to bring together financial institutions and other stakeholders committed to the advancement of sustainable finance.

As an output of the conference and a message to the Rio+20, the delegates crafted the Karlsruhe Declaration that sets out the aspirations and contribution of the finance community to advance sustainable development.

Mrs. Margret Mergen, Mayor of Karlsruhe, inaugurated the conference while Mr. Nihal Fonseka, ADFIAP and WFDFI Chairman, gave the opening remarks. For more information on the conference, please visit E-Tech Germany’s website at www.etechgermany.com/.

09/14/2011 >> ADFIAP, E-Tech Germany intensify cooperation

ADFIAP and its partner, Globale Umwelt-Technologien GmbH (E-Tech Germany), have signed a memorandum of cooperation on September 9, 2011 in Karlsruhe, Germany in furtherance to their initial agreement in 2009 to continue working with each other for the advancement of sustainable finance.

In particular, the agreement covers the holding of the 2nd Global Sustainable Finance Conference under the auspices of World Federation of Development Financing Institutions (WFDFI) tentatively on the 5th and 6th of July 2012 in Karlsruhe, Germany as well as implementing programs and initiatives that contribute in the smooth functioning of the Global Sustainable Finance Network (GSFN).

These initiatives are part and parcel of ADFIAP’s sustainable development mission that is aimed at providing its members with the opportunity to learn international best practices on sustainable finance as well as to explore business models in the area of sustainable development. ADFIAP defines sustainable finance as one that considers funding projects and enterprises that are socially-beneficial, environmentally-responsible and economically-viable. Ms. Cora Conde and Ms. Heide Brueck representing ADFIAP and E-Tech Germany, respectively, signed the agreement.

E-Tech Germany www.etechgermany.com is mandated by both private and public sector organizations to initiate projects leading to the reduction of CO2 footprint. Together with its network partners from industry, research and development and education bodies as well with a range of experts covering different sectors of economy, E-Tech Germany works in the areas of sustainability management, green financing, education for sustainability; and in designing and implementing pilot projects that promote green technologies and ecological techniques, processes and practices.

09/12/2011 >> IDF runs 5th KPIs for DFIs seminar in Manila

ADFIAP’s Asia-Pacific Institute of Development Finance (IDF) conducted its 5th run of the International Seminar-Workshop on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Measuring Performance and Impact of Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) on September 5-9, 2011 at the Asian Institute of Management conference center in Manila, Philippines. Twelve (12) participants from ADFIAP member-institutions and other financial institutions in the American Samoa, Bangladesh, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Africa, and Vanuatu attended the event.

The program introduced to the participants the coverage and use of the “KPIs for DFIs Manual” developed by ADFIAP to measure the performance and development impact of DFIs using a framework that not only considers financial but also economic, social, environmental and governance performance. Topics also included accountability of DFIs to the State under a good governance framework for state-owned enterprises, presentation of a case study and template for performance of SME banks, efficiency of DFI operations, and foundation in sustainability reporting.

The seminar also afforded the participants to visit Planters Development Bank (PDB) and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) and learned first hand how the two ADFIAP member-institutions measure and benchmark their performance.

The 5-day event was formally opened by ADFIAP Secretary General, Mr. Octavio B. Peralta. The main resource person was Dr. Cesar Saldaña, ADFIAP adviser on governance and risk management, who formulated and helped develop the manual for ADFIAP. Mr. Enrique Florencio, ADFIAP Head of Knowledge Management Unit, handled the session on sustainability reporting.

For more details and interest on ADFIAP’s KPIs for DFIs manual and program, please email inquiries@adfiap.org

09/27/2010 >> AC unveils SME Access to Finance tool to bankers, policymakers

The ADFIAP Consulting (AC) team, represented by its Group Head, Ms. Cora Conde, presented the AC SME Lending Business Management System (BMS) to a group of 30 bankers and policymakers during a banking forum at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (Central Bank of the Philippines) on September 23, 2010.

The SME Lending BMS, an integrated tool for banks and other financial institutions that wish to start or enhance their existing SME lending operations, offers three standalone modules – from strategic business planning to core lending processes and technology to systems sustenance and support. The tool is in response to the perennial issue of access to finance by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through a management process that allows banks to appreciate SME lending as a “blue ocean” and better assess and mitigate risks and uncertainties usually associated with lending to the sector.

The bank forum is part of a  series  of programs and activities under the tripartite partnership of ADFIAP, the Financial Executives (FINEX) foundation and Eastern Communications to provide solutions and bridge the gap in SME lending. For more information, please email consulting@adfiap.org or inquiries@adfiap.org

08/31/2011 >> ADFIAP, Plantersbank hold forum on e-Learning

In its desire to venture into online education for its members, ADFIAP, in cooperation with Planters Development Bank (Plantersbank), conducted a briefing and workshop entitled, “Online Learning: Are we ready for IT?” The event was held on August 31, 2011 at the Plantersbank’s SME Center in Makati City, Philippines. Thirteen (13) human resources managers, training officers and managers from the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), Planters Development Bank, Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP), Al Amanah Islamic Investment Bank of the Philippines (AAIIBP), Robinsons Bank and UCPB Savings Bank attended the program.

The event covered the value of an online learning platform for organizations (Session I) and the processes in migrating offline content to an online learning system (Session II). It was also an occasion to exchange ideas on how best to implement the ADFIAP E-Learning platform that it is considering to slowly build up to roll out training modules for its members in the Internet.

Mr. Octavio B. Peralta, ADFIAP Secretary General, formally opened the event, while Mr. Vic Abainza, Unit Training Head of Plantersbank, gave the closing remarks. The main resource person was Mr. Ernesto Boydon, ICT Professor of the Asia Pacific College. For more information and questions on online learning, please email the ADFIAP Secretariat at inquiries@adfiap.org.

08/25/2011 >> KfW joins ADFIAP as Special Member

KfW Bankengruppe, Germany’s promotional bank, has joined ADFIAP as a Special Member affirming its long-term relationship with the Association that started in earnest in the 1979 when KfW was instrumental in the founding of the World Federation of Development Financing Institutions (WFDFI) http://www.wfdfi.org.ph/ whose regional DFI member-associations are ADFIAP, ALIDE http://www.alide.org.pe/ AADFI http://www.adfi-ci.org/ and ADFIMI http://www.adfimi.org/indexyeni.php.

As a Special Member, KfW joins, among others, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in this membership category. Mr. Uwe Ohls, KfW Entwicklungsbank’s Senior Vice President for Europe and Asia and Ms. Barbara Schnell, Division Chief, Financial and Private Sector for Asia, will represent KfW in ADFIAP.

In the recent past, KfW has supported ADFIAP in information-sharing and capacity-building on sustainable development finance through the provision of experts and speakers during annual meetings of ADFIAP. In August of 2007, KfW hosted ADFIAP members in Frankfurt for an ADFIAP-KfW dialogue on small and medium enterprise (SME) finance.

KfW http://www.kfw.de/kfw/en/index.jsp is one of the leading and most experienced promotional banks in the world. Established in 1948 as a public law institution, KfW is owned 80% by the Federal Republic of Germany and 20% by the federal states. As a promotional bank KfW Bankengruppe applies its
expertise and strength to sustainably improve the economic, social and ecological conditions of people´s lives in Germany and abroad. It takes particular responsibility for promoting the protection of the environment and the climate. In the year 2010, KfW Bankengruppe provided EUR 81.4 billion for industry, the environment, housing and education in Germany and around the world (previous year: EUR 63.9 billion, +27%).

08/24/2011 >> AC provides consulting and technical assistance to PIDB, initiates the PLEDGE programme

The ADFIAP Consulting (AC) Group has been engaged by the Pacific Islands Development Bank (PIDB), an ADFIAP member, to provide the Bank with consulting and technical assistance in its desire to raise and diversify its funding sources to expand its financing programs to its constituency, mainly PIDB member-islands that include Guam, Palau, Federated States of Micronesia (Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae and Yap), the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the Republic of Marshall Islands which recently accepted the Bank’s invitation to become a member.

In this regard, the AC and PIDB have initiated a programme called PLEDGE or the “Pacific Islands Logistics for Economic Development and Green Environment” that would identify pipeline projects that will meet the key development needs of the PIDB shareholders. These identified projects will be used by PIDB to source funds from bilateral and multilateral agencies to complement internally-generated funds and enable the Bank to play a more pivotal role in regional financing and development.

The PLEDGE initiative is in line with PIDB’s mission and purpose to contribute to the acceleration of the process of economic and social development of the member states, individually and collectively, and to promote regional economic cooperation, reinforce political stability, expand social interaction, and implement a program to acquire international development funding for the western Pacific Islands.

The Guam-based PIDB http://www.pacificidb.com/ is a regional development finance institution established to provide financial services, technical assistance, business advice and counseling to its members. It was created in response to the clamor for small island nations for a development institution that would focus on the pressing needs and problems of the region such as poverty reduction, improving standards of living, and providing support for productive economic activities within the region.

The AC team composed of Ms. Cora Conde, Group Head, Atty .Bert Reyno, Managing Partner, Ms. Arlene Orencia, Programs and Projects Head and Ms. Cecilia Ibarra, Advocacy and Training Head, recently conducted, as a first phase of this initiative, a two-week appraisal mission in Guam.

08/23/2011 >> ADFIAP speaks at Global CSR Summit 2011

On invitation of the Singapore-based Pinnacle Group International, ADFIAP spoke during its 3rd Annual Global CSR Summit 2011 held on August 11-12, 2011 at the Marriot Hotel, Cebu City, in Southern Philippines. More than 200 delegates attended the event.

Mr. Enrique Florencio, ADFIAP Head of Knowledge Management Unit, presented the topic “Sustainability Reporting: The Missing Link”, where he discussed sustainability reporting scenario in the Philippines as well as ADFIAP’s advocacy in promoting the relevance and value of sustainability reporting among its members. Other speakers during the event included industry leaders and experts.

The theme of the event “Beyond Sustainability” highlights the future directions of corporate social responsibility (CSR), going beyond the narrow concept of sustainability that aims at minimizing environmental harm and maintaining the status quo and towards a new paradigm of embracing innovative and cutting edge solutions that contribute beneficially to businesses, societies and the environment. The Global CSR Summit is Asia’s most prestigious event on corporate social responsibility.

08/22/2011 >> ADFIAP welcomes 2 new members, raises membership to 130

ADFIAP welcomes two new members, one from Thailand and another from India, raising the total number of ADFIAP members to 130 in 45 countries and territories, a new record high.

The Small Business Credit Guarantee Corporation (SBCG) www.sbcg.or.th/ is a state-owned specialized financial institution based in Bangkok operating under the supervision of the Thai Ministry of Finance. SBCG was established to provide support to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through guarantee and other credit enhancement measures to SMEs that have growth potential but lack collateral to access finance from banks and other financial institutions and, at the same time, increase the financial institutions’ confidence to extend and expand credit allocation to the sector. SBCG;s operation not only help boost SMEs’ capability in business and investment expansion but also encourage the emergence of new entrants, hence contributing to the country’s economic development.

ICRA Limited (formerly Investment Information and Credit Rating Agency of India Limited www.icra.in was set up in 1991 by leading financial/investments institutions, commercial banks and financial services companies as an independent and professional investment information and credit rating agency. The international credit rating agency, Moody’s Investors Service, is ICRA’s largest shareholder. The participation of Moody’s is supported by a technical services agreement which entails Moody’s providing certain high-value technical services to ICRA. Specifically, the agreement is aimed at benefiting ICRA’s in-house research capabilities and providing it with access to Moody’s global research base. Today, ICRA and its subsidiaries together form the ICRA Group of Companies (Group ICRA). ICRA is a public limited company with shares listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange.

For more details on joining ADFIAP as a member, please visit http://www.adfiap.org/members/categories-of-membership/ or email inquiries@adfiap.org.

08/19/2011 >> ADFIAP gets certification to do sustainability reporting check and verification

The ADFIAP Secretariat is now further equipped to assist members prepare and enhance their sustainability reporting. Mr. Enrique Florencio, Head of ADFIAP’s Knowledge Management Unit, attended a week-long IRCA-accredited Certified Sustainability Assurance Practitioner Training (CSAP) course and obtained a certificate as a “Certified Sustainability Assurance Practitioner”. This means that the Secretariat can now undertake independent third-party verification and assurance for members doing sustainability reporting aside from advising and guiding them in report preparation.

The certification program included topics such as: (i) best practices on sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting and assurance tools, standards, and their links to core business practice (ii) stakeholder engagement and sustainability reporting assurance (iii) standards such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Sustainability Reporting Guidelines, among others; and (iv) principles of materiality, completeness and responsiveness in evaluating sustainability reports.

For questions on how the ADFIAP Secretariat can help members in their sustainability reporting process and practice, please email inquiries@adfiap.org

08/12/2011 >> ADFIAP’s SME initiative featured in the “Power of A” website

ADFIAP’s SME Finance Initiative (SME/FI) and its other SME programs and activities have been featured in the “Power of A” website http://www.thepowerofa.org/, the Washington, D.C.-based American Society of Association Executives’ (ASAE) http://www.asaecenter.org/ vehicle to communicate the work and advocacies of associations and non-profits around the world.

The SME /FI is a knowledge and business network that puts together the resources of development banks, other specialized financial institutions, and development organizations in different countries to address specific issues in the financing of and other support services to small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The initiative was borne out of the fact that SMEs play a critical role in the sustainable growth and economic development of the Asia-Pacific region. About 90% of businesses in the region are SMEs contributing to more than 60% of employment, representing about 30% of GDP, and from 10 to 60% of manufacturing exports. SMEs were also instrumental in helping economies recover from the harsh effects of the recent global financial crisis by generating additional job and income opportunities and tax revenues for governments.

The three components of the SME/FI are: (1) The CEO Forum http://www.adfiap.org/ceo-forum/, – the dialogue and business networking event where development bank chief executives meet and learn from their own experiences as well as from experts of other organizations worldwide (2) The SME/FI website http://www.smefi.com/ the “Knowledge Net on SME Finance” and (3) The SME Training http://www.adfiap.org/idf/ and Advisory Center http://www.adfiap.org/consulting/, –  that undertakes training programs and technical assistance on SME finance to assist members strengthen their capabilities in SME banking.

Currently, SME/FI’s activities are directed towards providing a platform for SME financial inclusion initiatives at the operational level, focusing on how to bridge the financing gap between SMEs and financial institutions. These activities address what interventions SMEs need in order to succeed and become “bankable”; and what role DFIs and other financial institutions should play in advancing financial inclusion of SMEs in the region. Other activities include collaborative projects with various domestic and regional institutions, such as the Sustainable Program for SMEs project, the SME Financial Inclusion program, the EU grant-funded SMEs for Environmental Accountability, Responsibility and Transparency (SMART Cebu) project http://www.smartcebuproject.com/, international operational dialogues with key stakeholders on SME financial inclusion and setting up an apex organization to respond to the specific needs of SMEs in the region to make them more attractive to financial institutions and investors.

ADFIAP describes this strategy in pursuing this catalytic role of associations as “development by partnership” wherein it capitalizes and harnesses the strengths of like-minded institutions and works in a concerted effort with and through them to transform its SME development and finance advocacy into reality. 

08/03/2011 >> ADFIAP meets with EC Consultant on SME green financing study

In consideration of ADFIAP’s initiatives and advocacy on greening small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and on the suggestion of the EU Delegation to the Philippines, Mr. Terence Anthony Foulkes, principal expert of the Brussels-based Business and Strategies (B&S) Europe SA http://www.bseurope.com/en/index.cfm, visited the ADFIAP Secretariat office in Manila to discuss and exchange views on SMEs and green financing in relation to the “Technical Assistance and Identification Study for the Financial Component under the SWITCH Asia Programme “, a project recently awarded by the European Commission (EC) to B&S Europe.

The aim of the project is to support the EC in identifying bottlenecks for sustainable consumption and production (SCP) activities in Asia, both from the perspectives of the SMEs and financial institutions, as well as sustainable options to address them. Among other topics discussed during the meeting were SME financing by private commercial banks and what strategies can be adopted to encourage these banks to support SME investments, particularly in greening their operations in relation to SCP promotion. Also discussed are potential areas of cooperation between and ADFIAP and B&S, for instance, with ADFIAP serving as platform for SCP financing initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region.

ADFIAP Consulting (AC) represented by its Group Head, Ms. Corazon D, Conde and Ms. Cecilia M. Ibarra, Head for Advocacy and Training, met with Mr. Foulkes and shared their knowledge and practical experiences on SMEs and green financing in the Philippines and in the Asia-Pacific region.

08/02/2011 >> AC develops rural bank-based SME financial inclusion training program, runs it at Bangko Kabayan

The ADFIAP Consulting (AC) team has developed a practical and hand-on training program on small and medium enterprise (SME) financial inclusion for rural (countryside) banks, with an initial offering to Bangko Kabayan (BK), a multi-awarded rural bank located in the province of Batangas in the southern part of the main island of Luzon in the Philippines. BK has a total of 16 branches and ranks among the top 3% of rural banks in the country today.

BK has set SME banking as a key strategic goal due to business development and income opportunities that abound in its areas of operation, specifically in cross-selling of its banking products and services. To capture a larger share of the SME market, especially the small business segment, the Bank is further strengthening its SME lending infrastructure and capability to identify and spot viable projects as well as properly evaluating, measuring and mitigating risks in relation to SME lending. With the twin moves of beefing up its credit delivery system with highly-motivated personnel and complementing this with training, the Bank is confident that it can attain its objective of building up a sustainable and profitable SME loan portfolio.

The 3-month training program will be delivered through a series of highly-interactive lectures and structured learning exercises including practicum activities, supplemented by personalized coaching sessions to maximize participants’ learning spectrum. Lessons from each module will be put into action and the output from each module will be the foundation for the next module’s lecture and practicum until each participant completes the whole process of evaluating and packaging an SME loan account.

The BK program with the theme, “High-Impact Sustainable SME Finance” which was attended by 30 of the Bank’s branch managers, credit advisers and credit investigators, started with a 2-day lecture on “All About SMEs in the Philippines” and “The SME Banking Opportunity” on July 27-28, 2011. The participants are currently on practicum assignments to generate pipeline SME accounts documented by call plan reports by applying the lessons learned from the lectures.

Resource persons for the training program are AC consultants headed by Ms. Corazon D. Conde, together with Atty. Alberto B. Reyno, AC Managing Partner, Ms. Arlene Orencia, AC Projects and Programs Head and Ms. Cecilia M. Ibarra, Head of AC Advocacy and Training.

08/31/2010 >> ADFIAP participates in APEC business advisory council meeting

[SinglePic not found]On invitation by the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), ADFIAP, represented by its Secretary General, Octavio B. Peralta, attended its 3^rd Meeting in Bangkok on August 26-27, 2010, particularly its session on the APEC Financial Inclusion Initiative.

ADFIAP has been tapped to be the project overseer of an undertaking on financial inclusion entitled, “Accelerating Financial Inclusion in Asia and the Pacific: An Operational Dialogue on Innovative Financial Inclusion Policies and Practices” which will put together Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Business Providers and Development Financing Institutions” in a best practice exchange event planned to be held in Washington, D.C. in February 2011.

The ABAC was created by the APEC Economic Leaders in November 1995 to provide advice on the implementation of the Osaka Action Agenda and on other specific business sector priorities, and to respond when the various APEC fora request information about business-related issues or to provide the business perspective on specific areas of cooperation.

07/29/2011 >> IDF, MNY co-organize Islamic banking seminar for Al-Amanah Bank, DBP

ADFIAP’s Institute of Development Finance (IDF) in cooperation with the Association’s Kuala Lumpur-based member, MNY Consulting, organized a seminar-workshop on Islamic banking and finance for the Al Amanah Islamic Investment Bank of the Philippines (AAIIBP) and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), both ADFIAP members, from July 26 to 29, 2011 at the DBP Headquarters in Manila. 60 participants, mostly directors, senior officers and managers of both banks, including those from the Philippine government regulatory agencies, attended the program.

The seminar was designed to provide the participants with the knowledge and skills on the principles of Shariah (Islamic Law) and their application in Islamic banking and finance; legal and regulatory framework for Islamic banking and finance; cash management, tax, accounting and balance sheet treatment under Shairah compliance; Shariah perspective on risk management; business development and marketing strategies for Islamic banking and finance.

The seminar resource speakers, all Islamic banking practitioners from Malaysia, included Dato Mohd Noor Yusoff, Founding CEO of MNY Consulting; Prof. Dr. Ashraf Md Hasim, Head of the International Shariah Research Academy for Islamic Finance (ISRA) and Professor at the International Centre of Education in Islamic Finance (INCEIF); Ms. Lee How Fen, Director, Lee Consultancy (Singapore); Mr. Ahmad Nazir Che Yen, Senior Vice President, Islamic Treasury of CIMB Investment Bank Bhd. and Head, Money Market at CIMB Islamic Bank Bhd., and Mr. Mohd Nizam Mohamad, Head of Governance & Compliance at AmIslamic Bank Berhad.

Upon request, ADFIAP through its business units like the IDF and ADFIAP Consulting (AC) organizes and provides logistic support for its members, partners and other organizations. For more information, please email the ADFIAP Secretariat at inquiries@adfiap.org

07/25/2011 >> AC participates in energy efficiency forum

In line with ADFIAP’s environmental responsibility advocacy and upon invitation of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP), ADFIAP Consulting (AC) participated in the 2nd Philippine Energy Efficiency Forum (PEEF) held on July 19, 2011 at the SMX Convention Center in Manila.

The forum, with the theme, Synergizing Partnerships for an Energy Efficient and Competitive Philippines, focused on bringing together key stakeholders implementing energy efficiency programs. Delegates discussed initiatives and commitments from both the public and private sectors, and presented local and international best practices on energy efficiency. The forum’s ultimate objective is to synergize efforts of all stakeholders to do more as well as operate more efficiently with the limited resources to promote energy efficiency throughout the country.

Among the distinguished speakers in the forum were Hon. Jose Rene Almendras, Secretary of the Philippine Department of Energy (DOE), Mr. Hubert d’Aboville, ECCP President and Mr. Matthew Gamser, Regional Business Line Leader, Access to Finance of the International Finance Corporation (IFC).

AC was represented in the forum by Atty. Alberto B. Reyno, AC Managing Partner and Ms. Cecilia M. Ibarra, Head, AC Advocacy and Training.

The ECCP, www.eccp.com a partner of ADFIAP in the EU-funded SMART Cebu project, is a membership organization of close to 700 members and serves as the voice of the European business community in the Philippines.

07/21/2011 >> AC visits Australian APEC Study Center, explores more joint projects

Continuing ADFIAP’s initiative of strengthening ties with its development partners, ADFIAP Consulting’s (AC) Melbourne-based, Head of Business Development, Mr. Joaquin Gelvezon, visited the Australian APEC Study Center at RMIT in Melbourne to meet with its Executive Director, Mr. Kenneth Waller as well as Ms. Margot Kilgour and Ms. Briony Ingram, Manager and Projects and Programs Head of the Center, respectively. Among the topics discussed during the meeting were the recently successfully-concluded “Regional Symposium on Best Practice Regulatory Principles Supporting MSME Access to Finance” held in Manila on June 27 and 28, 2011 (please see this link for reference http://www.adfiap.org/news/adfiap-australian-apec-centre-hold-forum-on-msme-access-to-finance/); the subsequent 5-day capacity-building program for regional policy makers and regulators to be held in Melbourne, Australia in early 2012; issues on access to finance; and other future joint projects between ADFIAP and the Study Center, both of which are contributors to the work and advocacies of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) https://www.abaconline.org/v4/index.php

07/12/2011 >> ADFIAP, DBP, Land Bank, SMART Cebu partners hold green finance matching forum

ADFIAP and its Philippine-based members, the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) and Land Bank of the Philippines (Land Bank) together with the SMART Cebu project partners – the European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines (ECCP), the Gift, Toys and Housewares (GTH), the Fashion Accessories Manufacturers and Exporters (FAME) and the Cebu Furniture Industry Foundation (CFIF) – held on July 7, 2011 a “Green Finance Forum” at the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) conference facility in Cebu City, Philippines.

The goal of the forum was to inform members of the above-mentioned chambers of industries, mostly exporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs), of the lending facilities of both DBP and Land Bank for cleaner production, energy efficiency, renewable energy and other environmental loans and to have one-on-one (bank-to-SME) meetings on the specific financing needs as well as the loan terms and requirements. Over 30 participants attended the forum which also featured presentations of the ECCP (on business competitiveness and sustainability), ADFIAP (on best practices and case studies of members’ green finance programs), SMART Cebu project (on business opportunities for resource efficiency and cleaner production) and DOST (on technical and financial support on greening industries.

ADFIAP is part of the consortium of organizations undertaking the 3-year EU grant-funded SMART Cebu project under the European Commission’s SWITCH Asia programme. Other partners include SEQUA and NfW of Germany. SMART Cebu stands for SMEs for Environmental Accountability, Responsibility and Transparency in Cebu.

The project is aimed at increasing the competitiveness and productivity of Cebu SMEs through their respective chambers of industries in three sectors, namely, furniture and furnishings, fashion accessories, and gift, toys and house wares by instituting sustainable consumption and production (SCP) related processes and practices in, among others, cleaner production, energy and resource efficiency as well as to contribute to an overall greener environment.

ADFIAP’s main role in the project is to advocate for SCP through training, technical assistance and potential lending programmes by DFI-members to these sectors in their pursuit of environmentally-responsible, economically-viable and socially-oriented projects which are within the scope of work and advocacies of the Association.

The ADFIAP delegation was composed of Mr. Octavio B. Peralta, Secretary General, Ms. Corazon Conde, ADFIAP Consulting (AC) Head and Ms. Arlene Orencia, Head of AC Projects and Programs. For more details on the SMART Cebu project, please go to this site: http://www.smartcebuproject.com/

For more information on CIPE’s advocacies, initiatives and programs, please visit its website at www.cipe.org/.

07/06/2011 >> ADFIAP, CIPE launch corporate citizenship program for DFIs

ADFIAP, with financial and technical assistance from the Washington, D.C.-based Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), an affiliate of the United States Chamber of Commerce, has launched its corporate citizenship program for its member-development finance institutions (DFIs) and other like-minded financial institutions with a successful conduct of the “International Seminar-Workshop on Institutionalizing Responsible Corporate Citizenship for DFIs” on July 4-8, 2011 in Manila, Philippines. On attendance were 31 participants, mostly senior officers of ADFIAP member-DFIs and other financial institutions from Bhutan, Brunei, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Palau, the Philippines, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Tanzania.

The ADFIAP Responsible Corporate Citizenship (ARCC) Program is envisioned to promote and develop best principles and practices on how DFIs actualize their mandate of providing financial and technical assistance for sustainable development by doing it faithfully and successfully and within the law, which ADFIAP believes form the crucial basis for DFIs to be a responsible corporate citizens, without which DFIs can offer little else to society over the longer term. ADFIAP defines responsible corporate citizenship in a DFI “as the governance of its positive impact on the economy, society and the environment through its operations, products or services, and through its interaction with key stakeholders such as its funders, employees and clients.”

The workshop’s objective was to encourage DFIs and other financial institutions to be model corporate citizens by having an internal written policy on responsible conduct, implement a communication plan to reach the policy’s internal stakeholders, and work to sustain it. As financial intermediaries, DFIs can develop good corporate citizenship guidelines and embed them in their lending decisions. The event also served as a platform for the participants to share country experiences on corporate social responsibility and good corporate citizenship. The participants were also expected to formulate action programs that will be covered in the ensuing four national workshops in Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and India.

The Manila program also afforded the participants to visit and learn from the Asian Development Bank (microfinance and environmental finance programs); the Planters Development Bank (SME lending policies and programs); the Development Bank of the Philippines (venture capital for the microfinance sector and the environmental lending); and the Land Bank of the Philippines (micro lending programs, SME finance programs and environmental lending programs).

Other organizations that made presentations were the Metro Bank Foundation (its President, Mr. Aniceto M. Sobrepena on corporate social responsibility) and the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (its Vice President for External Affairs, Mr. Henry Schumacher, on integrity initiative and anti-corruption), and SMMC (its President, Ms. Annie Garcia on people responsibility).

The event was inaugurated by ADFIAP Secretary General Octavio B. Peralta and CIPE Program Officer, Global, Ms. Anna Nadgrodkiewickz. The main resource person is Dr. Cesar Saldaña, President, PSR Consulting, Inc. and ADFIAP Adviser on Governance and Risk Management.

For more details about this program, please email the ADFIAP Secretariat at inquiries@adfiap.org

07/06/2011 >> AC participates in APEC project developers workshop

ADFIAP Consulting (AC) participated in a workshop entitled “High Performance APEC Project Developers” conducted by the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) National Secretariat of the Philippines aimed at developing project proposals for submission to APEC. The workshop seeks to assist APEC focal points from government agencies, private sector and the academe/think tanks in developing high-quality APEC project proposals which reflect Philippine priorities and interests and gain favorable consideration for APEC funding.

Priority for funding are projects that: (a) specifically and significantly
contribute to promoting regional economic integration via free and open
trade investments (b) directly support the action plan in the APEC Leaders’
Growth Strategy, and (c) are linked to other priorities identified by APEC
Leaders and Ministers.

APEC www.apec.org is a forum for 21 Pacific Rim countries that seek to
provide free trade and economic cooperation throughout the Asia Pacific
Region.

AC’s Ms. Cora Conde and Ms. Arlene Orencia participated in the workshop
which required the writing and submission of a concept note from ADFIAP.

07/27/2010 >> ADFIAP attends environmental technology verification program

ADFIAP attended the Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) workshop organized by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) through the Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI) of the Philippines on July 22 at the Lourdes Suites in Makati City, Philippines. ADFIAP was represented by its Knowledge and Management Group Head, Mr. Enrique Florencio.

The DOST is implementing the ETV program to facilitate the deployment of innovative and/or improved environmental technologies through performance verification and dissemination of information. The goal of this initiative is to promote environmental protection by accelerating the acceptance and use of improved and cost-effective clean technologies. Specifically, it aims to: (1) identify the technology needs of specific industry sectors (2) institute quality assurance and quality control of data being used for ETV and (3) discuss issues on the setting up of priorities and parameters in technology verification that will address the stakeholders’ needs. These stakeholders are composed of representatives from government (regulatory agencies and financing agencies), buyers and users of technology, consulting engineers, service providers, environmental organizations and technology developers and vendors.

ADFIAP’s participation in the program will further advance its advocacy on environmental governance in support of its “Greening of DFIs” project which in 2005 received a grant from the EU-Asia Pro Eco Programme of the European Commission (see details at http://www.egs-asia.com)

07/23/2010 >> ADFIAP shares top billing in SME Seminar series

In cooperation with the Financial Executives Research and Development Foundation (FINEX) and Eastern Communications, ADFIAP is actively involved in the organization of a series of SME (small and medium enterprises) seminars to be conducted in various parts of the Philippines. The theme of the seminar series is “Doing Things Right for SMEs”.

The first of the seminar series was held on July 21, 2010 at the New World Hotel in Makati City. The seminar was well attended by more than 30 SME entrepreneurs and banks’ representatives. ADFIAP was represented by Ms. Cora Conde, Group Head of ADFIAP Consulting, who presented “Accessing Financing for SMEs”.

The other presenters included Mr. Edwin Domingo, Marketing Head of Eastern Communications and Mr. Scott Sproule, Director of Singapore-based EStorm Technologies who presented “CRM Tool for SME Operational Excellence”. Mr. Benel Lagua, President and COO of Small Business Corporation presented “SME Unified Lending Opportunities for National Growth”.

The seminar series was preceded by a plenary session of the members of FINEX during which the newly appointed Secretary of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry, the Hon.Gregory Domingo, delivered the keynote address.

07/07/2010 >> ADFIAP ups new WFDFI website

As the current Secretariat of the World Federation of Development Finance Institutions (WFDFI), ADFIAP has developed an enhanced website for the Federation which is now online at http://www.wfdfi.org.ph. The website is a continuing work in progress and once fully completed will serve as a one-stop resource center for knowledge and advocacies on sustainable development of the members of the WFDFI. This will also feature events, news, publications, announcements and other relevant issues on sustainable development.

The WFDFI was founded in Zurich, Germany in June 1979 at a UNIDO development bank conference to serve as a forum for regional DFI associations to exchange experiences and best practices as well as to serve as the focal point for DFIs around the world. The regional WFDFI members consisting of 328 member-institutions in 154 countries and territories include ADFIAP, the African Association of Development Financing Institutions (AADFI), the Latin American Association of Development Financing Institutions (ALIDE) and the Association of National Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) in Member Countries of the Islamic Development Bank (ADFIMI).

06/29/2011 >> ADFIAP, Australian APEC Centre hold forum on MSME access to finance

ADFIAP and the Australian APEC Study Centre at RMIT University in Melbourne, with the support of the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) have successfully held the “Regional Symposium on Best Practice Regulatory Principles Supporting MSME (micro, small and medium enterprises) Access to Finance” on June 27-28, 2011 at the Dusit Thani Hotel, in Makati City, Philippines.

The event brought together 32 delegates and experts representing financial system policy makers and regulatory officials from the region, specialists from international and regional organizations and standard setting bodies and senior representatives of development, savings and commercial banks as well as from the securities sector and non-bank financial intermediaries.

The delegates discussed and dissected various issues affecting MSME access to finance in the nine sessions scheduled during the event. The thorough discussions resulted in the crafting of ideas and proposed principles which will be submitted for consideration by APEC Finance Ministries to further enhance best practice regulatory approaches for the sector. These proposals would also be used as the bases for a subsequent five-day capacity building training program for regional policy-makers and regulators to be held in Melbourne, Australia in February 2012.

The symposium was inaugurated by Deputy Governor Nestor A. Espenilla of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (Central Bank of the Philippines), Mr. Ken Waller, Director of the Australian APEC Study Center and Mr. Octavio B. Peralta, ADFIAP Secretary General. For more details of the event, please email the ADFIAP Secretariat at inquiries@adfiap.org.

Presentation Materials

Note: No winzip programme installed in your PC? Please download one and then unzip the files.

• DAY 1

  • Octavio Peralta – Welcome Remarks
  • Session 2
    • CRAIG – The Winds of Change – the Regulatory Backdrop
    • GRADY – G 20, International Standard Setting Bodies and Access to Finance
    • YONGKITTIKUL – Opportunities for the Growth of Financial Services to MSMEs
    • YONGKITTIKUL – Presentation Notes
  • Session 3
    • BARDSLEY – Design and regulation of institutions to support MSME Access to Finance
    • PINEDA – Presentation Notes
    • PINEDA – Targeting the Bottom of the Pyramid
    • SAXENA – Challenges in Empowering Underserviced Groups in Accessing Finance
  • Session 4
    • CONTRERAS – Providing an Enabling Regulatory Environment to Enhance Access to Finance for MSMEs.
    • JUDD – Presentation Notes
    • LAGUA – Proportionate Regulatory Policies for the MSME Sector
    • PALABRICA – Issues and Challenges
    • PALABRICA – Presentation Notes
    • ZHANG – Policies and Programs of ADB to Enhance Access to Finance for SME
  • Session 5
    • Economy Presentation (Indonesia)
    • Economy Presentation (Peru)

• DAY 2

  • Session 6
    • Economy Presentation (Thailand)
    • Economy Presentation (Vietnam)
  • Session 7
    • DE SILVA – MSME Symposium Manila

06/22/2011 >> ADFIAP cites achievements of DFIs in China economists’ forum

On the invitation of the Chinese Economist Society (CES), ADFIAP, represented by its Secretary General, Octavio B. Peralta, spoke before over 200 economists, scholars, professors and students and highlighted the role and achievements of development finance institutions (DFIs) in the region, in general, and that of its member, the China Development Bank (CDB), in particular.

Mr. Peralta presented the history of and rationale for development banks, their mandate and tasks as well as their role in the financial system. It will be recalled that during the recent global crisis, development banks were given a critical role of governments in providing financial resources to cash-strapped small and medium businesses and other productive sectors to boost and stimulate their economies.

Regarding CDB, the Bank, in the last decade alone, has provided 1.6 trillion Yuan in loans to more than 4,000 projects involving infrastructure, communications, transportation and basic industries. In terms of its social responsibility activities, the Bank, among others, provided housing facilities and renovated the mud-straw cottages in Jilin, helped 820,000 people to have access to safe drinking water in rural Changzhi in Shanxi province, and developed a new microfinance model in Xunhua in Qinghai province.

The CES 2011 annual conference was held on June 18-19, 2011 in Jiuhua Convention Center in Changping District in Beijing with the theme, “Ten Years after WTO Accession: China and the World Economy” and featured plenaries, expert sessions, and roundtables on various topics, including financial economics and markets, economic development and many others.

The Chinese Economist Society http://www.china-ces.org/ is a non-profit academic organization that bridges academic exchanges in economics and related areas between the U.S. and China. The event was hosted by the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE) http://www.uibe.edu.cn/upload/uibe_eng/Home.php. UIBE, which is celebrating its 60th year anniversary, is one of the first universities in China to have initiated academic exchanges with over 100 universities and institutes from more than 30 countries and regions around the world.

06/22/2011 >> ADFIAP visits China Exim Bank, explores bilateral cooperation

ADFIAP Secretary General, Mr. Octavio B. Peralta, met on June 20, 2011 with China Exim Bank Vice President Mr. Zhu Xinqiang at the Bank’s headquarters in Beijing, China. The meeting was requested by the ADFIAP Secretariat as Mr. Peralta was in the Chinese capital for a speaking engagement with an economic conference there.

During the meeting, which was also attended by officers from the Bank’s international and corporate business departments, Messrs. Zhu and Peralta updated each other on each institutions’ current activity thrusts as well as explored possible bilateral areas of cooperation, both on the knowledge and business exchange fronts.

On knowledge exchange, Mr. Zhu expressed openness in participating in ADFIAP’s learning and best practice programs and conferences to expand the Bank’s platform in this area. On the business cooperation side, the two explored the idea of setting up an ADFIAP “green fund” that will use the existing networks and experiences of both institutions to provide financial assistance to projects such as energy efficiency, renewable energy and environmental technologies. A concept note is now being prepared in this regard.

Founded in 1994 as a government policy bank, the Export-Import Bank of China http://english.eximbank.gov.cn/ has eighteen domestic business branches and three overseas representative offices, namely, in Southern and Eastern Africa, Paris and St. Petersburg. At present, the Bank has established correspondent relationship with more than 500 banks worldwide.

06/15/2011 >> AC, UP-ISSI set to expand IDF training program offerings

ADFIAP Consulting (AC) and the University of the Philippines’ Institute for Small-Scale Industries met on June 14, 2011 at the UP-ISSI headquarters to discuss the full implementation of their Memorandum of Understanding through the development of new demand-driven training programs for ADFIAP’s Institute of Development Finance (IDF) that would cater to the dynamic requirements of the Association and its key stakeholders. Among the subject areas of focus are greening education for financial institutions and their clients, enhancing operational efficiency through effective account management, setting up of a small and medium enterprise (SME) lending business, and a holistic approach to risk management.

UP-ISSI http://entrepreneurship.org.ph/ which has a solid track record of assisting entrepreneurial institutions in the Philippines and other countries in Asia and the Pacific, has built up their SME development and financing capabilities through four major strategies: training and institution-building, research and policy studies, consultancy and extension, and advocacy and information.

AC was represented in the meeting by Ms. Cora Conde, Group Head, Atty. Alberto Reyno, Managing Partner, Ms. Cecile Ibarra, Head of Advocacy and Training, and Ms. Arlene Orencia, Head of Projects and Programs while UP-ISSI was represented by Ms. Arlene Liberal, Training Director/Consultant.

06/02/2011 >> ADFIAP joins Land Bank in honoring outstanding infra projects of LGUs

ADFIAP was invited by Land Bank of the Philippines to grace its simple recognition and awarding rites to honor three outstanding infrastructure projects of local government units (LGUs) in the Philippines. These three excellent projects were the same projects that had Land Bank won the 2011 ADFIAP Outstanding Development Project Awards in the infrastructure development category.

The three projects were the farm-market road projects of Abra province benefiting 27 of its municipalities, Calapan City’s state-of- the-art modern public market and Bolinao’s potable water improvement and expansion project. These development projects were financed by Land Bank under its LGU medium-term development plan funding facility.

The chief executives of these winning LGUs spoke about their experiences on how their projects came about and how Land Bank was instrumental in making their dream projects came true. Land Bank CEO Mrs. Gilda Pico highlighted the bank’s role and mandate as the country’s premier LGU funder, among its other developmental mission such as support to small farmers and fisher folks in the countryside. Also present in the event were Land Bank’s Board of Directors.

Land Bank http://www.landbank.com/ is by far the Philippines largest government-owned formal credit institution in the rural areas. Its credit delivery system is able to penetrate a substantial percentage of the country’s total number of municipalities.

06/02/2011 >> ADFIAP speaks at Sustainable Lifestyle and Entrepreneurship conference in Germany

In line with its continuing advocacy on sustainable development, ADFIAP participated and spoke in an international conference on “The Future of Sustainable Lifestyles and Entrepreneurship” held on May 24 and 25, 2011 at the Feierabendhaus Knapsack in Hürth City close to Cologne, Germany.

The international event gathered together current knowledge, experience and stakeholders from across society (business, consumers, research, civil society, financial institutions and policy) with the purpose of developing a vision for sustainable lifestyles in 2050 and delivering a roadmap for action including societal innovation, product, service and business model innovation opportunity spaces and policy recommendations. The conference provided a platform for the 400 participants to learn some of the latest and most popular ideas on sustainable lifestyles, entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship. There were about 14 roundtable and workshop discussions that explored future agendas for research, policy and action to promote, incubate and enable sustainability-driven lifestyles and entrepreneurship.

ADFIAP was represented in the conference by Mr. Alberto Reyno of the ADFIAP Consulting group. He was also one of the six speakers in the workshop on “Financing Sustainable Innovation and Entrepreneurship” where he articulated some key factors for sustainable entrepreneurship and a possible financing model that banks can adopt to support entrepreneurs.

The conference was organized by UNEP/Wuppertal Institute Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production (CSCP) http://www.scp-centre.org/ and ADFIAP is one of the conference advisors. It was hosted by the Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Agriculture, Nature Conservation and Consumer Protection of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. CSCP is ADFIAP’s partner of its completed and EU-funded “Environment Governance Standards for Development Banks in Asia” http://www.egs-asia.com/

06/02/2011 >> AC, EStorm Technologies mull SME access to finance workshop

ADFIAP Consulting (AC) recently met with Singapore-based EStorm Technologies in the city state to discuss, among others, a possible joint workshop on “SME Access to Finance” to be conducted in Singapore. The AC Team of Atty. Alberto Reyno, AC Managing Partner, Ms. Arlene S. Orencia, Head, AC Projects and Programs and Ms. Cecilia M. Ibarra, Head, AC Advocacy and Training, met with EStorm’s Mr. Scott Sproule, Director, and Ms. Eka Madiarti, Sales Director.

The workshop, which is part of a series of ADFIAP advocacy events for small and medium enterprise (SME) development in the region, aims to provide small and medium entrepreneurs with an overview of what the bank looks into in the evaluation of SME loan applications and to introduce a new technology that would help them organize and systematize their business processes as well as enhance their financial and operational efficiency, and consequently, their bankability.

The AC Team has conducted similar workshops together with ESTORM in Manila and Colombo. EStorm Technologies Pte Ltd. http://www.estormtech.com/ is a one-stop business solutions provider for end customers and for both wireless and wireline broadband service providers.

06/02/2011 >> AC visits ABA Secretariat in Singapore

Adhering to ADFIAP’s goal of strengthening ties and continuing relationship-building and networking with similar development-minded groups in the region, Ms. Cecilia M. Ibarra, Head of Advocacy and Training of ADFIAP Consulting (AC) made a courtesy visit to the Secretary General of the ASEAN Bankers Association (ABA) and President-CEO of AFC Merchant Bank, Ms. Teh-Kwok Chui Lian at the ABA Secretariat office in Singapore.

Ms. Ibarra and Ms. Teh-Kwok discussed recent developments and thrusts of their respective institutions. Ms. Ibarra presented AC’s current projects and possible areas of cooperation of ADFIAP, ABA and AFC Merchant Bank regarding sharing best practices and information exchange on SME banking and green finance. Ms. Teh-Kwok, for her part, explained ABA’s thrust in strengthening collaboration among its members and partners through continuing regional exchange of ideas and issues of relevance to ASEAN banking.

The ASEAN Bankers Association http://www.aseanbankers.org/home/index.htm is a regional banking organization comprising all the national banking associations in the ASEAN countries namely, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar and Lao. Its objective, among others, is to promote the development of the banking and financial systems in ASEAN countries and identify growth opportunities for ASEAN banks. The AFC Merchant Bank http://www.afcmerchantbank.com/ is the brainchild of the ASEAN Bankers Association whose mission is to mobilize financial resources to finance projects and assist in the promotion of industrialization and overall economic development in the ASEAN region.

06/01/2011 >> ADFIAP, DBT (Kalkinma) join forces to offer training and technical assistance services

ADFIAP and the Development Bank of Turkey (Kalkinma), using its synergies on training, capacity-building and consulting experiences, entered into a memorandum of understanding recently to offer these services to Association members and their constituencies.

For over 30 years, ADFIAP has organized many training, capacity-building and credentialing programs on various topics related of sustainable development finance. In view of this long-standing experience and expertise, ADFIAP has established in 2000 its career development and credentialing center, the Asia-Pacific Institute of Development Finance (IDF) http://www.adfiap.org/idf/ which runs a year-round calendar of seminars, workshops, conferences and other learning events. In 2009, the Association set up its consultancy and advisory arm, the ADFIAP Consulting (AC) http://www.adfiap.org/marketplace/adfiap-consulting/ that offers practical and holistic solutions to development bank operational concerns based on the over 100 years of aggregate experiences of its roster of consultants.

Established in October 1999 and taking over the mandate of the State Industry and Laborer Investment Bank that was set up in November 1975, Kalkinma is the premier development bank of Turkey http://english.kalkinma.com.tr/ that is tasked with achieving development and sustainable growth of the country. As a result of its many years of experience, Kalk?nma, began to play an active role in organizing different training activities and institutional strengthening programs inside and outside the bank. It has provided technical assistance to several development finance institutions in the region.

For more information on services provided under the agreement, please email inquiries@adfiap.org

06/01/2011 >> AC attends health sector business forum

On invitation of the Philippine Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM), the national oversight body for the Global Fund (GF)-supported activities, ADFIAP Consulting (AC) attended the public/ private sector/civil society business forum held last June 2, 2011 at the Richmonde Hotel Ortigas Center in Metro Manila.

The objective of the forum was to introduce the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria and to promote the GF’s thrust of a greater involvement of the private sector in national programs for the prevention, control and treatment of these three diseases. Specifically, GF encourages private sector participation in project implementation, provision of goods and services, resource mobilization, and advocacy for good governance.

Senior officials of the Department (Ministry) of Health were present to discuss various private sector initiatives and its participation in the health sector. Mr. Ravi Menon, Senior Private Sector Officer of GF, gave a presentation on the GF framework, its thrusts and various private sector participation models implemented globally.

AC’s Ms. Corazon Conde, Head of the ADFIAP Consulting Group and Ms Cecilia M. Ibarra, Head of AC Advocacy and Training attended forum representing ADFIAP.

05/27/2011 >> ADFIAP, Land Bank, Sequa Germany, ECCP hold roundtable on SME green finance

ADFIAP and its member, Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank) in cooperation with Sequa gGmbH of Germany and the European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines (ECCP, held a roundtable attended by ADFIAP member-development banks as well as commercial banks on “Greening SMEs and Financing Opportunities for Banks” on May 26, 2011 at the Land Bank headquarters in Manila. Sequa and ECCP are both partners of ADFIAP in the EU-funded SMART Cebu project http://www.smartcebuproject.com/ whose objective is to increase the competitiveness of the furniture, fashion accessories, and toys, gifts and house ware industry sectors through energy and material resource efficiency and cleaner production (CP) methods. The project is envisioned to produce a pipeline of small and medium enterprise (SME) projects for bank financing, especially those that have undertaken a full CP audit of their manufacturing facilities.

The event was opened by ADFIAP Secretary General, Mr. Octavio B. Peralta. Other speakers included Landbank’s Ms. Margarita Cabrera, Team Head of the Wholesale Lending Department, who briefed the participants on the Bank’s lending facility for environmental projects, Sequa’s Program Director and SMART Cebu Project Director, Mr. Thomas Ritter, who introduced the project and ECCP’s Mr. Gerry Constantino who provided insights on other green initiatives of the chamber. Ms. Cora Conde, Group Head of ADFIAP Consulting, was the session moderator for the event.

The roundtable is the third of a series of ADFIAP’s green finance advocacy program. For more information, please email ADFIAP at inquiries@adfiap.org

05/27/2011 >> ADFIAP’s sustainability report 2010 is again GRI-registered

For the 3rd year in a row, ADFIAP’s sustainability report 2010 has been registered and included in the Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) list for organizations worldwide adhering to its sustainability reporting guidelines. The report provides members and other readers, information on ADFIAP’s sustainability commitments as well as its strategies and achievements in the economic, environmental, social and governance aspects of its operations. As in the 2008 and 2009 reports, ADFIAP has followed and complied with the GRI’s G3 C level indicators.

The theme of the 2010 report, “Strengthening Ties”, highlights ADFIAP’s successful working relationships with its members and its worldwide partners that resulted in the full use of human and financial capital in tackling sustainability challenges. The theme also depicts ADFIAP’s meaningful ties with other stakeholders who are an integral part in defining the Association’s sustainability strategy as well as in sharpening its decision-making and enhancing the organization’s economic, environmental, social and governance performance.

The GRI http://www.globalreporting.org is the world’s de facto global standard for sustainability reporting where an organization publicly communicates their economic, environmental, and social performance. To view the report please click this link: http://www.adfiap.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/ADFIAP-2010-Annual-Report_final_web_040911.pdf

05/26/2011 >> GIZ visits ADFIAP on scoping study for MSME green finance

GIZ’s Dr. Wolfram Hiemann and Ms. Vickie Antonio, International Expert on Green Financing in the Philippines and Senior Adviser, respectively, visited the ADFIAP Secretariat on May 25, 2011 and met with ADFIAP Secretary General, Mr. Octavio B. Peralta, and ADFIAP Consulting Group Head, Ms. Cora Conde, to share programs and initiatives on green financing focused on the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) as part of GIZ’s scoping study on the subject. They were joined in the meeting by the European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines’ (ECCP) Mr. Gerry Constantino who also shared ECCP’s ongoing green projects, including the European Commission grant-supported SMART Cebu project http://www.smartcebuproject.com/ in which ADFIAP is also a partner-organization.

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH http://www.giz.de/en/home.html is Germany’s technical assistance institution that was formed on January 1, 2011 following the merger of Deutscher Entwicklungsdienst (DED) gGmbH (German Development Service), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH (German Technical Cooperation) and Inwent – Capacity Building International, Germany. GIZ operates in more than 130 countries and employs approximately 17,000 staff members worldwide, more than 60 % of whom are local personnel. In addition, there are 1,135 development workers, 750 integrated and 324 returning experts, 700 local experts in partner-organizations and 850 volunteers.

05/26/2011 >> ADFIAP, R20 meet on green finance network, other initiatives

Mr. Christophe Dossarps, Head of Business Development of R20, a Geneva-based non-profit organization that represents subnational governments which aims to promote low carbon economy growth within its membership and partners, visited the ADFIAP Secretariat on May 25, 2011 and met with ADFIAP Secretary General, Mr. Octavio B. Peralta, and ADFIAP Consulting Group Head, Ms. Cora Conde, to exchange information on each institution’s “greening” work and advocacy. They were joined in the meeting by Mr. Joseph C. F. Lufkin, Director of Origination Capital Limited and Infrastructure Finance Corporation Limited. Among others, the group discussed R20’s envisioned green finance network of financial institutions to mobilize funding for a pipeline of green projects worldwide.

R20’s http://www.regions20.org/ mission is to develop and implement low-carbon and climate resilient projects through cooperation among subnational governments around the world, non-governmental organizations, corporations and educational institutions. Through these efforts, R20 aims to demonstrate both the capacity and willingness of these entities to tackle climate change and create strong green and climate resilient economies.

05/17/2011 >> 35th ADFIAP Annual Meetings set in Istanbul

Upon the confirmation of the host-institution, the Development Bank of Turkey (DBT), the endorsement of the Board of Directors during its 73rd Meeting, and the approval of the General Assembly during its 19th Ordinary Meeting, the 35th ADFIAP Annual Meetings next year (2012) will be held in Istanbul, Turkey (dates to be announced). The Annual Meetings’ host and venue are based on voluntary offering by ADFIAP member-institutions. Preparations for the meetings are essentially undertaken for at least one year, with the Secretariat and the host-institution coordinating their efforts, with guidance from the Board and inputs from other members.

05/17/2011 >> SCC’s Pung named ADFIAP CEO-of-the-Year

For his outstanding performance in transforming the Sabah Credit Corporation (SCC) into a pre-eminent development finance institution, Chief Executive Officer, Vincent Pung Yee Kiong, was chosen as this year’s recipient of the prestigious “Outstanding CEO Award.” Mr. Pung was honored during the Gala and Awards Night on April 20, 2011 in conjunction with the 34th ADFIAP Annual Meetings held in Kyrenia, North Cyprus.

From an asset size of RM 362 million in 1997 and totally relying on the State for funding, SCC’s asset size today is RM 1.24 billion. SCC has also attracted private sector investment thereby boosting its capacity to assist more projects as well as pay dividends to the State. SCC’s remarkable transformation spanned across the entire organization, including human resources, processes and technology and using as motivational themes, the institution’s journey for pride, quality, credibility, precision and sustainability.

Under his leadership, Datuk Pung introduced the SCC New Remuneration Scheme for the well-being of his staff as well as the sustainability of SCC itself. This new scheme is a total break-off of the rigid government scheme and one that promotes meritocracy, flexibility in resources deployment, appropriate appreciation and recognition of the organization’s personnel. With his business acumen and vast knowledge of the financial industry, Datuk Vincent Pung led SCC to be the first and only State Government Agency that provides Syariah-compliant financial products and services.

With a heart for women, children and the physically-challenged, Datuk Pung has initiated various social responsibility programs that produced support shelters for abused women and single mothers, orphanages, educational centers, medical facilities and many more.

The CEO Award is being given to a practicing chief executive officer, whose singular talent, leadership, vision and achievement, in the judgment of the Awards Board, stands out among the other nominees of the award. Without focusing on the size of the institution, the judges assesses the stature of the individual, the positive effects that the person leadership has had on his of her institution, and the impact this leader’s decision have had in the development banking profession, in particular, and on the development of the country, in general.

Congratulations, Datuk Vincent Pung!

05/17/2011 >> Twelve members win “Outstanding Development Project Awards”

In recognition for their contribution to the development of their respective countries, twelve (12) member-institutions were pronounced winners of this year’s ADFIAP “Outstanding Development Project Awards” during its 34th Annual Meetings held in Kyrenia, North Cyprus on April 20-23, 2011.

The winners for this year’s Awards were: Fiji Development Bank and Philippine Export-Import Credit Agency for Category 1(Human Capital Development) for their projects “Money Smart” and “Organizational Empowerment Plan”, respectively; Development Bank of Jamaica and Japan Bank for International Cooperation for Category 2 (Environmental Development) for their projects “Jamaica Energy Security and Efficiency Enhancement Project” and “Global Action for Reconciling Economic Growth and Environmental Preservation (GREEN)”, respectively; Small Industries Development Bank of India for Category 3 (SME Development) for its project, “MSME Development with Agenda of Making Markets Work for Indian MSMEs”; Land Bank of the Philippines for Category 4 (Infrastructure Development) for its 3 projects, “Rehabilitation of Existing Level III Municipal Water Supply Distribution System,” “Concreting Farm-to-Market Roads,” and “Construction of Calapan City Public Market Building and Passenger Terminal”; SIDBI Venture Capital Limited for Category 5 (Technology Development) for its projects, “National Venture Fund for Software and IT Industry (NFSIT) and Venture Capital Intervention by SVCL-Indiaideas.com. Ltd”; Business Development Bank of Canada for Category 6 (Trade Development) for its project “Market Expansion Loan Program”; Development Bank of the Philippines for Category 7 (Local Economic Development) for its project “Supporting Local Growth and Development in Camarines Sur”; National Housing Bank and Tonga Development Bank for Category 8 (Development Finance-led Poverty Reduction) for their projects “Rural Housing Finance” and “Livelihood-Reactivation Post Tsunami Rehabilitation Project (LRP-NTT)”, respectively; and Johor Corporation for Category 10 (Corporate Social Responsibility) for its projects “Waqaf Brigade, “Waqaf An-Nur Hospital and Waqaf An-Nur Clinics”.

Special Citation awards were given to SME Bank Malaysia for its project “I-DAGANG” on technology development and Development Bank of Japan for its project ECONOWA on Environmental -related Club-Deal Syndicated Loan. Special Awards were also given to Johor Corporation for Best Annual Report and IDBI Bank Limited for Best Website.

Bhutan National Bank, Ltd and Small Industries Development Bank of India, were given the Special Recognition Awards for being the First Payor and Top Member Recruiter, respectively.

Congratulations to all!

05/17/2011 >> ADFIAP conducts SME sessions for entrepreneurs, students during its Annual Meeting

In line with its advocacy and outreach program on small and medium enterprise (SME) development to its community and stakeholders, ADFIAP has conducted two concurrent learning sessions on SME development and finance for the local chamber of commerce (CCI) and university students in northern Cyprus in the periphery of the 34th ADFIAP Annual Meetings held there in the city of Kyrenia.

The session on finance was attended by 25 participants from CCI and ADFIAP members and was chaired by Dr. Ahmet Aker, Associate Professor of Economics of the Cyprus International University. The speakers who shared their expertise and experiences on the subject included Mr. Edgardo F. Garcia, Chief Operating Officer of the Development Bank of the Philippines; Dr. Sailendra Narain, Chairman of the Centre for SME Growth and Development Finance, India; and Ms. Truong Thi Kim Anh, Manager, International Relations Department of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The session on entrepreneurship development, on the other hand, was attended by about 30 university graduates and students and was chaired by Datuk Vincent Pung, Chief Executive Officer of the Sabah Credit Corporation of Malaysia. Speakers of this session included Mr. Metin Pehlivan, Deputy Chief Officer of the Development Bank of Turkey; H. E. Son Koun Thor, CEO of the Rural Development Bank of Cambodia; and Puan Hjh Zabidah Ismail, Managing Director of Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia.

05/17/2011 >> ADFIAP, GCEL organize special session on SME, issue joint communiqué

ADFIAP and its Sustaining Member, Global Coalition for Efficient Logistics (GCEL) have organized a special session on “SME Prosperity Finance” held on April 21, 2011 that was attended by the delegates participating in the 34th ADFIAP Annual Meetings. A joint ADFIAP-GCEL publication entitled, “Tools and Roadmap for SME Prosperity in the 21st Century” was also released during the event as was a joint communiqué committing on assisting SMEs worldwide through GCEL’s HumaWealth program and its concomitant projects, including a global SME fund.

The main resource person of the session was Dr. Mark Drabenstott, GCEL Secretary General. GCEL www.gcel.net is non-profit, public-private partnership based in Geneva, Switzerland that brings together governments and the private sector to deliver tangible programs to achieve sustainable growth.

05/17/2011 >> ADFIAP Board studies setting up of member working committees, green finance advisory group

The ADFIAP Board of Directors, in its 73rd meeting held in conjunction with the 35th ADFIAP Meetings held on in Kyrenia, North Cyprus on April 20-23, 2011, instructed the Secretariat to study further the setting up of member working committees to improve membership engagement and participation to make it a more dynamic and inclusive association. The move calls for the restructuring the present Board committees’ terms of reference to allow non-Board members to be part of the envisioned permanent working committees. The Secretariat is now drafting the terms of reference.

The Board also mandated the Secretariat to study further the creation of a green finance advisory committee to be composed of high-profile international personalities who would be willing to provide advice and inputs to the ADFIAP Board on the development of financing mechanisms that can be relevant and useful to the Association membership as well as push the proposed global green finance alliance (please see diagrams below).

04/15/2011 >> EU experts visit ADFIAP Secretariat

Two environmental experts from Europe visited the ADFIAP Secretariat on April 12, 2011 to seek ideas and contacts concerning with their mission to finalize the policy component of the European Commission’s SWITCH programme in the Philippines. Messrs. Bjorn Bauer and Jorgen Boldt, Director of PlanMiljoe and Consultant, Wazee Consulting, respectively, met with ADFIAP Secretary General Octavio B. Peralta and the ADFIAP Consulting’s Cora Conde, Bert Reyno and Cecile Ibarra and discussed the possibility of funding SCP-related projects through ADFIAP member-development banks, among other financial institutions. The ADFIAP officers also briefed the two consultants on the sustainable development work and advocacy of ADFIAP, particularly on its EU-funded environmental governance standards project http://www.egs-asia.com/

The SWITCH Asia programme was developed to support Asian countries adopting more sustainable growth patterns so as to minimize the use of natural resources and the emissions of greenhouse gases, waste and other pollutants. The objective of the SWITCH Asia programme is to promote sustainable consumption and production (SCP) among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Asia by moving SCP practices from demonstration to replication.

For more information on the SWITCH Asia programme, please click on this link: http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/where/asia/regional-cooperation/environment/switch_en.htm

04/15/2011 >> IDF holds 9th SME study tour program in South Korea

ADFIAP’s Institute of Development Finance (IDF) in cooperation with the Seoul-based AJU IB Investment Limited conducted the 9th study tour program on SME financing and development from April 4-8, 2011 in Seoul, Korea on the request of the Association of African DFIs (AADFI). Twenty five (25) participants from Botswana, Cote d’ Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Liberia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda attended the event.

The objective of the study tour program is to enhance the participants’ knowledge and understanding of small and medium-scale enterprise (SME) financing and development with the particular experience of South Korea in SME financing, development, regulation and supervision. South Korea is one of the countries in East Asia whose government has invested substantial capital and human resources in the promotion and development of the SME sector.

The 5-day program has been structured to give a more relevant and practical approach to SME financing and development by incorporating different avenues of learning such as briefings, direct interaction with policymakers, institutional visits to conduits of SME funds, and project site visits, leading to a fuller understanding of the significant roles that financial institutions play in the development of the SME sector in their respective countries. The institutions that were visited include the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund (KODIT), Korea Finance Corporation (KoFC), Korea Development Bank (KDB), Korea Venture Capital Association, Korea Venture Investment Corporation, Samsung Electronics and Tera Semicon.

Dr. Kwang Sun Yang, Executive Director of AJU IB Investment welcomed the participants while Mr. Geoffrey Qhena, Chairman of AADFI gave the opening remarks. Mr. Sang Tae Kim, Deputy Director of Small and Medium Business Administration (SMBA) of Korea gave the keynote address on the “Overview of the SME Sector in Korea”. ADFIAP was represented in the program by Ms. Sandra Honrado, ADFIAP Senior Executive for Programs.

04/12/2011 >> ADFIAP participates in international symposium calling for integrity in banking profession

On invitation by the Asian Institute of Finance (AIF), ADFIAP participated in the two-day international symposium on “Talent Development: The New Paradigm” held on April 7 to 8, 2011 at the Hilton Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The event was organized by the KL-based AIF with the objective of providing a platform for industry players and training providers in the financial services sector to remain focused and connected on emerging issues, particularly in talent development. This is underscored by the fact that Asia is the world’s fastest growing region and one of the biggest challenges the region faces is developing the right quality of human capital to keep pace with growth.

In his opening remarks, Malaysia’s Human Resources Minister S. Subramaniam stressed that integrity must be given priority in the financial services sector. He said: “What is most important is there must be a strong sense of ethics and morality by those people in this business.” Another distinguished speaker, the Chief Executive of the CIMB Group, Dato’ Sri Nazir Razak also shared the Housing Minister’s view and said: “Remember, (if you have) intelligence and energy but without integrity…you will be scariest person on earth….”

Bank Negara Governor Tan Sri Dr. Zeti Akhtar Aziz also gave a special address at the opening of the symposium and said: “In a fast changing and increasingly complex financial landscape, our workforce in the financial sector must not only rise above current challenges but be equipped to excel in the significantly changed environment.”

In her closing remarks, Ybhg. Tan Sri Zarinah Anwar, Chairman of the Securities Commission, said that investment in human capital will be required to build capacity to ensure lasting competitive strength and superior business performance. “Inevitably, companies that raise the right human capital strategies can grow their value by mitigating impending risks, capturing profitable opportunities and strengthen governance”, she concluded.

ADFIAP was represented by Mr. Alberto B. Reyno, Managing Principal of ADFIAP Consulting and Head of ADFIAP’s Institute of Development Finance (IDF). Mr. Reyno was a panelist on the topic, “Human Capital and Talent Development in the Financial Sector: The New Paradigm” where he discussed IDF’s experience in human capital development in the field of development banking, particularly ADFIAP’s Career Credentialing Program.

AIF http://www.aif.org.my/home/index.php was jointly established by Bank Negara Malaysia and the Securities Commission Malaysia in January 2009. Its vision is to be an institution of global excellence that delivers professional and advanced-level certification and qualifications in support of the advancement of the financial services industry. For more information on the above-mentioned symposium, please click on this link: http://www.aifsymposium.com/

04/12/2011 >> ADFIAP financial assets reach US$ 1 million mark, a milestone

The new audited financial statements of ADFIAP show that the Association’s financial resources have reached the one million dollar mark, a milestone in ADFIAP’s quest for a more stable and sustainable organization. As of December 31, 2010, the total assets of the Association have been recorded at US$ 1,017,608.

The financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2010 are the Association’s first financial statements prepared in accordance with the Philippine Financial Reporting Standards PFRS for Small and Medium-sized Entities. For all periods up to and including December 31, 2008, the Association prepared its financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles applicable to non-publicly accountable entities (previously GAAP).

04/12/2011 >> ADFIAP meets with GCGF on board leadership seminars

ADFIAP Secretary General, Mr. Octavio B. Peralta, visited the main offices of the Global Corporate Governance Forum (GCGF) in Washington, D.C. and met with its Head, Mr. Philip Armstrong to discuss the finer details of the planned “Governing Banks Seminar” for board directors of ADFIAP member-DFIs and partners.

This recent module on governance is part of GCGF’s successful Board Leadership series and is a comprehensive module on risk governance and risk management that provides the domain-specific expertise required of bank board directors. It puts a special emphasis on strategy formulation, financial controls, supervision and reporting, risk management, and corporate social responsibility.

GCGF http://www.gcgf.org/ is a multi-donor trust fund facility located within the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) and co-founded in 1999 by the World Bank and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). It is a leading knowledge and capacity building platform dedicated to corporate governance reform in emerging markets and developing countries.

04/12/2011 >> ADFIAP updates CIPE on new CSR program

ADFIAP Secretary General, Octavio B. Peralta, during his mission to Washington, D.C. for the World Bank FPD 2011Forum, visited the headquarters of the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) and met with CIPE Executive Director, Mr. John D. Sullivan, Regional Director for Asia, John Callebaut, Director for Policy Reform, Mr. Aleksandr Shkolnikov, and Program Officer for Asia, Mr. John Morrell to update them, among others, on the implementation activities of the new CIPE grant-funded program on “Institutionalizing Responsible Corporate Citizenship in DFIs”.

The one-year program aims to strengthen corporate citizenship practices and activities of ADFIAP members through the conduct of one regional seminar in Manila and four national workshops in India, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

CIPE http://www.cipe.org/ strengthens democracy around the globe through private enterprise and market-oriented reform. CIPE is one of the four core institutes of the National Endowment for Democracy. Since 1983, CIPE has worked with business leaders, policymakers, and journalists to build the civic institutions vital to a democratic society.

04/12/2011 >> ADFIAP briefs IDB on its work and advocacy

Organized by the International Financial Consultants Limited (IFCL), an ADFIAP member based in Ottawa, Canada, through its President and CEO, Ms. Diana Smallridge, ADFIAP’s Secretary General, Mr. Octavio B. Peralta, met with officers of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Washington, D.C. on April 5, 2011 and briefed them on ADFIAP’s work and advocacy on financing sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific.

Mr. Peralta met with the Division on Capital Markets and Financial Institutions represented by Mr. Jose Juan Gomes Lorenzo, Senior Specialist on Private Sector. The meeting also afforded both institutions to explore possible areas of cooperation on best practice exchange and capacity building on small and medium enterprises (SMEs), green finance and performance measurement for development banks.

The IDB http://www.iadb.org/en/inter-american-development-bank,2837.html is the main source of multilateral financing and expertise for sustainable economic, social and institutional development in Latin America and the Caribbean.

04/12/2011 >> ADFIAP speaks at World Bank forum

ADFIAP, represented by its Chairman, Mr. Nihal Fonseka and its Secretary General, Mr. Octavio B. Peralta, spoke on development banking issues and current trends before an audience composed of World Bank staffers, private sector development executives, and academics. The two-day event, the “Financial and Private Sector Development (FPD) Forum 2011”, was organized by the Financial and Private Sector Development Vice Presidency of the World Bank.

The Forum is the biggest annual event for World Bank Group staff and clients to network and discuss the latest challenges in financial sector and private sector development. The theme of this year’s Forum was ‘Building Competitiveness’. The Forum focused on the many paths being followed around the world: competitiveness strategies, innovation policies, industrial policy, policies to promote micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) growth, and, in the context of climate change, strategies for green growth. These important issues are playing out now in most countries, across Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Asia, and Latin America. The well-attended forum drew a total of 750 participants from many countries.

Mr. Fonseka and Mr. Peralta were together in Session 8 of the programme entitled, “Development Banks: Which Models Work in Emerging Market Economies?” The session notes that in the past five years, development banks (DBs) around the world have expanded and become increasingly important. The session covered such issues as: what are the main factors driving the expansion of DBs? is this a temporary or a long-term trend? to what extent is this trend undermining the role of private financial institutions? have DBs adopted new practices to prevent the mistakes and failures of the past? is the corporate governance framework of DBs sufficiently robust to prevent poor performance? what are the challenges faced by DBs?

More details on the Forum can be found in this link: http://rru.worldbank.org/FPDForum/

04/11/2011 >> ADFIAP participates in sustainability workbench forum

On invitation of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP), ADFIAP, through its consulting group, participated in a Sustainability Workbench Forum on April 8, 2011 conducted by Mr. James Donovan, Group CEO of First Carbon Solutions, an industry leader in the collection, management and reporting of environmental data as well as a provider of end-to-end, outsourced carbon management solutions.

The event put forward the unique value proposition to both large companies and SMEs that environmental management optimization empowers them to connect sustainability programs to their bottom line. Switching processes and procurement to low-carbon emissions and ability to accurately measure and monitor all energy and utility use can cut energy consumption and reduce utility costs. It can also enable companies to comply with environmental laws and regulations, confidently report CSR/green initiatives to stakeholders, build sustainable brand value, and explore CDM market opportunities.

From the financial institutions’ viewpoint, the environmental management solutions is a risk management and monitoring tool for financing green initiatives as it promotes project sustainability leading to loan repayment.

ECCP, one of ADFIAP’s partners in the SWITCH-Asia’s SMART-Cebu project and also administering other sustainability projects, aims to create a common environmental management solutions platform to empower project beneficiaries to address growing regulatory, market and financing constraints and gain competitive edge in the global arena.

ADFIAP was represented in the forum by Ms. Corazon D. Conde, Head-ADFIAP Consulting and ADFIAP’s Program Manager for the SMART-Cebu project.

04/11/2011 >> ADFIAP, JBIC to introduce J-MRV to members

ADFIAP and JBIC plan to hold a forum in May, 2011 to introduce to member-banks the J-MRV (JBIC -Measurement, Reporting and Verification), a simple, practical and internationally-acceptable process based on JBIC’s operational experience with reference to international good practices on quantification of emission reductions.

J-MRV is also very relevant in marketing and mobilizing environmental funds of financial institutions to their potential clients as it quantifies the environment contribution of GHG emission reduction leading to good environmental governance that would pave the way for business opportunities.

This was the main agenda of the visit to the ADFIAP Secretariat on April 7, 2011 of Mr. Takashi Hongo, Special Advisor and Head of Environment Finance Engineering Department of JBIC. He met with Ms. Cora Conde and Ms. Cecilia Ibarra of ADFIAP Consulting and Ms. Sandy Lim, membership and event management consultant of ADFIAP.

03/30/2011 >> AC conducts two SME access to finance workshops in Colombo

ADFIAP Consulting (AC) conducted two “SME Access to Finance” workshops for the SME and bank-members of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) and the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Sri Lanka (FCCISL) on March 25 and 26, 2011, respectively, at the Taj Samudra Hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The objective of the workshop was to provide SMEs with an overview of what the banks typically look into in evaluating SME loan applications, to share best banking practices in SME lending in the Philippines, and to introduce a new technology that would help SMEs organize and systematize their business processes for financial and operational efficiency, and consequently, enhance their bankability. Both workshops were well-attended, with 59 and 32 participants for the CCC and the FCCISL sessions, respectively.

Messrs. Harin Malwatte and Tissa Jayaweera, Secretary General of CCC and President of FCCISL, respectively, welcomed the participants and resource persons in their opening addresses. Mr. L. G. Perera, Consultant of DFCC Bank gave the keynote address where he provided a situationer of the SME sector and its policy environment in Sri Lanka and stressed the critical importance of SME access to finance in the survival and growth of the sector.

Other resource persons of the workshops were Ms. Corazon Conde, Head of ADFIAP Consulting, for the topic on the development of a business plan while Ms. Arlene Orencia and Ms. Cecile Ibarra spoke on financial management and SME lending and best banking principles, respectively. Mr. Scott Sproule and Ms. Eka Mardiarti of EStorm Technologies and Mr. Dinesh Fernandopulle of SYNAPSYS presented their respective web-based operations management technology for SMEs. For the FCCISL event, Mr. Thusitha Tennakoon, Secretary General, gave the closing remarks where he expressed his appreciation for the conduct and success of the workshop.

The conduct of the two workshops is a joint project of ADFIAP and the Confederation of the Asia Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CACCI) in cooperation with CCC and FCCISL.

03/30/2011 >> AC makes courtesy call to ADFIAP Chair

ADFIAP Consulting (AC) made a courtesy visit to ADFIAP Chairman Nihal Fonseka at the DFCC Bank main office in Colombo, Sri Lanka last March 23, 2011. AC briefed the Chairman on the conduct of two “SME Access to Finance” workshops in Colombo on March 25 and 26, 2011. The events are a joint project of ADFIAP and the Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CACCI) and in cooperation with host organizations, the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) and the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FCCISL) in Sri Lanka.

The objective of the workshop is to provide SMEs with an overview of what banks look into in evaluating loan applications as well as to introduce a new technology that would help them organize and systematize their business processes for financial and operational efficiency, and consequently, enhance their bankability.

The participants of the workshops are small and medium enterprise (SME) members of CCC and FCCISL as well as bankers interested to learn about the best banking practices on SME lending in the Philippines.

Chairman Fonseka was pleased with these developments and expressed his support and appreciation on AC’s initiatives towards sustainable development of SMEs in the Asia Pacific region. AC was represented by Ms. Corazon D. Conde, Head, ADFIAP Consulting, Ms. Arlene S. Orencia, Head, AC Programs and Projects, and Ms. Cecilia M. Ibarra, Head, AC Advocacy and Training.

03/29/2011 >> ADFIAP Awards Board meet to name this year’s winners

The ADFIAP Awards Board members met at the Secretariat office on March 28, 2011 to deliberate on and select the winners of this year’s outstanding projects, CEO-of-the-Year, best website and best annual report.

The current Awards Board is composed of Mr. Orlando P. Peña, former ADFIAP Secretary General and now President of Asia Business Consultants (ABC), Mr. Carlos C. Torres, former ADFIAP Treasurer and now ADFIAP Honorary Member, Mr. Maximino Edralin, Jr., ADFIAP Public Relations Consultant and PR Consultant of the Central Bank of the Philippines and Mr. Isidro A. Sobrecarey, former ADFIAP Deputy Secretary General and now Chief of Staff of the Chairman of the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP).

The ADFIAP Awards is an annual recognition given to outstanding projects, activities and people of members of the Association. The “Outstanding Development Project Awards” honors member-institutions which have undertaken and/or assisted projects that have made an impact in their respective countries. Awards are given to members, which in the judgment of the Awards Board, have implemented or enhanced outstanding and innovative development projects during the immediate past year.

The “Outstanding CEO Award” is given to a practicing chief executive officer whose singular, leadership, vision and achievement, in the judgment of the Awards Board, stand out among the other nominees for the award. Without focusing on the size of the institution, the judges will be assessing the stature of the individual, the positive effect that the person’s leadership has had on his or her institution, and the impact his decisions have had on the development banking profession, in particular, and on the development of the country, in general.

The winners will be given their award trophies during the 34th ADFIAP Annual Meetings on April 20-23, 2011. For more details of the ADFIAP Awards, please click this link: http://www.adfiap.org/online-nomination-form/

03/28/2011 >> BDC President visits ADFIAP Secretariat

Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) President and CEO, Mr. Jean-Rene Halde visited the ADFIAP Secretariat in Manila after his meetings with the Asian Development Bank and the Canadian Embassy. Prior to his trip to Manila, Mr. Halde also visited the Beijing-based China Development Bank, also an ADFIAP member.

As part of his visit to the ADFIAP Secretariat, he also met with Ambassador Jesus P. Tambunting, Chairman and CEO of Planters Development Bank (PDB). PDB is represented in the Board of Directors of ADFIAP and Ambassador Tambunting is the Treasurer of the Association.

The visit afforded ADFIAP and PDB to be updated on the current work and thrusts of BDC and its countercyclical role, especially during the global financial crisis when the Canadian government has mandated the BDC to provide assistance to the car industry, among others.

BDC http://www.bdc.ca/EN/Pages/home.aspx is a financial institution wholly-owned by the Government of Canada. BDC plays a leadership role in delivering financial and consulting services to Canadian small and medium-sized businesses, with a particular focus on the technology and export sectors of the economy.

03/25/2011 >> IDF runs 8th STP on MSMEs, draws 29 participants

A large participation of 29 officers from ADFIAP member-institutions attended the 8th Study Tour Program (STP) on Micro, Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (MSME) Financing and Development conducted by the Institute of Development Finance (IDF), ADFIAP’s professional training and career development center, on March 21-25, 2011 in Manila and its environs. The participants came from ADFIAP members in Bangladesh, Palau, India, Oman, Samoa, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines.

This program was aimed at enhancing the participants’ knowledge and understanding of MSME development policy, financing, regulation and supervision, with particular emphasis on the experience of the Philippines. The Philippines is one of the countries in Southeast Asia whose government has invested substantial capital and human resources in the promotion and development of the MSME sector.

The course is one of its kind in its organization and structure as it gave a more holistic, practical and “hands-on” approach to MSME financing and development by incorporating different learning methodologies such as briefings, direct interaction with policy-makers, institutional visits to conduits of MSME funds as well as project site visits for a fuller understanding of the significant roles that all stakeholders and support organizations play in the development, financing and regulation of MSME in the Philippines. The program also afforded the participants to share and exchange their knowledge and ideas with each other, specifically on MSME financing and support in their respective countries.

The institutional visits and briefings conducted were at the “Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (Central Bank of the Philippines), Asian Development Bank (ADB), Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP), People’s Credit and Finance Corporation (PCFC) , Center for Agriculture and Rural Development-Mutually Reinforcing Institutions (CARD-MRI) and the Small Business Corporation (SBC).

Mr. Alberto Reyno and Ms. Sandra Honrado, IDF Head and Sr. Executive for Programs, respectively, represented ADFIAP in the program. For interest in this program, please visit this link: http://www.adfiap.org/events/calendar-of-events/ and/or email inquiries@adfiap.org

03/24/2011 >> ADFIAP, GCGF explore training cooperation on corporate governance

ADFIAP and the Washington, D.C.-based Global Corporate Governance Forum (GCGF) are exploring the possibility of cooperation in training and capacity-building on corporate governance. GCGF has developed an extensive portfolio of knowledge resources on the subject, among others, a Board Leadership Training package and a Governing Banks module focusing on risk management. ADFIAP has also a wealth of training resources on corporate governance through its DFIs for Corporate Governance initiative http://www.governance-asia.com/ supported by the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) http://www.cipe.org/

Mr. Philip Armstrong and Ms. Marjorie Pavia, Head and Program Officer of GCGF, respectively, met and discussed this potential collaboration with Mr. Octavio B. Peralta, ADFIAP Secretary General, at the ADFIAP Headquarters in Manila on March 23, 2011.

GCGF http://www.gcgf.org/ is a multi-donor trust fund facility located within the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) and co-founded in 1999 by the World Bank and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). It is a leading knowledge and capacity building platform dedicated to corporate governance reform in emerging markets and developing countries.

03/21/2011 >> ADFIAP, DBP host AIF briefing

ADFIAP and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) hosted a briefing on human capital and talent development in the financial sector conducted by the Kuala Lumpur-based Asian Institute of Finance (AIF) on March 18, 2011 at the DBP Headquarters in Makati City, Philippines. Eleven (11) senior officers of Manila-based ADFIAP members, namely, DBP, Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP), Philippine Export-Import Agency, RCBC Savings and ADFIAP Consulting attended the two-hour session.
Aside from informing the attendees of the work and current thrusts of AIF, CEO, Mr. Daniel Viets and Dato Prof. Dr. Sudin Haron also invited them and their colleagues to attend the by-invitation only inaugural “International Symposium on Talent Development: The New Paradigm” to be held on April 7-8, 2011 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

AIF http://www.aif.org.my/home/index.php was jointly established by Bank Negara Malaysia and Securities Commission Malaysia in January 2009. Its vision is to be an institution of global excellence that delivers professional and advanced-level certification and qualifications in support of the advancement of the financial services industry. For more information on the above-mentioned symposium, please click this link: http://www.aifsymposium.com/

03/18/2011 >> ADFIAP, SMART Cebu partners hold review and planning meeting

ADFIAP and its partner-business membership organizations (BMOs) together with lead project manager SEQUA of Germany met in Cebu City in central Philippines on March 16, 2011 to review the first year accomplishments of the 3-year EU grant-funded SMART Cebu project as well as to present plans for its second year of implementation. SMART Cebu stands for SMEs for Environmental Accountability, Responsibility and Transparency in Cebu.

The project is aimed at increasing the competitiveness and productivity of Cebu small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through their respective chambers of commerce (BMOs) in three sectors, namely, furniture and furnishings, fashion accessories, and gift, toys and house wares by instituting sustainable consumption and production (SCP) related processes and practices in, among others, cleaner production, energy and resource efficiency as well as to contribute to an overall greener environment.

ADFIAP’s main role in the project is to advocate for SCP through training, technical assistance and potential lending programmes by DFI-members to these sectors in their pursuit of an environmentally-responsible, economically-viable and socially-oriented projects which are within the scope of work and advocacies of the Association. For more details on the SMART Cebu project, please go to this site: http://www.smartcebuproject.com/

03/08/2011 >> ADFIAP Secretariat receives WSBI Official

Mr. Conrad Rupert, Senior Project Manager of the Training & Consultancy unit of the World Savings Banks Institute (WSBI), visited the ADFIAP Secretariat office in Manila on March 7, 2011 to renew acquaintances, update each other, and explore potential collaboration opportunities between the two associations in the areas of financial inclusion, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), energy efficiency and corporate governance, among others.

The Brussels-based WSBI http://www.wsbi.org is the global representative of the savings and retail banking. It represents savings and socially-committed retail banks or associations in 92 countries. WSBI works closely with international financial institutions and represents its members’ interests at the international level.

03/04/2011 >> AC presents SME lending tool at CW-India Small Business Competitiveness Forum

On invitation by the Commonwealth Secretariat, ADFIAP, represented by it consulting service unit, ADFIAP Consulting (AC), attended and made a presentation at the XI CW-India Small Business Competitiveness Forum held at the Taj Chandigarh Hotel in the northern city of Chandigarh, India from February 13-18, 2011. The theme for this year’s programme was “Enterprise Development: The Value of Finance and Young Entrepreneurs”.

The conference was sponsored by the Commonwealth Secretariat, a London-based voluntary association of 54 countries that support each other and work together towards shared goals in democracy and development. The event was also co-sponsored by the Central Bank of India, Corporation Bank and Export-Import Bank of India.

Ms. Arlene Orencia, Head of AC’s Business Consultancy, presented ADFIAP’s SME Lending Business Management System before an appreciative audience consisting of 80 delegates from various Commonwealth countries all over the world. The SME lending tool is an integrated system that aims to build and enhance the business of lending to SMEs in banking institutions. It consists of three (3) standalone modules, namely, the Strategic Business Planning, Core Business Operations and Business Management Action. For more details on the SME Lending BMS, please email aconsulting@adfiap.org

ADFIAP’s participation in the event ushers the start of a possible working partnership with the Commonwealth Secretariat which executes plans agreed by Commonwealth Heads of Government through technical assistance, advice and policy development. ADFIAP and the Commonwealth Secretariat, through mutual agreement, can share knowledge and experiences in the areas of SME competitiveness development, projects involving sustainable consumption and production, environment-support projects and good governance.

The forum is under the auspices of the CW-India Programme, a pan-Commonwealth institutional capacity-building initiative in the area of micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) development. It is primarily a partnership between the Commonwealth Secretariat and Government of India organizations with an overall focus to promote sustainable competitive MSME development across Commonwealth countries, learning from the Indian experience. More than 650 participants, including senior policymakers and practitioners in the area of MSME development from 47 Commonwealth countries (including India) have participated in the programme over the years.

02/03/2012 >> ADFIAP organizes briefing on CSR and technology

ADFIAP, in cooperation with its member, Planters Development Bank (PDB), organized a half-day executive briefing on February 2, 2012 at the PDB SME Center on the topic, “CSR & Technology: Convergence for Social Good”. The event was attended by 15 corporate social responsibility (CSR) and Information technology (IT) officers of ADFIAP member-banks and other organizations.

Two presentations were made during the event. Team Energy Foundation Executive Director Mr. Roderick de Castro highlighted his presentation with a case study on how CSR, with energy as catalyst, has helped in countryside development. He elaborated on their foundation’s rural electrification program and its positive as well as negative results in the lives of people in far-flung areas of the country. Another presentation, that of Metrolink Solutions Corporation, had Mr. Paul Brandenburg and Mr. George Delmas covering a social business initiative themed “SPARC” or Sustainable Progressive Action for Revitalization of Communities which provides a holistic approach to community development, education and medical services via internet-enabled content, applications and physical support structures. ADFIAP Secretary General, Mr. Octavio B. Peralta, gave the welcome and closing remarks to the participants.

For more information on the presentations, please email inquiries@adfiap.org

02/28/2011 >> ADFIAP, JICE meet for Japan study program on MSEs

ADFIAP was visited recently by representatives of the Japan International Cooperation Center (JICE) regarding ADFIAP’s Asia Pacific Institute of Development Finance’s (IDF) proposed study tour program on micro and small enterprises (MSEs) in Japan. Mr. Atsushi Tsutsumi and Ms. Atsuko Sakamaki, Director of Business Development Division, Overseas Business Department and Country Officer, International Student Department met with Mr. Octavio B. Peralta and Ms. Sandra C. Honrado, ADFIAP Secretary General and Senior Executive for Programs, respectively.

The IDF organizes study tour programs (STPs) in member-institutions’ countries to share best practices and experiences on micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The IDF has conducted STPs in Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. For the Japan program, the IDF is cooperating with the Japan Finance Corporation Micro Business and Individual Unit (JFC-Micro) http://www.k.jfc.go.jp/pfce/indexe.html, an ADFIAP Special Member. JFC-Micro has contributed to economic prosperity in Japan for more than 60 years by providing various kinds of business loans to MSEs.

JICE http://sv2.jice.or/e/index.htm serves as a international cooperation service center to support implementation of the Japanese Government’s international cooperation programs, to disseminate knowledge and information about the Japanese Government’s international cooperation programs and to provide welfare services to personnel engaged in JICA’s international cooperation activities.

02/25/2011 >> ADFIAP, GCEL to organize SME prosperity and finance seminar

ADFIAP and its Sustaining Member, Global Coalition for Efficient Logistics (GCEL) will organize a special session on “SME Prosperity and Finance” during the 34th ADFIAP Annual Meetings this April. GCEL will also sponsor the welcome dinner and awards night during the event.

ADFIAP’s Secretary General Octavio B. Peralta and Ms. Sandy Lim, who is coordinating the activities of the 34th Annual Meetings, met with GCEL’s Secretary General, Dr. Mark R. Drabenstott and its Director for Public Relations and Marketing, Mr. Viktor Sebek on February 23, 2011 in Manila to discuss the programme agenda of the seminar as well as the content outline of a joint publication tentatively entitled, “ Tools and Roadmap for SME Prosperity in the 21st Century” that will be released during the annual meetings.

GCEL http://www.gcel.net is a non-profit, public-private partnership based in Geneva, Switzerland that brings together governments and the private sector to deliver tangible programs to achieve sustainable global growth.

02/24/2011 >> ADFIAP joins European SCP study mission

As one of the partner-business membership organizations (BMOs) of the EU grant-funded SMART Cebu project, ADFIAP participated in a two-week, 17- person study mission from February 6-20, 2011 in the Netherlands and Germany to learn firsthand best practices and case studies on sustainable consumption and production (SCP) in these countries. SMART Cebu stands for SMEs for Environmental Accountability, Responsibility and Transparency in Cebu.

Altogether, the delegation visited 16 institutions and events covering topics such as corporate social responsibility (CSR), energy and resource efficiency, business matchmaking, eco design, sustainable lifestyles, fair banking, green finance and other SCP-related issues.

The purpose of the study mission was to learn from and network with European institutions as inputs to the ongoing 3-year SMART Cebu project under the European Commission’s SWITCH Asia programme. The project is being implemented by a consortium of European and Philippine organizations aimed at increasing the competitiveness of Cebu small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in three sectors, namely, furniture and furnishings, fashion accessories, and gift, toys and house wares and, overall, to contribute to a greener environment.

ADFIAP’s main role in the project is to advocate for sustainable consumption and production through the provision of potential lending programmes to these sectors in their pursuit of environmentally-responsible, economically-viable and socially-oriented processes and practices which are within the scope of work and advocacies of the Association. More details on the SMART Cebu project can be found at this site: http://www.smartcebuproject.com/

02/24/2011 >> ADFIAP meets with KfW

During its SMART Cebu study mission in Germany, the ADFIAP delegation of Mr. Octavio B. Peralta, Secretary General and Ms. Cora Conde, ADFIAP Consulting Group Head, met with KfW officials in Frankfurt to update each other on recent developments and thrusts of their respective institutions.

Meeting with KfW’s Mr. Uwe Ohls, Ms. Barbara Schnell and Ms. Claudia Konrad, Director General, Division Chief and Principal Project Manager responsible for the Asian region, respectively, the discussion centered on the participation and contribution of KfW in the 34th ADFIAP Annual Meetings on April 20-30, 2011.

In a separate meeting with Messrs. Christoph Tiskens, Haje Schutte and Salih Vildirim, Director, Division Chief and Senior Officer, respectively, of KfWs’s Corporate Strategy Investments and International Finance, the group discussed the activities and projects of the World Federation of Development Financing Institutions (WFDFI) and possible cooperation between the two institutions. ADFIAP is currently the Secretariat of the WFDFI.

KfW www.kfw.de is one of the leading and most experienced promotional banks in the world. It applies its knowledge and energy to sustainably improve economic, social and ecological living conditions and finances economic and social progress in developing and transition countries so that people may have better lives.

02/24/2011 >> ADFIAP visits CSCP Germany

As part of its continuing relationship-building with European institutions, ADFIAP met with officers of the UNEP/Wuppertal Collaborating Center for Sustainable Consumption and Production (CSCP) in the periphery of the study mission under the SMART Cebu project.

Secretary General Octavio B. Peralta met separately with CSCP’s Ms. Burcu Tuncer, Ms. Susanne Mueller, Mr. Julio Andres Rozo Grisales and Ms. Jadwiga Zurad on a possible cooperation project for a grant from the EU Commission under its SWITCH Asia project as well as on ADFIAP’s participation in CSCP’s forum on “The Future of Sustainable lifestyles and Entrepreneurship” to be held in Cologne, Germany from May 24-25, 2011.

CSCP, http://www.scp-centre.org was ADFIAP’s partner in the Association’s Environmental Governance Standards (EGS) project for development banks in Asia, www.egs-asia.com

02/23/2011 >> ADFIAP sets its 34th Annual Meetings programme agenda

The ADFIAP’s 34th Annual Meetings this year will be on April 20 to 23, 2011 and will have for its theme, “ Responding to Global Issues & Trends: The Strategic Role, Resources and Relationships of National Development Finance Institutions”. This year’s big event’s 4-day programme agenda is packed with learning, networking, advocacy and awarding sessions. Over a hundred delegates from ADFIAP members, invited guests, and partner-organizations are expected to attend the event.

Two outreach programs called, “CSR sessions”, will be held on the first day to provide the local chamber of commerce and university graduate students with the members’ experiences on financing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurship development programs, respectively. Completing the first day programme are the 73rd Board of Directors meeting, the 19th General Assembly meeting with a special ADFIAP-GCEL session on SME prosperity and finance and the welcome dinner and awards night.

For the second and third day, four plenary sessions are set for technical discussions covering the conference theme. Plenary Session 1 on visioning the strategic role of DFIs, panelists will tackle topics such as SME development and innovative financing mechanisms, new businesses for a clean environment, and trade diversification toward sustainable economic growth. Plenary Session 2 on working with the private sector for financing strategic economic sectors, speakers will deal with topics like market and regulatory risk issues and challenges in public-private partnership (PPP), legal, regulatory and policy aspects of PPP, and the financing models and best practices of PPP. Plenary Session 3 on building the strategic positioning of DFIs, CEOs will discuss the role of DFIs as strategic partners for national development and as development vehicles of multilateral and bilateral financial institutions. Plenary Session 4 will sum up all the topics and issues discussed during the whole conference by the drafting an “Action Agenda”.

Other highlights of the event are the Delegate-Meets-Delegate Session in the afternoon of Day 1, cultural tours in the afternoons of Days 2 and 3 and the fellowship day and tour on Day 4.

02/14/2011 >> ADFIAP represented in high-level meeting on facilitating trade in As-Pac region

On invitation by the U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), ADFIAP, represented by Eximbank India’s Resident Representative for Asia based in Singapore, Ms. Meghana Joglekar, made a presentation at a high-level consultation meeting on “Facilitating Agricultural Trade in Asia and the Pacific” on January 25-26, 2011 in Bangkok, Thailand. The objectives of the consultation were to: (a) analyze constraints for trade facilitation for agricultural products in the Asia-Pacific (b) exchange and introduce best practices on trade facilitation for agricultural products in the Asia-Pacific and (c) identify and recommend actions to implement trade facilitation for agricultural products in the region.

Analyzing constraints to agricultural exports, senior policy makers, academics, exporters, logistics providers, and U.N. and Asian Development Bank (ADB) experts at the meeting noted that the rapid emergence of stringent private standards for food products in the West has become a major challenge. There are significant gaps in quality infrastructure and technical know-how that prevent developing countries to meet these standards. They emphasized the need for regional cooperation in building capacity and developing mechanisms for accreditation of testing facilities. A number of good practices and success stories in trade facilitation for agricultural products were also showcased at the meeting. The Cambodian experience, for instance, showed the effectiveness of efforts to streamline rice export processes, integrate producers into the sub-regional value chain, diversify into new products, and engage the private sector in these processes. U.N. and ADB experts shared successful initiatives on trade facilitation for agricultural products in the region. Senior policy makers from Bangladesh, Lao PDR and Nepal presented country status and priorities in this area.

Participants provided recommendations to directly help promote agricultural exports in the region’s low-income countries. These included regional cooperation mechanisms to develop food safety and quality infrastructure in low-income countries; exploring innovative ways to solve trade finance bottlenecks for agro-exports; and helping countries apply paperless trading in the agro-export sector with the help of the U.N. Network of Experts on Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific (UNNExT). It was also noted that the Asia Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA) could be used to initiate pilot projects for trade facilitation capacity building.

For more information on this meeting, please visit this link: http://www.unescap.org/unis/press/2011/jan/g01.asp

02/10/2011 >> ADFIAP, Planters Bank organize SME Forum

ADFIAP and Planters Development Bank’s (PDB) SME Center for Asia held a by-invitation-only “Forum on SME Solutions for Banks” on February 4, 2011 at the PDB Headquarters in Makati City, Philippines.

The event was attended by 18 senior officers of Philippine-based ADFIAP members and guests from commercial banks. The event is the first forum of the SME Center for Asia which was formally launched last November 12, 2010 under the memorandum of agreement between ADFIAP and PDB as part of their advocacy and support for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the region.

The SME Center is a one-stop facility to enable entrepreneurs to gain access to information related to their businesses as well as other knowledge resources and toolkits.

The speakers of the forum included Ms. Cora Conde, Head of the ADFIAP Consulting (AC) Group, who presented AC’s “SME Lending Business Management System” that provides a holistic intervention in the setting up of a dedicated SME lending unit in banks and which covers three modules, namely: Strategic Business Planning, Core Business Operations and Business Management Action; Mr. Andrei Aquino, President of PDBSME Solutions, Planters Development Bank, who spoke on IT/SME business solutions for banks and Mr. Dinesh Fernandolulle, Managing Director & CEO of Synapsis, Sri Lanka, who presented “MBanx”, a mobile banking platform which DFCC Bank of Sri Lanka is currently using and currently installing in a Maldives bank.

For those interested on learning more about the SME solutions presented in this Forum, please contact the ADFIAP Secretariat at inquiries@adfiap.org

02/03/2011 >> DFCC Bank’s I.T. company Synapsys CEO visits ADFIAP Secretariat

The ADFIAP Secretariat welcomed on February 2, 2011 Mr. Dinesh Fernandopulle, CEO of Sri Lanka-based DFCC Bank’s wholly-owned information technology (I.T.) company, Synapsys Limited. Mr. Fernandopulle briefed the Secretariat, among other services, on the versatile mobile banking solution called “MBanx” that provides a cost effective platform to significantly increase the bank’s customer reach for both assets and liability products in a secure environment. It is particularly useful for banks and financial institutions that are engaged in serving the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector and are providing personal financial services over large geographical and low population density areas. Its design enables it to be interfaced with existing core banking solutions. The solution is already used in the DFCC Group and is currently being deployed in a local bank in the Maldives.

Synapsys a technology services, business consulting and outsourcing company is backed by a robust and scalable infrastructure to support their service offerings and over 50 years of banking heritage of DFCC Bank that places it in a unique position to be able to meet and understand the complex requirements of financial service industry. For more information on “MBanx”, please clink this link: MBanx or contact ADFIAP at inquiries@adfiap.org

01/30/2012 >> ADFIAP-DBT tie-up on track

Under an earlier signed memorandum of agreement, ADFIAP and its member, Ankara-based Development Bank of Turkey (DBT), have started to mobilize their initial joint activities for this year with a visit on January 24-27, 2012 of two DBT senior officers, Mr. Mehmet Serdar Kabukcouglu and Dr. Faruk Cengiz Tekindag, to the ADFIAP headquarters in Manila. Among their plans, ADFIAP and DBT will initially conduct two training programs to build capacities of development finance institutions, banks and other organizations providing financial and technical support to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) covering the areas of financial management and risk-based cash flow lending. Other joint undertakings will ensue following these two initial offerings that will use the experience and expertise of both institutions. The MoA calls for, in general, collaboration of ADFIAP and DBT on institutional capacity-building and consultancy services in development banking.

The Manila visit also gave the DBT officials the opportunity to meet with two co-members in ADFIAP, the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) and Land Bank of the Philippines (Land Bank). In DBP, they were briefed on the operational aspects of the Bank, its future plans and directions as well as its green finance and SME initiatives by DBP’s Senior Assistant Vice President Mr. Caesar Matignas, Assistant Vice President Stella Yanuaria (Strategic Planning); Assistant Vice President Anita Salayon (Program Development I); Assistant Vice President Romeo Carandang and Ms. Leonore Tianco (Program Development II). At the Land Bank, Mr. Edgardo Ramirez, Head of Customer Service and Product Development Department, shared the overview of the institution, its future plans and direction as well as its SME initiatives, specifically on its Agri-Agra program.

01/27/2012 >> ADFIAP organizes briefing on infra and institution-building resources

ADFIAP, in cooperation with Planters Development Bank (PDB), organized a half-day executive briefing on January 26, 2012 at the PDB training center on an on-going infrastructure information development platform and good-practice institutional capacity-building programs for DFIs. The event was attended by 19 participants from ADFIAP member-DFIs and contact-organizations in the Philippines.

The National Infrastructure Information System (NIIS) http://www.infrastructure-system.info/index.htm, a web-based information platform developed with support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Republic of Korea, was presented by Mr. Joe Lufkin, Director of the Infrastructure Finance Corporation Limited and ADB Consultant. NIIS facilitates infrastructure project preparation and financing through information gathering, reporting and exchange in three platforms: (1) Open Site, a publicly-accessible website that provides overall information and newsfeed on infrastructure projects (2) Knowledge Hub, a moderated social network platform for NIIS users to communicate to each other, and access resources and news on infrastructure development and (3) Project Platform, a unique web-accessible relational database application which allows users to create and manage complex data and documents regarding infrastructure and climate projects. NIIS users include project developers such as government and government agencies; project advisors and developers; and financiers such as banks, investment funds, DFIs and other financial institutions.

Two presentations on training and consultancy services for institution-building were made by the Development Bank of Turkey (DBT) http://english.kalkinma.com.tr/ and PDB http://www.plantersbank.com.ph/. Mr. Mehmet Serdar Kabukcouglu and Dr. Faruk Cengiz Tekindag of DBT briefed the participants on the operational aspects of the Bank, its technical assistance and consultancy services, and its partnership with ADFIAP on training and consulting. Mr. Vic Abainza, Head of the PDB-FMO Development Centre, briefed the participants on PDB’s activities, partnerships and SME lending model. Mr. Octavio B. Peralta, ADFIAP Secretary General, gave the welcome and closing remarks.

Please email the ADFIAP Secretariat at inquiries@adfiap.org for details of the event.

01/24/2012 >> ADFIAP assists NIIS project via DFI network database build-up

To facilitate infrastructure project preparation and financing in the region, ADFIAP is assisting in the build-up of a DFI network database for the National Infrastructure Information Systems (NIIS), a web-based information platform developed with support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Republic of Korea through the ADB’s Regional Technical Assistance 7379: “Establishment of e-Systems to Support Infrastructure Financing in Asia”.

The NIIS http://www.infrastructure-system.info/index.htm is particularly useful in the initial and early development stages of infrastructure project finance by providing a series of tools to: (a) capture key project data in a systematic and consistent way across multiple locations and multiple sectors (b) identify and fill any gaps in project planning and preparation (c) identify and mitigate project risks and (d) guide a project towards PPP structuring and private-sector institutional and commercial investment by providing links to marketing and funding resources.

NIIS users include project developers such as government and government agencies; project advisors and developers; and financiers such as banks, investment funds, DFIs and other financial institutions.

NIIS facilitates information gathering, reporting and exchange in three platforms: (1) Open Site, a publicly-accessible website that provides overall information and newsfeed on infrastructure projects (2) Knowledge Hub, a moderated social network platform for NIIS users to communicate to each other, and access resources and news on infrastructure development and (3) Project Platform, a unique web-accessible relational database application which allows users to create and manage complex data and documents regarding infrastructure and climate projects. For more information, please email inquiries@adfiap.org

01/16/2012 >> Secretariat sets plans, gears up for 2012

The Secretariat, the ADFIAP Consulting team as well as key resource persons met on January 12, 2012 to review last year’s performance and set the directions and plans for 2012. The heads of the Secretariat’s business units – the Institute of Development Finance (IDF), the ADFIAP Consulting (AC) and the ADFIAP Responsible Citizenship (ARC) Center – and its operations unit – the Membership & Events Management Unit, the Knowledge Management Unit and the Finance and Administration Unit – all presented their respective achievements and goals for the year. These presentations were preceded by a benchmark assessment of the Secretariat’s performance and an overview of the role, strategic plan and directions of the Association by the ADFIAP Secretary General.

The IDF has put out its 2012 calendar of activities, highlighted by its three credentialing programs – the Core Development Banking Program (Level 1), the Development Bank Management Program (Level 2) and the Fellow in Development Banking Program (Level 3). A new and innovative offering by the IDF this year is the Tandem Training Program which offers three (3) different courses in one programme to accommodate more participants and be cost effective at the same time. Three such programs are being developed that covers financial management, human resource management and project management; Bank Operation Level I covering customer service, legal aspects and financial management and Bank Operation Level II covering credit management, treasury management and monitoring and control aspects. For more details, please email inquiries@adfiap.org.

The AC has developed, among others, two institutional offerings – the SME Access to Finance (SME A2F) and SME Banking Business Opportunity – whose target markets are industry associations, chamber of industries, cooperatives, bank associations and financial institutions. AC also aims to conduct capacity-building and coaching services in collaboration with ADFIAP members and other partner-organizations.

The Membership & Events Management Unit listed, among others, ADFIAP’s two big ticket events – the 35th Annual Meetings to be held on April 25-27, 2012 in Istanbul, Turkey hosted by the Development Bank of Turkey and the CEO Forum IX to be co-organized with the African Association of DFIs in November 2012 in South Africa (dates and venue to be confirmed).

The Knowledge Management Unit presented its plans and programs, notably the soon-to-be launched ADFIAP Online Learning Platform which has features such as a community portal, an e-campus, discussion board and many others. This will usher the Association into a full-ledged service organization, with both robust face-to-face and online capabilities.

The Finance and Administration Unit presented, among others, the latest financial condition of the Association which has reached an asset base of over one million US dollars.

Key resource persons who attended and shared their inputs included Mr. Orlando P. Peña, former ADFIAP Secretary General and current President of the ABC Consulting; Dr. Alberto Peña, Professor and Associate Director of the Office of International Studies and Programs at the Illinois State University and IDF faculty; Mr. Max Edralin, Jr., Public Relations Consultant of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (Central Bank of the Philippines) and PR Consultant of ADFIAP; and Mr. Victor Abainza, Executive Director, PDB-FMO Development Center of Planters Development Bank.

01/16/2012 >> ADFIAP website visits reach over the 60,000 mark

As of this writing, the new ADFIAP website has already received 60,373 visits from 157 institutions and individuals in different countries and territories around the world. Statistics showed an average of 70 hits per day, with an average of 3:07 minutes staying time on site. The most visited pages of the website concern with membership information followed by the calendar of events and articles contained in the newsroom section. The top ten countries of origin of the ADFIAP website visitors were from the United States of America, India, Malaysia, United Kingdom, Singapore, Pakistan, Turkey, Australia, Germany and the Philippines. Please visit the ADFIAP website at www.adfiap.org

01/04/2012 >> Secretariat starts 2012 with traditional office blessing

In keeping with its annual tradition of starting the first day of work for the new year with prayers of renewed hope and continuing vigor, the ADFIAP Secretariat held an office blessing on January 2, 2012 which was officiated by a priest and attended by the staff. As in most countries and cultures, the new year offers fresh opportunities to reflect back as well as to look forward with great optimism to become better people and institutions.

In ADFIAP’s case, being a membership service organization, the new year provides time for it to review the past year and plan ahead in terms of new and improved offerings to its members, partners and constituencies. For updates on activities and programs for 2012, please visit the ADFIAP’s 2012 calendar of events at this link, http://www.adfiap.org/events/calendar-of-events/

01/27/2011 >> UNSGAB visits ADFIAP, explores water financing programs from DFIs

Two members of the Board of the United Nations Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation (UNSGAB), Mr. Gerard Payen and Dr. Olivia Castillo visited the ADFIAP Secretariat in Manila to explore ways for national development finance institution-members of ADFIAP and the World Federation of DFIs (WFDFI) to increase providing financial assistance to water service operators and water sanitation service providers in their respective countries.

Among the items discussed in their meeting with ADFIAP and WFDFI Secretary General, Octavio B. Peralta, are a re-survey of members’ financing portfolio to the water and sanitation sector, the subsequent development of a water financing model, and a continuous engagement between the two organizations.

UNSGAB http://www.unsgab.org/ is an independent body established in March 2004 by United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, to give him advice as well as to galvanize action on water and sanitation issues. Chaired by His Royal Highness the Prince of the Netherlands, the Board is composed of a wide range of dignitaries, technical experts, and individuals with proven experience in providing inspiration, moving the machinery of government as well as working with the media, the private sector and civil society.

01/17/2011 >> ADFIAP Deputy Secretary General rejoins DBP

Mr. Isidro Abas Sobrecarey (“Roy”), ADFIAP Deputy Secretary General the last three years, has tendered his resignation from the Association effective January 14, 2011 to rejoin the Development Bank of the Philippines, www.dbp.ph (DBP) as Chief of Staff of the Office of the Chairman. Mr. Sobrecarey worked at the DBP in senior management capacities from 1987 to 1991.

Roy, as he is fondly called, is credited, among others, of ably steering ADFIAP’s professional training and career development center, the Asia-Pacific Institute of Development Finance (IDF), to greater heights and recognition through a focused course offering portfolio, a diverse market, and excellent partnership initiatives.

Roy brings back to DBP over 30 years of professional work experience in the government, business, academe and association sectors. All the best, Roy!

01/13/2011 >> ADFIAP welcomes GCEL’s HumaWealth Program

ADFIAP Sustaining Member, Global Coalition for Efficient Logistics (GCEL) visited the ADFIAP Secretariat in Manila on January 12, 2011 to present its global initiative, HumaWealth Program, a soft infrastructure-based, public-private partnership platform which aims to deliver the tools to, among others, reduce the cost of trade, increase the buying power of emerging economies, offer market opportunities for the finance, insurance and technology industries and assist small and medium enterprises (SMEs) access financing and other support mechanisms.

GCEL’s Secretary General, Dr. Mark R. Drabenstott and Executive Member, Mr. Vibin Menon briefed their counterparts in ADFIAP, Secretary General Octavio B. Peralta, Deputy Secretary General Isidro A. Sobrecarey and ADFIAP Consulting Group Head, Ms. Cora D. Conde on the content, structure and initial work of the HumaWealth program.

ADFIAP member-DFIs would have the opportunity to learn more of the program through conferences and training events that will ensue, particularly for the benefit of their SME clients. Moving forward, DFIs would benefit from the robust database that the program will generate which is envisioned to increase lending to SMEs which are considered the “backbone” of most economies.

GCEL is a non-profit, public-private partnership based in Geneva, Switzerland that brings together governments and the private sector to deliver tangible programs to achieve sustainable global growth. For more details on CGEL and the HumaWealth program, please visit http://www.gcel.net

01/07/2011 >> Secretariat starts year with office blessing, planning session

The ADFIAP Secretariat, as its annual tradition, started the first day of work on January 3, 2011 with an office blessing officiated by Rev. Fr. Peter Nang, a Vietnamese Catholic priest based in Makati City, Philippines. On January 6, 2011, the Secretariat, gearing up for the year, met for a planning session to consolidate, document and set to implement the activities and programs of the Association for 2011, keeping in mind its members’ needs and aspirations as well as its focus on the strategic plan approved by the Board.

Top on the list of the activities for the year are the two big ticket events – the 34th ADFIAP Annual Meetings set to be held in Kyrenia, North Cyprus on April 20-23, 2011 and the CEO Forum VIII to be held in Thimpu, Bhutan in October (final dates to be announced later).

The Institute of Development Finance (IDF) has put out its training calendar for 2011, highlighted by the two credentialing programs for development bankers, the Core Development Banking Program (CoreDev) and the Development Bank Management Program (DevMan).

The ADFIAP Consulting (AC) focused, among others, in proposing to the Secretariat a restructure of its service business units to better serve its constituents as well as in setting its efforts on offering this year its holistic “SME Lending Business Management System” to capacitate members that have existing small and medium enterprise (SME) lending portfolios as well as those which are entering into this lending business.

The other units of the Secretariat – Membership, Knowledge Management and Finance and Administration – have also provided their plans to boost member services and engagement through more use of web-based technologies and resources.

For more updates on these activities and programs, please visit the ADFIAP website at www.adfiap.org