2 0 0 7   N E W S   A R C H I V E December Sobrecarey appointed DSG IDF grants credentials to DBMP Participants Cambodian study tour program successful CEO Forum IV Attendance Record-high, goes to Malaysia in 2008 UN-ADFIAP bilateral Meeting Successful Board meets in Bangkok Board sets own “fit & proper” rule ADFIAP adopts climate change policy statement ADFIAP as a social enterprise “Twinning of DFIs”, a new service offering from ADFIAP ADFIAP has now 87 members, a record high ADFIAP on track for 2008 Annual Meetings IDF Holds Seminar for Malaysian Central Bank IDF to hold seminar on performance standards for DFIs UN-ADFIAP Consultative Meeting On IDF Holds Credentialing Program in Manila November ADFIAP Attends UNEP FI AGM, Global Roundtable September ADFIAP releases environmental governance tools for banks ADFIAP, USAID ECO-Asia to Cooperate in Water Sector Finance ADFIAP Speaks at USAID ECO-Asia Water & Sanitation Wrkshop Launch of EU-ADFIAP initiative BANKS TOLD TO ‘GO GREEN’ JBIC rejoins ADFIAP Cambodian Study Tour on SMEs and Microfinance Set ADFIAP, CIPE hold Governance Seminar for ADFIP ADFIAP conducts highly-rated PR seminar ADFIAP attends ADFIP Annual Meeting August ADFIAP KfW dialogue on SMEs Successful ADFIAP Meets with ITC, UNEPFI July ADFIAP invited to UN experts meeting on SCP ADFIAP is feature network at U.K. ‘s CDFA annual event ADFIAP expands to 82 Members, 37 Countries KfW, ADFIAP hold dialogue on SMEs June ADFIAP, CIPE conduct governance-sustainability seminars in India and Malaysia ADFIAP Speaks at UNESCAP Green Growth Forum ADFIAP in Kazakhstan PPP Conference Thai Travel Mart Hosts ADFIAP ADFIAP SME Bank Malaysia Study Tour Program on SME Finance Held May Hanoi Meetings, biggest ever! Nine members win major awards BIM, NBU, PhilExim, FDB get special recognition ADFIAP increases to 79 members Venkat Subramanian, CEO of the Year H. E. Yahya Bin Said Al-Jabri, Distinguished Person of the Year Board matters round-up April ADFIAP, KfW to Hold Dialogue on SME Finance ADFIAP Sets Dialogues for a Regional Fund for SMEs March ADFIAP Invited to Award Student Achievers ADFIAP Talks about Greenbanking on TV ADFIAP Joins UN Advisory Group on Cooperation Dialogue ADFIAP Partner-institutions Announce Big Events in 2007 ADFIAP Work on Export Promotion Cited Four institutions join ADFIAP, ups membership to 76 February Business Cooperation Committee to enhance members' databank Training Committee pursues training needs of members Finance & Relations Committee to revive the ADFIAP Fund Eight Board Members up for re-election in May meetings ADFIAP Invited to Experts’ Workshop on Multilateral Development Finance ADFIAP SG Visits KfW Development Bank Indonesian Eximbank joins ADFIAP, ups Membership to 73 January ADFIAP CIPE to Hold Governance & Sustainability Seminar in Manila ADFIAP to Organize Two Study Tour Programs on Microfinance ADFIAP has now 72 members 2 0 0 8   N E W S 2 0 0 7   N E W S   A R C H I V E 2 0 0 6   N E W S   A R C H I V E Association Update : 12/27/2007 : Active Sobrecarey appointed DSG In its meeting held on December 17, 2007 in Bangkok, Thailand, the ADFIAP Board of Directors approved the appointment of Isidro Abas Sobrecarey as Deputy Secretary General of the ADFIAP. He will be directly involved in the development and execution of the strategic plan of the ADFIAP, particularly the operations of the Institute of Development Finance (IDF). At 57, Roy (as he prefers to be called) joins the ADFIAP with more than 30 years of professional experience having worked in the government, business sector and academe. This includes his stint as Associate Director of the JBF Center for Banking and Finance of the Asian Institute of Management. He was also a Faculty Member of the School of Management at the University of Asia and the Pacific. He was directly involved in development finance as Executive Vice President of the Philippine Export-Import Credit Agency handling portfolio development, including dealings with other Export Credit Agencies in Asia and the Pacific. Roy was also a Vice President of the Development Bank of the Philippines, a Government Financial Institution and the country’s largest development bank. His experience in the business sector comprised mainly of his 12-year stint in San Miguel Corporation, the Philippines’ largest multinational company. He was the Asst. Vice President/Manager of SMC’s BIMP-EAGA Unit where he was responsible for business development in the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East Asean Growth Area. Concurrently as Head Executive Assistant to the President and COO of San Miguel Corporation, Roy also developed the trade relationship program of the company. His competency includes project management as he was the Vice President for Corporate Real Estate of San Miguel Properties Phils. Inc., a subsidiary of San Miguel Corporation. He was also the Asst. General Manager for Marketing of Public Estates Authority, handling` the Manila Bay Reclamation Project, the country’s largest reclamation and property development project. Roy started his professional career in the public sector when he was Assistant Director at the Development Management Staff, Office of the President. While in government, he was seconded to development programs funded by the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund of Japan (now the Japan Bank for International Cooperation or JBIC), and the United States Agency for International Development or USAID. His professional training includes the intensive Core Credit Management Course at the DBP Institute of Development Banking where he was awarded the Silver Medal. He was also an awardee of the Lester B. Pearson Fellowship at the International Development Research Centre in Canada; and the UNESCO Fellowship on Regional Development at the United Nations Center for Regional Development in Japan. He completed with Honors his Bachelor of Arts degree, major in Economics from Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines. He took Graduate Courses in Economics at the Ateneo de Manila University, and obtained his Master of Arts in Development Economics from Williams College in Massachusetts, USA. Back to top Association Update : 12/27/2007 : Active IDF grants credentials to DBMP Participants ADFIAP's professional career development center, the Institute of Development Finance (IDF) successfully held Level II of its credentialing program – the “Development Bank Management Program” (DBMP) from December 3-14, 2007 at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) Conference Center in Manila, Philippines. Nine (9) participants from Fiji, China, India and the Philippines have completed the program and were granted the credential, Affiliate in Development Bank Management. The DBMP is a 2-week program intended for credentialing candidates who have completed the "Core Development Banking Program” (CoreDev - Level 1) as well as those qualified under the rules to go straight to this program. Although this course is offered to participants from development finance institutions to further enhance their managerial skills in development bank management and operations, it is also relevant for officers of commercial banks with development finance portfolio. The DBMP consists two groups of training modules: Module Group 1 covers "Bank Operation Management and Financial Management" and this includes topics on financial management system, treasury and risk management, credit analysis for long-term investment projects, loan management, and performance management. Module Group 2 covers "General Management and Management of People" and includes topics on Asian culture in management, analytical tools for problem-solving, decision-making and risk management, improving communications and critical aspects of human resources management and training. Aside from classroom discussions, the participants also had an opportunity of observe firsthand the operations of four of the largest development finance institutions in the country, namely, the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), the Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank), the Philippine Export-Import Credit Agency (PhilExim) and Planters Development Bank. The main resource person of the program was Dr. Alberto D. Peña who is Professor and Associate Director of the Office of International Studies and Programs at the Illinois State University in the US. Other resource persons included Mr. Orlando P. Peña, President of Asia Business Consulting, and Mr. Octavio B. Peralta, ADFIAP Secretary General. The DBMP was conducted after a successful run of the “Core Development Banking Program” on November 26-30, 2007 also in the same venue. 16 participants from 8 countries, who successfully completed this Level 1 program were granted the credential, Associate in Development Banking (please see related story). Back to top Association Update : 12/27/2007 : Active Cambodian study tour program successful ADFIAP Events team has successfully held the combined SME and microfinance study tour program held in Phnom Pehn and Siem Reap Cambodia on November 19-21, 2007, organized in cooperation with the Rural Development Bank of Cambodia. The event, attended by 27 participants from the countries of Vietnam, Malaysia, Bhutan, China India, Iran, Oman, Palau, and Cambodia, were able to deepen their knowledge on Cambodian’s best practices on SME finance and microfinance through visitations to various industry major players and policy-making bodies as well as conduits of wholesale and retail SME and microfinance funds. Cambodia’s SME finance and microfinance sectors are thriving and the country has many successful SME and microfinance institutions. The Cambodian event also served as a platform for the participants to exchanged views and ideas on the subject, leading to their broader and richer understanding of the significant role that DFIs play in the promotion of SME finance and microfinance in their respective countries. ADFIAP Events Team is the business unit of Association that specializes in organizing and managing specific and demand-driven activities aside from the formal training and credentialing courses offered by the ADFIAP Institute of Development Finance (IDF). These activities include conferences, symposia, exhibits & expos, study tours, on-the-job programs, etc. For more details on the ADFIAP Events Team, please contact Ms. Sandy Lim, senior executive, Membership at . Back to top Association Update : 12/27/2007 : Active CEO Forum IV Attendance Record-high, goes to Malaysia in 2008 About 100 CEOs and senior officers from ADFIAP members, partners and affiliates convened in Bangkok, Thailand on December 17-19, 2007 for the Annual CEO Forum organized by ADFIAP and hosted by the SME Development Bank of Thailand with support from the Association of Development Finance Institutions in Malaysia (ADFIM). The theme of the event was “Development Banks and Sustainable SMEs: Opportunities for Growth”. The CEO Forum V will be hosted by ADFIM in Malaysia, details of which will be communicated to all in due time. The event, already in its 4th year of successful run, is continuously getting wider attention among CEOs and senior officials from various financial institutions, including commercial banks and other organizations considering the importance SMEs to national economic development and growth, especially to the developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region. There were two technical sessions with relevant topics that revolved around the theme for this year’s Forum. In Technical Session 1, “Financing Sustainable SMEs in the Services Sector”, four speakers presented and discussed different relevant issues: Mr. Vincent Tabuteau, Managing Director of Bangkok-based Asia Oasis & Asia Marine Company, talked about two eco-tourism examples in Thailand, i.e., the Lisu Lodge, an eco-village of an indigenous people and the other is the Yacht Charter business for marine tourism; Mr. Samma Kutsin, Director General of the Real State Information Center (Thailand) presented the situation of the country’s housing construction and what the government and private sector are doing to increase investment in the sector; Mr. Thiraphong Tangthirasunan, President of the Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC), discussed the new organic farming sector in Thailand; Mr. Rajender Mohan Malla, Chairman & Managing Director of Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), presented the healthcare business sector in India, including alternative medicine and the institutions that the Bank has put up for SMEs - the credit guarantee fund, the SME rating agency (SMERA), the technology bank and venture capital company plus other vision areas of the Bank to fully cover the needs of SMEs in India. In Technical Session No. 2, “Financing Sustainable SMEs in the Resource-based Industries”, Mr. Anat Prapasawad, Managing Director of Advance Energy Plus Co. of Thailand, talked about renewable energy opportunities as well as challenges and suggestions for DFIs to increase investment in the sector; Mr. Jay Tecson of USAID's Eco-Asia project presented the Water Finance Fund of the Dutch SNS Real Bank and how ADFIAP members can consider setting up of a similar fund. Ms. Fatima Reyes of the International Federation of Accountants, Sustainability Expert Advisory Panel, presented the why, what and how of sustainability reporting based of the widely-used GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) as management, communication and tool for banks and financial institutions. Three special sessions were also presented during the event. The first from Mr. Robert Rubenstein, Founder and CEO of the Amsterdam-based Brooklyn Bridge TBLI Group, featured SME finance in emerging markets such as clean technology, carbon markets, direct policy finance, socially-responsible investment (SRI), green buildings and microfinance. The other from Ms. Bernie Morgan, Chief Executive of U.K’s Community Development Finance Association (CDFA), showed that even in developed countries like the UK, there is a market failure in terms of financial access to deprived communities such as microentrepreneurs, charities, and social enterprises, women/ethnic minorities, refugees and other underserved and unserved markets. Ms. Morgan cited two case studies: Triodos Bank and Charity Bank as well as two policy tools such as the community investment tax relief and small firms loan guarantee scheme. Mr. Shinya Wako, Executive Officer and General Manager of Global Structured Finance Division of the 5th largest financial institution in Japan - the Mizuho Bank - provided the scope for opportunities for banks in the climate change space. More details of presentations during the Forum will be made available in the ADFIAP website soon. Back to top Association Update : 12/27/2007 : Active UN-ADFIAP bilateral Meeting Successful The United Nations, represented by its New York-based Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) through its Financing for Development Office (FfD), and ADFIAP held a bilateral meeting on financing for development issues on December 17, 2007 in Bangkok, Thailand on the occasion of ADFIAP's CEO Forum IV held also in the Thai capital. The SME Development Bank of Thailand (SME Bank) hosted the event together with ADFIAP. The UNDESA was represented by Dr. Jomo Kwame Sundaram, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development, Mr. Alexander Trepelkov, FfD's Chief for Multistake Holder Engagement and Outreach Branch and Mr. Daniel Platz, FfD's Economic Affairs Officer, NGO Focal Point. Dr. Jomo inaugurated the event by providing an overview of the Monterrey Consensus which set into motion the activities of the FfD, its current achievements and the challenges ahead. Mr. Fuimaono Falefa Lima, ADFIAP Vice Chairman and General Manager of the Development Bank of Samoa welcomed the delegates. The meeting was highlighted by two main sessions, one on the topic "National and Regional Development Banks: Potential and Sustainability" and the other on "Responsible Infrastructure Investment: Financing Access to Basic Utilities". In the first session, Dr. Ravi Ratnayake, Director, Poverty and Development Division, of the Bangkok-based UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), presented the region's enormous infrastructure development needs, their financing requirements, and potential opportunities for national development finance institutions in this regard. Dr. Sailendra Narain, Chairman, Centre for SME Growth and Development Finance (India) presented a paper on "DFIs at the Crossroad" with focus on the Great Mekong subregion and made a proposal on the setting up of a pilot development fund for the subregion's financing needs. Mr. Ping Chew, Managing Director, Asia Corporate & Government Ratings, Standard and Poor’s Credit Market Services (Singapore) familiarized the delegates on S&P's credit rating methodology, with emphasis on the DFI's credit worthiness in raising capital in the international financial markets. In the second session, Mr. Le Huu Ti, Chief, Sustainable Development and Water Resources Section, Environment and Sustainable Development Division, UNESCAP, presented the challenges and prospects of financing access to water and sanitation in the region while Mr. Vibhu Nayar, Project Director, Tamil Nadu Rural Water Supply Programme (India) presented the actual case study of the experience of the rural water supply programme in Tamil Nadu and environs. Mr. Daniel Platz, FfD's Economic Affairs Officer, presented innovative approaches to water and electricity financing in developing countries based on FfD's experiences on the ground. Finally, Mr. Niels Van Dijk, Deputy Chief of Party of USAID's Environmental Cooperation Asia (ECO-Asia), presented their own experiences and initiatives in the area of water sanitation. It will be recalled that the FfD Office was established in the UNDESA in accordance with General Assembly resolution as an outcome of the adoption of the Monterrey Consensus by Heads of State or Government at the International Conference on Financing for Development in Monterrey, Mexico in March 2002. The Monterrey Consensus embraces six areas of financing for development: (1) mobilizing domestic financial resources for development (2) mobilizing international resources for development: foreign direct investment and other private flows (3) international trade as an engine for development (4) increasing international financial and technical cooperation for development (5) external debt and (6) addressing systemic issues: enhancing the coherence and consistency of the international monetary, financial and trading systems in support of development. Back to top Association Update : 12/27/2007 : Active Board meets in Bangkok The Board gathered in Bangkok for its second meeting of the year in conjunction with the CEO Forum IV hosted by the SME Development Bank of Thailand and supported by the Association of DFIs in Malaysia. Among others, the Board reconfirmed 15 new members, set its own minimum standard requirement for its officers to improve the Board governance process, approved the DFI-to-DFI "twinning" service offering for members, adopted the Association's climate change policy statement and set into motion the strategic direction of ADFIAP as a social enterprise. Please see related news articles for more details on these Board actions. Back to top Association Update : 12/27/2007 : Active Board sets own “fit & proper” rule In its meeting on December 17, 2007 in Bangkok, Thailand, the ADFIAP Board has set minimum standard requirements for Board members and officers as part of its ongoing governance process improvement. Current and aspiring members and officers of the Board must, among others, possess academic and/or professional qualifications at commensurate level of experience in a discipline relevant to banking, development finance activities, capital market operations, finance or management. To maintain integrity, they shall not: have been convicted by any Court of law for any criminal offence; have served any term of imprisonment after a conviction for any offence; have been found to have committed or been connected with the commission of any act which involves an offence, fraud, deceit, dishonesty or any irregularity relating to trading of securities, by any body with regulatory or supervisory authority established by law or other statutory power, constituted under law as a commission of inquiry, tribunal or other similar body, or by any professional association which in the opinion of the Board of Directors of ADFIAP is of an established and credible stature; have been insolvent or been so declared in the past; and have been declared by a Court or other relevant body of competent jurisdiction, to be of unsound mind. Each member and officer of the Board prior to being elected and annually after election must submit to the ADFIAP Secretariat a declaration for the purpose of ensuring that the minimum corporate governance standards are adhered to by the Board. Back to top Association Update : 12/27/2007 : Active ADFIAP adopts climate change policy statement The ADFIAP Board approved during its meeting in Bangkok recently the adoption of the “ADFIAP Policy Statement on Climate Change” which read as follows: "As an international community of development finance institutions, ADFIAP takes a long view of the importance and impact of the climate change issue, as this is not only a global phenomenon as it is local; an institutional concern as it is personal. Climate change and its effects is the responsibility of all to tackle now and in the future. As development organizations, DFIs have a natural mandate and catalytic role to play in climate change initiatives. To deal with climate change, it is necessary to work at two levels: to seek for the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and to be fully engaged in global efforts to stem the rate of climate change; and within the realities of current climate change situations, to reduce its adverse effects on ecosystems and their biodiversity. As financial intermediaries, DFIs are in a strategic position to help mitigate climate change’s impact, not only as a source of funds of projects that may contribute to the degradation of the environment but also as an advocate of it to project proponents themselves in the course of doing their businesses. These actions also need to be coordinated with programs to address other urgent priorities, such as reducing poverty, improving education and public health, investing in water and sanitation projects, and raising general living standards. Reliable, renewable and affordable supplies of energy are also essential in meeting these challenges. Notwithstanding that government policies as well as legislation and regulation on climate change are presently under consideration in members’ respective countries, ADFIAP supports an open and constructive dialogue with like-minded development organizations on the principles that should shape its climate change policy. To this end, and as a starting point, ADFIAP members agree on the following policy statements on climate change: Scaling up awareness and education Continuously advocate for sustainable development issues, not only because this is ADFIAP’s avowed mission but also by working to inspire and encourage others to the value of sustainability through our members, partners and stakeholders in the ADFIAP network. Elevate to the next higher level the awareness of environmental issues initiated in ADFIAP’s EU-funded environmental governance standards project among members’ officers and staff and encourage them to observe best practices, for example, by integrating environmental management systems into operational transactions and environmental risk scan into their lending decisions. Incorporate new and innovative sustainability-oriented ideas and trends such as sustainable consumption and production into ADFIAP’s environmental training programs as well as into its other knowledge resources, i.e., publications and websites Taking Action and Reporting Progress Take a leading position in promoting greenhouse gas emissions reduction as a priority agenda and in developing reporting standards in this regard. ADFIAP believes that an improved registry for reporting emissions and documenting reductions would stimulate progress on climate change initiatives in the DFI sector. Endeavor to encourage members to look into providing more investments to projects that reduce emissions and improve energy efficiency and to encourage them to provide public recognition to project proponents that have reduced their carbon footprints. Both these actions are aimed at motivating the project proponents to be more responsive and sensitive to climate change issues. Promote to develop and implement within the membership practical conservation projects that contribute to decreasing the impacts of climate change, e.g., tree planting and habitat restoration that enhances species movement and thus helping them to adopt to climate change. Working with Others Seek partnerships and engage with same-purposed institutions that also promote environmentally-responsible practices. Cooperate also with those working on research, conservation and environmental projects related to mitigating climate change." Back to top Association Update : 12/27/2007 : Active ADFIAP as a social enterprise In its meeting on December 17, 2007 in Bangkok, Thailand, the ADFIAP Board has set minimum standard requirements for Board members and officers as part of its ongoing governance process improvement. Having all the elements of an organization operating as a social enterprise, the ADFIAP Board on its meeting on December 17, 2007 in Bangkok, Thailand has approved the strategic business model for ADFIAP into the future. Since its inception 31 years ago, ADFIAP as an Association, was organized and has acted as a social enterprise although it was not formally communicated to be so. First, ADFAP is not-for-profit organization and non-government organization. As such, it has been recognized as an NGO in consultative status by the United Nations’ Economic and Social Council and has worked with UN agencies such as the UNDP, UNIDO, UNTAD, UNEP, and ITC to advocate for economic, social and environmental development. Second, ADFIAP has a set of development-oriented stakeholders, i.e., members and partners that espouse to deliver financial, social and environmental performance results that are often referred to as having a triple bottom line approach. And third, ADFIAP, like a business a business organization, uses its entrepreneurial management and skills to create and provide products and services, such as training programs, publications and web-resources that are offered for a fee in the “market”. The strategic business model of ADFIAP going forward includes the scaling up of its Institute of Development Finance (IDF); the setting up of the ADFIAP Strategic Center (ASC) as its R&D and consulting unit; and the putting up of the ADFIAP Development Foundation as a grant-making and outreach unit. The implementing guidelines of these units will be formulated in more details shortly. Back to top Association Update : 12/27/2007 : Active “Twinning of DFIs”, a new service offering from ADFIAP With its aim to promote bilateral cooperation among its members, the ADFIAP Board, during its 66th meeting in Bangkok, Thailand last December 17, 2007, has approved the implementation of the “DFI-to-DFI Twinning” initiative. This initiative was developed considering the diversity and multinational nature of ADFIAP’s membership which offer a vast opportunity for cooperative and partnering arrangements among them. The concept of “DFI-to-DFI Twinning” initiative is patterned after the town/city "twinning model" whereby towns or cities in geographically and politically distinct areas are paired, with the goal of fostering human contact and cultural links. Twin cities often (though by no means) have similar demographic and other characteristics. Sometimes, even larger areas enter into “twinning” agreements, such as that between the provinces of Hainan in China and Jeju in South Korea. The ADFIAP Secretariat will coordinate the "twinning arrangement" between interested members and facilitate assistance to its members in providing information link to potential “twins”; arranging for activities such as institutional visits and staff exchanges, on-the-job training, workshops and discussion groups, web communications; and documenting and disseminating experiences. For more details on this initiative, please email at Back to top Association Update : 12/27/2007 : Active ADFIAP has now 87 members, a record high ADFIAP has added three more new members to its roster as the year ends, bringing the total to a record 87 members in 37 countries. Pak-Brunei Investment Company Limited of Pakistan, Eco-Frontier of Korea, National Investment Company P. Ltd of Nepal, and Pak-Iran have joined the Association. Pak-Brunei Investment Company Limited is a full service development financial institution established as a joint venture between the Government of Pakistan and Brunei Investment Agency. The company received its Certificate of Commencement of Business from the State Bank of Pakistan in August 2007. It has a total paid-up capital of PKR 3 billion that will increase by 1.0 billion at the end of each year until it reaches 6.0 billion as per the State Bank of Pakistan regulations. Eco-Frontier, was established to contribute in achieving global sustainable development by incorporating social and environmental values into economic value. Eco-Frontier aims to provide companies, financial institutions, localities, governments and international organizations with knowledge-based and highly value-oriented sustainability solutions from research, consulting, environmental technology, information technology, regulatory and financial advisory service, even to services for creating and commercializing of new types of businesses. In 1998, it was designated by the Ministry of Science and Technology of Korea as an eco-system research institute. In 2002, an exclusive partnership was forged with Innovest Strategic Value Advisors (Financial Advisory) and became a voting member of the Association for Sustainable and Responsible Investment in Asia (ASRIA). In 2005, its partnership with UNEP-FI became the official point. In 2007, it became a member of the UN PRI (Principles for Responsible Investment). The National Investment Company Pvt. Ltd. of Nepal is involved in the business of investment and investment management including investment and financial consultancy mainly in development financing. It is a private limited company registered with the Company Register’s Office on July 2003. The main proponent of the company, Mr. Bhakta Pralhad Pandey, has also served as General Manager (CEO) of Nepal Industrial Development Corporation from the period of September 24, 2002 to September 23, 2003. Its authorized and paid up capital is Rs 5 Million and the company is in the process of increasing its authorized and paid-up capital to Rs 50 Million. A team of professionals headed by Mr. Pandey himself, manages the day-to-day operation of the company while the Board of Directors, headed by Mr. Ajaya Kumar Mishtra, Chairman, formulates the plans and policies appropriate for the company. Pak-Iran Joint Investment Company Ltd. was formed as a joint venture between the Governments of Iran and Pakistan. It is a public limited company notified as a development financial institution operating in Pakistan. The company received its certificate of commencement of business in May 2007 and recently started its operations. At present, the management is focusing on team building in order to fully establish the company as a development financial institution with a focus on promotion investments from Iran to Pakistan. Back to top Association Update : 12/27/2007 : Active ADFIAP on track for 2008 Annual Meetings ADFIAP has started preparing for its 31st Annual Meetings which will be held in Tehran , Iran in May 2008 and hosted by the Bank of Industry and Mine. This will be the first time that ADFIAP will have its Annual Meetings in the Middle East . The Annual Meetings is considered the biggest event of the Association that draws most of its member-institutions, partners and supporters in one place for learning, sharing experiences and business networking. The Annual Meetings consists of the Board Meeting, the General Assembly Meeting, the Delegate-Meets-Delegate Session, the Conference Proper and the ADFIAP Awards Program, including social and cultural activities. The Secretariat will be sending invitations to the Annual Meetings shortly and will be featuring more on the event in the January-February, 2008 issue of the ADFIAP Newsletter. Back to top Association Update : 12/11/2007 : Active IDF Holds Seminar for Malaysian Central Bank ADFIAP’s professional career development and credentialing center - the Institute of Development Finance (IDF) and the Human Resource Development Center (HRDC) of the Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), the country's Central Bank, jointly organized an in-house program on "Core Development Banking Fundamentals in Development Finance", specifically designed for the Development Finance & Enterprise Department (DFED) of the bank to enhance the capability of their officers and staff in the regulation and evaluation of the performance of development financing institutions in Malaysia. This program, held on November 20-22, 2007 in Kuala Lumpur , was attended by 20 middle and senior-level executives of the DFED. Topics during the 3-day event included the vital role of development financing institutions in the economic and social progress of the country as well as their roles and responsibilities as financial institutions. The event also provided deeper insights on the need for development financing performance standards that could serve as guidelines for operation of development banks, in general. Relevant issues on long-term project finance, an important area of development banking, were also discussed. The main resource person of the program was Dr. Alberto D. Peña, Professor and Associate Director of the Office of International Studies and Programs at the Illinois State University in the U.S. For specific and specialized training programs on development finance and development banking, please email IDF at Back to top Association Update : 12/11/2007 : Active IDF to hold seminar on performance standards for DFIs The Institute of Development Finance (IDF), ADFIAP’s professional career development and credenting center, will be holding an international seminar-workshop entitled "Performance Standards for DFIs in Today’s Financial Architecture" on February 11-15, 2008 in Manila , Philippines. This new program offering of the IDF will focus on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). It will review the roles of DFIs in the country’s development agenda under the Basel II and OECD Code of Good Governance. This workshop will also identify the accountability of the DFI to national development targets using resources entrusted to it to accomplish these targets. While there are differences across countries as to their DFI’s performance indicators, this seminar will show that a common set of KPIs can be used to report DFIs’ contribution to the country’s development goals. This seminar will also present on-going efforts being undertaken to have a common indicators of sustainable development like the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). With this, DFIs are able to benchmark their performance with similar institutions, whether publicly or privately-owned. In addition, the seminar will explore in more depth certain KPIs for DFIs that serve SMEs. SME banks have been recently established in a number of countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Participants in this seminar will draw on the experience of these SME banks in determining the most suitable KPIs for the given governance structures and accountability of the SME banks and on compliance with capital adequacy required. For more inquiries about the program, please email Ms. Sandra Honrado, Sr. Executive, Programs, at Back to top Association Update : 12/05/2007 : Active UN-ADFIAP Consultative Meeting On The United Nations, represented by its Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA) through its Financing for Development Office (FfD), and ADFIAP will have a consultative meeting on financing for development issues on December 17, 2007 in Bangkok , Thailand during ADFIAP's CEO Forum IV to be held also in the Thai capital. The SME Development Bank of Thailand (SME Bank) is hosting the event together with ADFIAP. The meeting will be highlighted by two main sessions, one on the topic "National and Regional Development Banks: Potential and Sustainability" and the other on "Responsible Infrastructure Investment: Financing Access to Basic Utilities". Confirmed speakers are: Mr. Ravi Ratnayake, Director, Poverty and Development Division, UN-Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP), Mr. Sailendra Narain, Chairman, Centre for SME Growth and Development Finance ( India ), Mr. Ping Chew, Managing Director, Asia Corporate & Government Ratings, Standard and Poor’s Credit Market Services ( Singapore ), Mr. Le Huu Ti, Chief, Sustainable Development and Water Resources Section, Environment and Sustainable Development Division, UN-ESCAP, Mr. Vibhu Nayar, Project Director, Tamil Nadu Rural Water Supply Programme ( India ) and Mr. Daniel Platz, Financing for Development Office, UN-DESA. The UN-DESA is represented by Mr. Jomo Kwame Sundaram, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development and Mr. Alexander Trepelkov, FfD's Chief for multistake Holder Engagement and Outreach Branch. The Financing for Development Office www.un.org/esa/ffd established in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs in accordance with General Assembly resolution as an outcome of the adoption of the Monterrey Consensus by Heads of State or Government at the International Conference on Financing for Development in Monterrey , Mexico in March 2002 . The Monterrey Consensus embraces six areas of financing for development: (1) mobilizing domestic financial resources for development (2) mobilizing international resources for development: foreign direct investment and other private flows (3) international trade as an engine for development (4) increasing international financial and technical cooperation for development (5) external debt and (6) addressing systemic issues: enhancing the coherence and consistency of the international monetary, financial and trading systems in support of development. For more information on the meeting, please visit the ADFIAP website's CEO Forum at http://www.adfiap.org/events.php Back to top Association Update : 12/04/2007 : Active IDF Holds Credentialing Program in Manila ADFIAP’s Institute of Development Finance(IDF) held its credentialing program (Level 1) -"Core Development Banking Program" (CoreDev) on November 26-30, 2007 at the AIM Training Centre in Makati City, Philippines. Sixteen (16) participants from member-banks in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Fiji, China, Vietnam, Pakistan, Iran, and the Philippines successfully completed the program and were granted the credential, Associate in Development Banking. They are now eligible to eventually pursue the next level - the Development Bank Management Program.   The CoreDev program consisted of two modules. The first module on “Principles and Practices of Development Banking”, provided the participants with pertinent knowledge and skills on the operational policies and workings of development banking. It also dealt with the economic, social and governance aspects of development finance, including important guidelines on long-term project finance. Module Two on “Design and Appraisal of Development Projects” provided the participants with the different aspects of project investment design and how the financial and economic aspects fitted into the overall investment plan submitted by a client. In addition, participants were familiarized on appraisal techniques between purely private-oriented investments on one hand and development projects on the other. Aside from in-depth classroom discussions, the participants had an opportunity to observe firsthand the operations of Land Bank of the Philippines, one of the pre-eminent state-owned development finance institutions in the country. The main resource person of the program was Dr. Alberto D. Peña who is Professor and Associate Director of the Office of International Studies and Programs at the Illinois State University in the US. Back to top Association Update : 11/08/2007 : Active ADFIAP Attends UNEP FI AGM, Global Roundtable As Co-Chair of the UNEP FI Asia-Pacific Task Force Outreach Group, ADFIAP, represented by its Secretary General, Mr. Octavio B. Peralta, attended the Annual General Meeting and Global Roundtable of the United Nations Environment Programme's Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) on October 23-25, 2007 in Melbourne, Australia. The high-profile twin events put together over 500 member-signatories and delegates from financial institutions worldwide. The Annual General Meeting afforded UNEP FI member-signatories to update themselves on the different working group's and task forces' thrusts and activities for the year, to deliberate on their work programmes for 2008, and to approve administrative issues such as membership fee structure, budget and elect new steering committee representatives. Meanwhile, the two-day Global Roundtable with the theme, "Awareness to Action", provided the delegates with a variety of plenaries and workshops on a wide-ranging array of 'hot' topics on the environment such as principles of responsible investment (PRI), sustainable finance for today's global markets, climate change and investment, financing eco-system services, carbon markets, trends in renewable energy financing, human rights and the finance sector, green hedge funds, water finance and many more. The event was also the venue for the launches of publications and online programs such as the water-related risk management guidelines for financial institutions, the human rights guidance tool, the CEO briefing on biodiversity and ecosystem services, and the new environmental and social risk analysis e-learning programme. It was also an occasion to recognize people and institutions that are driving forces for carbon market innovation in the financial services sector or capital markets via the "Financial Leadership in Carbon Markets" Awards. UNEP FI is a global partnership between UNEP and the financial sector. Over 160 institutions, including banks, insurers and fund managers, work with UNEP to understand the impacts of environmental and social considerations on financial performance. For more information on UNEP FI, please visit their website at http://www.unepfi.org Back to top Association Update : 9/27/2007 : Active ADFIAP releases environmental governance tools for banks Culminating its 18-month project on environmental governance standards (EGS) for DFIs in Asia and the Pacific www.egs-asia.com, ADFIAP has released three resource/trainers books to "green" the bank's operational and lending processes and practices, using the internal environmental management system (IEMS) and environmental risk scan (ERS), respectively. Aside from conferences, workshops and capacity-building activities undertaken under the project, these 'tools' are part and parcel of the outputs of the EGS project funded by the European Commission under its EU-Asia Pro Eco Programme. Germany’s UNEP/Wuppertal Institute Collaborating Centre for Sustainable Consumption and Production (CSCP) and the United Kingdom’s University of Leeds and University of St. Andrews provided the technical assistance in completing the IEMS and ERS, respectively. For more details about these publications, please contact the ADFIAP Secretariat at email Back to top Association Update : 9/27/2007 : Active ADFIAP, USAID ECO-Asia to Cooperate in Water Sector Finance ADFIAP and USAID’s Environment Cooperation Asia (ECO-Asia) signed a memorandum of understanding in Bangkok during the latter’s Regional Workshop on Water Supply and Sanitation held in the Thai capital. The MoU provides a basis for cooperation for both organizations on promoting and facilitating the development of innovative financing schemes for the water sector in the region. ADFIAP and ECO-Asia share the common objective of supporting sustainable development in Asia. Under its Hanoi Declaration No. 5, ADFIAP and its member development financing institutions (DFIs) commit to exploring opportunities for facilitating water sector financing. The MoU covers the following collaborative activities: co-organizing regional knowledge and practical exchanges such as workshops, training and networking events to promote dialogue between and increase awareness of the needs and requirements of water service providers and financial institutions; promoting and facilitating investment opportunities between water service providers and/or customers and ADFIAP member-banks; promoting and facilitating cooperation arrangements between international donors or financing institutions interested in water sector financing through or in cooperation with ADFIAP member-banks; documenting best practices in water sector finance and, where applicable, developing new and innovative financing modalities for the benefit of the water sector. Mr. Paul B. Violette, ECO-Asia Chief of Party, and Mr. Octavio B. Peralta, ADFIAP Secretary General, signed the cooperation document. Back to top Association Update : 9/27/2007 : Active ADFIAP Speaks at USAID ECO-Asia Water and Sanitation Workshop On invitation by the Environmental Cooperation -Asia (ECO-Asia), a regional program of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), ADFIAP, represented by its Secretary General, Mr. Octavio B. Peralta, made a presentation on its mission and activities as well as familiarized the delegates on how banks assess loan proposals at the Regional Workshop on “Fostering Cooperation for Improved Access to Water Supply and Sanitation among ASEAN Cities” on September 25-26, 2007 in Bangkok, Thailand. The workshop was supported by the ASEAN Working Group on Environmentally Sustainable Cities (AWGESC) and hosted by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. ADFIAP and ECO-Asia share the common objective of supporting sustainable development in Asia. Under its Hanoi Declaration No. 5, ADFIAP and its member-DFIs committed to explore opportunities for facilitating water sector financing. ADFIAP and ECO-Asia also share the common objective of working in cooperative arrangements with other international development partners to share information as well as to develop and implement joint programs. ECO-Asia http://www.usaid.eco-asia.org works to support achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by promoting improved access to sustainable water and sanitation services. ECO-Asia pilots innovative strategies for expanding, improving and financing access to services, especially to the urban poor, focusing on four principal areas: (1) safe water access; (2) sustainable sanitation; (3) water and wastewater utility strengthening; and (4) innovative financing. ECO-Asia partners with cities, water utilities, financing institutions, and regional platforms, like ASEAN, to promote regional cooperation through sharing of knowledge and best practices. Back to top Association Update : 9/27/2007 : Active Launch of EU-ADFIAP initiative BANKS TOLD TO ‘GO GREEN’ WHILE traditionally regarded as a “non-polluting sector,” banks are now going green and are making the protection of the environment their business. Aided by a grant of Euro 346,446 (about Php22 million) from the European Commission, the Manila-based Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP) yesterday launched the “Green Banking Initiative” to promote environmental governance standards among banks and financing institutions in the Asia-Pacific region. The initiative was funded by the European Commission under its Asia Pro-Eco Programme. “We are now being confronted with global climate change issues. Some financial institutions that previously found nothing wrong with underwriting millions of dollars for certain sectors like mining, illegal logging and other commercial operations that rapidly deplete the ozone layer, denude forests, deplete water resources, or pollute the rivers have now started paying attention,” said Ambassador Jesus P. Tambunting, chairman of ADFIAP and Planters Development Bank of the Philippines. “Along with governments, civil society and business organizations, banks and financial institutions realized that protecting the environment should also be its business.” EU Ambassador and Head of Delegation to the Philippines Alistair Macdonald said banks in Asia “have been relatively slow in examining their exposure to the environmental risk and the business opportunities of sustainable development. This is a missed opportunity, both for the environment and business.” The European Commission’s grant has “paved the way for a greater understanding and awareness of the importance of environmental issues” among banks and financial institutions in Asia-Pacific, especially among ADFIAP’s 83 members spread throughout 37 countries and territories, he added. “At least sixteen Asian Banks have instituted or enhanced their corporate environmental policies, thanks to the project,” the EU Ambassador said. Among the major outputs of the 18-month project are the resource and training books that will aid DFIs in the internal application of environmental management policies and practices, and assess environmental risks when evaluating loan proposals from borrower-clients. With technical assistance from its European partner-organizations, Germany's UNEP/Wuppertal Institute Collaborating Centre for Sustainable Consumption and Production (CSCP), and the United Kingdom's University of Leeds and University of St. Andrews, ADFIAP launched a region-wide campaign to strengthen DFI environmental governance policies, systems and procedures. This involved a series of conferences and seminars held in Manila, Mumbai, Hanoi, Bangkok, Beijing, Kuala Lumpur and Colombo, where more than 200 senior executives of DFIs participated. “When it comes to issues affecting the environment, we have been spared from the controversies and the protests. But the climate has now changed,” said Ambassador Tambunting. “This is the day we in the banking industry start going green.” Back to top Association Update : 9/27/2007 : Active JBIC rejoins ADFIAP Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) has rejoined ADFIAP and becomes the Association's 83rd member-institution. It will be recalled that its precursor organization, the Export-Import Bank of Japan, was a Charter Member of ADFIAP. JBIC and ADFIAP, through its member-DFIs, have since a close working cooperation with each other in the international finance arena. At the Association level, JBIC has provided on many occasions, speakers and resource persons in ADFIAP's annual conferences and seminars. ADFIAP and JBIC are also Co-Chairs of the Asia-Pacific Task Force Outreach Group of the United Nations Environment Programme's Finance Initiative (UNEPFI). Following the passage of the Japan Finance Corporation Law on May 18, 2007, the international financial operations (IFOs) of JBIC, National Life Finance Corporation (NLFC), Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Finance Corporation (AFC) and Japan Finance Corporation for Small and Medium Enterprise (JASME) will be merged on October 1, 2008, to become a new policy-based financing institution, tentatively called Japan Finance Corporation (JFC). Of the two types of operations conducted by the current JBIC, JFC will take over IFOs in its international finance sector. However, to maintain international trust and confidence enjoyed by JBIC, the international finance sector of JFC will continue to use the name of JBIC as it conducts international finance operations. The new JBIC will perform the following three functions in order to contribute to the sound development of the international economy, including Japan. Promoting overseas development of natural resources which are strategically important; Supporting efforts of Japanese industries to develop international business operations; and, Responding to financial disorder in the international economy. Back to top Association Update : 9/14/2007 : Active Cambodian Study Tour on SMEs and Microfinance Set Following its successful runs of two (2) microfinance study tour programs held in Manila and four (4) SME study tour programs held in Manila , Malaysia , Bangkok and Tokyo, ADFIAP is currently organizing a study tour program combining SME finance and microfinance this time in Phnom Pehn and Siem Reap, in cooperation with its Cambodian member, the Rural Development Bank (RDB). Cambodia 's SME finance and microfinance sectors are thriving and the country has many successful SME and micro finance institutions. The Cambodian event, which will be held on November 19 to 21, 2007, aims to expose the participants to and deepen their knowledge on the country's best practices on SME finance and microfinance by visiting various industry major players and policy making bodies as well as conduits of wholesale and retail SME and microfinance funds. It also aims to provide a platform for them to exchange views and ideas on SME finance and microfinance, leading to a broader and richer understanding of the significant role that DFIs play in the promotion of SME finance and microfinance in their respective countries. The target participants are senior officers/managers in-charge of SMEs and microfinance units as well as key officers from government financial institutions/policy-making bodies involved in promoting SME and microfinance initiatives. The ADFIAP Events Team, who is responsible for this program, is the business unit of the Association that specializes in organizing and managing specific and demand-driven activities aside from the formal training and credentialing courses offered by the ADFIAP Institute of Development Finance (IDF). These activities include conferences, symposia, exhibits & expos, study tours, on-the-job programs, etc. For more details about the Cambodian event and other programs of the ADFIAP Events Team, please contact Ms. Sandy Lim, Senior Executive, Membership or . Back to top Association Update : 9/12/2007 : Active ADFIAP, CIPE hold Governance Seminar for ADFIP On the occasion on the Association of DFIs in the Pacific's (ADFIP) 22nd annual meetings in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, ADFIAP and CIPE conducted the Seminar on Improving Risk Management and Financial Disclosure under a Good Corporate Governance Framework for the 22 ADFIP delegates attending the annual conference. The seminar was jointly hosted by ADFIP and the National Development Bank of Papua New Guinea (NDB). The seminar is part of Phase 5 of the ADFIAP-CIPE DFIs for Corporate Governance project that aims to institutionalize and continuously improve the governance process and policies of ADFIAP member-banks. For the ADFIP seminar, the focus was on operational risk management and how this is shaped and tempered by the corporate culture and governance processes within a development finance institutions (DFIs). The implications of the Basel I and II frameworks and the knowledge of the Board and management of a DFI on this subject were also discussed during the seminar. The main resource person of the seminar was Dr. Cesar Saldaña, founding fellow of the Philippine-based Institute for Corporate Directors who had run ADFIAP governance training programs in the past. Mr. Richard Maru, CEO of NDB, was the Chair of the seminar. Back to top Association Update : 9/12/2007 : Active ADFIAP conducts highly-rated PR seminar In its efforts to promote to its member-banks to better communicate their programs and activities to a broader stakeholder base, ADFIAP has conducted a comprehensive 5-day seminar-workshop cum media tour from September 3-7, 2007 in Manila, Philippines. The event called, “Bricks and Clicks: Public Relations and the New Media", was attended by 15 participants from Bhutan, Fiji, Malaysia, Oman and the Philippines. The "how-to" subjects covered in the training session were on PR tools and campaigns, media relations, press release writing, press conference handling, photo-journalism, and Internet media, which were presented and facilitated by top PR professionals and practitioners in the country. For the media tour part, the participants visited two of the country’s top media organizations, the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the leading newspaper, and ABS-CBN, the largest television and infotainment network. The resource persons of the event included Mr. Dante M. Velasco, Chairman and CEO of Creative Point International; Mr. Bobby Manzano, PR Consultant of Coca Cola Philippines; Ms. Lon Fernandez, Vice President for Corporate Affairs of the Development Bank of the Philippines; Ms. Sheila Samonte-Pesayco, President & COO of Writers Edge Inc.; Mr. Donald Lim, CEO of Yehey.com; Ms. Salve Dulpito, Business Editor of Inquirer.net; Mr. Aniceto Sobrepeña, President of the Metrobank Foundation, Mr. Romeo Gacad, Chief Photographer of Agence France Presse and Mr. Bitan Pesayco, Chairman and CEO of Writers Edge, Inc. For interests on the program, which can be conducted in-country, please email the ADFIAP Secretariat at: Back to top Association Update : 9/12/2007 : Active ADFIAP attends ADFIP Annual Meeting On invitation of the Association of DFIs in the Pacific (ADFIP), ADFIAP, represented by its Secretary General, Octavio B. Peralta, attended the 22nd Annual ADFIP Meetings held in Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea on August 26-29, 2007. The event was hosted by the National Development Bank of Papua New Guinea (NDB) which is both a member of ADFIAP and ADFIP. This is the third consecutive year ADFIAP's participation in ADFIP's annual event bolstering the cooperation between the two associations. This engagement with counterpart organizations is also part of ADFIAP's commitment to engage with same-purposed associations in the Asia-Pacific region. The theme of the annual meeting was "Reforming DFIs in the Pacific" with the aim of exchanging experiences of DFIs in the subregion in embracing and instituting continuous improvement in the governance and operational aspects of their respective institutions. Twenty two CEOs, senior officers and guests participated in the event which also coincided with the Pacific Microfinance Week 2007. The event was inaugurated by Hon. Patrick Pruaitch, MP-Caretaker of the Ministry for Finance and Treasury. Mr. Richard Maru, CEO of NDB, represented the host-institution. Back to top Association Update : 7/17/2007 : Active ADFIAP-KfW dialogue on SMEs Successful The inaugural dialogue on SME finance between ADFIAP and KfW held at the KfW headquarters in Frankfurt on August 20-21, 2007 was successful. A total of forty four CEOs and senior officers participated in the event; twenty one from 16 ADFIAP members in 14 countries, seventeen from the KfW Bankengruppe, and six from other German development organizations like GTZ, InWEnt, to name a few. The dialogue afforded the participants to exchange experiences on SME promotion and financing, to share lessons learned, and to forge new connections for increasing SMEs' access to capital. It also provided a venue to discuss the main constraints to SME finance as well as financial instruments and approaches that have the greatest potential to promote SME growth. A wide variety of topics and crosscutting issues on SME promotion and finance were taken up such as equity and venture capital investments, risk-sharing mechanisms, clean development mechanism, energy efficiency, credit rating systems, advisory assistance, securitization, etc. The proposed ADFIAP Enterprise Fund, a regional refinancing facility for SMEs, was also discussed and deliberated upon. The event was inaugurated by Dr. Klemens van de Sand of the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation, Mr. Wolgang Kroh, Member of the Board of Managing Directors of KfW Bankengruppe, and Mr. Fuimaono Falefa Lima, ADFIAP Vice Chairman. KfW Development Bank is a premier financial institution working on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) that finances investments and accompanying consulting services in developing countries, mostly in the areas of SMEs. Back to top Association Update : 7/17/2007 : Active ADFIAP Meets with ITC, UNEPFI Maintaining and continuously building its alliance with same-purposed development organizations worldwide, ADFIAP, represented by its Secretary General, Mr. Octavio B. Peralta, on his way to the KfW forum on SMEs in Frankfurt, met with two United Nations bodies, the International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO (ITC) and the UN Environment Programme's Finance Initiative (UNEPFI). At the ITC, Mr. Peralta met with Dr. Osman Atac and Mr. Roger Megelas, Chief and Senior Adviser of the Enterprise Management Development Section (EMDS), respectively, regarding the Loan for Competency (LoanCom) platform, a browser-based software developed by ITC for financial institutions to evaluate loan applications, highlighting management competency as a firm basis for loan approval within the conventional risk assessment criteria. The rationale behind the concept is to provide small and medium enterprises (SME) with an alternative platform to get financing from a bank or a development finance institution (DFI) if they can prove their management skills and savvy based on the set of questions developed and built in within the assessment system. For more information, At the UNEPFI, Mr. Peralta met with email, Head of Secretariat and officers, Ms. Yuki Yasui, Ms. Susan Steinhagen, and Mr. Butch Bacani to discuss further cooperation between UNEPFI and ADFIAP on the issue of environment and finance. ADFIAP is presently Co-Chair of the UNEPFI Asia-Pacific Task Force's Outreach Group and is a supporting-partner organization of the UNEPFI Global Roundtable which will be held on October 24-25, 2007 in Melbourne, Australia. The event with the theme, "Awareness to Action" is designed to provide delegates with a forum to debate and discuss new ideas and challenges on sustainable finance and other related issues. Initiated in 1994, the event is recognized as the premier global event on sustainability and finance, with more than 500 delegates attending. To register, please go to: www.unepfi.org/melbourne/registration. Back to top Association Update : 7/17/2007 : Active ADFIAP invited to UN experts meeting on SCP The United Nations' Environment Programme (UNEP) and its Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) invited ADFIAP to its 3rd International Experts Meeting on Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) held in Stockholm, Sweden on June 26-29, 2007. The event, that included the meetings of the Marrakech Process working groups, were hosted by the Government of Sweden. The event was organized to report and to share progress on national and regional activities related to SCP as well as to advance the work of the Marrakech Process on sustainable consumption and production that was launched in Marrakech, Morocco in June 2003. Over 300 participants from government agencies and international organizations concerned with policies to promote sustainable consumption and production as well as a select group of experts from industry, NGOs, academia, local authorities and other major groups participated in the event. ADFIAP was represented in the meeting by its Secretary General, Octavio B. Peralta, who was earlier nominated by the organizing UN agencies to the Advisory Committee on Cooperation Dialogue. In Stockholm, Mr. Peralta co-facilitated a workshop on cooperation with development agencies with the UN Development Programme's, Phil Dobie. More information on the Marrakech Process and the 10-year framework of programme on sustainable consumption and production is available at this link: http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/sdissues/consumption/Marrakech/conprod10Y.htm Back to top Association Update : 7/17/2007 : Active ADFIAP is feature network at U.K. ‘s CDFA annual event ADFIAP was invited by the United Kingdom’s Community Development Finance Association (CDFA) as a feature network for its annual conference, “Money £or Change” held on June 20-22, 2007 in Ashford, Kent. ADFIAP, represented by its Secretary General, Octavio B. Peralta, made a presentation of the Association’s mission, achievements and activities at the conference, which has now become the UK’s premier event in the community development finance field. About 220 delegates from CDFA’s over 70 member-institutions, partners and supporting organizations attended the event. Supporting the event were SEEDA, Lloyds TSB, Charity Bank, Triodos Bank and the European Union. Other conference partners were Regeneration & Renewal, New Start and Social Enterprise, Microfinance Centre, National Housing Federation, Transact, the European Microfinance Network and ADFIAP. The CDFA is the UK trade association for community development finance institutions (CDFIs) which are sustainable, independent financial institutions that provide capital and support to enable individuals or organizations to develop and create wealth in disadvantaged communities or under-served markets. Back to top Association Update : 7/17/2007 : Active ADFIAP expands to 82 Members, 37 Countries With the recent membership of three more institutions, namely, Russia's Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs (Vnesheconombank), the Philippine-based World Trade and Development Institute, and the India SME Technology Services, Ltd (ISTSL), ADFIAP has increased its membership tally to 82 members covering 37 countries and territories. Vnesheconombank (VEB) based in Moscow is a specialized state-run financial institution well known to the world's business community and one of the oldest Russian banks. The Bank's activity is aimed at diversifying the Russian economy, making it more competitive and encouraging investment business. VEB maintains strong international ties and has acquired a reputation of a first class banking institution. The Bank gained unique experience in servicing intergovernmental agreements and government programs, as well as major projects implemented under intergovernmental agreements. The Bank's primary goal is to support government structural reforms, above all, in the economic and social fields. The Bank's short-term and long-term credit ratings are in line with Russia's sovereign credit rating. The World Trade and Development Institute (WTDI) is a world-class think tank engaged in research, training, and consulting services dealing with various issues involving international trade and economic development, both on policy framework and operations. The Institute pursues these activities in line with the global Millennium Development Goals (MDG) of the United Nations, and aims to promote international trade and economic integration, and financial cooperation especially in the Asia Pacific region. In pursuit of its vision, the Institute focuses on three key areas of activities: (1) Research - functions as an eminent "think tank" group by undertaking issue-oriented policy studies; (2) Training - develops and conducts highly selective quality training programs on issues pertaining to international trade, customs management, corporate governance and transparency, project and program finance, banking sector and capital market development, information and communication technology, small and medium enterprise, human resource development and environment protection and (3) Consultancy - provides consulting services to government and private organizations on the various sectors mentioned above. India SME Technology Services, Ltd. (ISTSL) is a company established by the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and few prominent commercial bank in India. It has taken over the functions of erstwhile Technology Bureau for Small Enterprises (TBSE), a joint initiative of SIDBI & UN-APCTT. ISTSL serves as a technology transfer intermediary for the SME sector in India. Back to top Association Update : 7/17/2007 : Active KfW, ADFIAP hold dialogue on SMEs Following the preliminary meeting in Hanoi on the proposed ADFIAP Enterprise Fund during the Association's annual meetings last May, KfW is hosting ADFIAP this time in Frankfurt on August 20-21, 2007, with a seminar cum dialogue on small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The dialogue aims to bring together CEOs/senior officers of ADFIAP member-banks and senior officials of KfW and other German institutions to discuss the main constraints to SME finance as well as financial instruments and approaches that have the greatest potential to promote SME growth. The forum will also be a platform to explore the latest developments, to share lessons learned, and to forge new connections for increasing SMEs access to capital. Fifteen ADFIAP members' CEOs and senior officers have so far confirmed their participation in the event. ADFIAP’s relationship with KfW dates back in the 1970’s. In June 1979, at a UNIDO development bank conference in Zurich, ADFIAP together with its counterpart association from Africa (AADFI) and Latin America (ALIDE), signed jointly with KfW an agreement to establish the World Federation of DFIs (WFDFI). Many bilateral exchange visits between KfW and ADFIAP were made during the succeeding years. KfW Development Bank is a premier financial institution working on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) that finances investments and accompanying consulting services in developing countries, mostly in the areas of SMEs. For more information regarding the KfW-ADFIAP event in Frankfurt, please email . Back to top Association Update : 6/2007 : Active ADFIAP, CIPE conduct governance-sustainability seminars in India and Malaysia ADFIAP, in cooperation and with funding support from the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), held two national seminar-workshops on “Strengthening Governance & Sustainability in Financial Institutions (DFIs)” in June in India and Malaysia. The Indian event, which was held on June 7-8, 2007, was attended by 20 participants from various financial institutions hosted by the IDBI Bank Limited, while the Malaysian event, which was attended by 32 participants from the members of the Association of DFIs in Malaysia (ADFIM), which also hosted the event, was held on June 12-13, 2007. Prior to the Indian and Malaysian events, the Association and CIPE have successfully conducted two more national seminar-workshops on sustainability for the ADFIAP members in the Pacific and Vietnamese financial institutions on May 7-9, 2007 in Hanoi, Vietnam in time with the 30th Annual Meetings of the Association. The above national seminar-workshops are offshoots of the regional seminar-workshop on “Strengthening Governance & Sustainability in DFIs” held on February 12-16, 2007 in Manila, Philippines and this is part of the “DFIs for Corporate Governance” project of the Association that started in 2002. This project is in response to the growing needs of ADFIAP members on the implementation of good corporate governance policies and practices in their respective institutions by learning from experiences of fellow members as well as from those in other parts of the world. The Philippine, Pacific, Vietnam, India and Malaysia events, which are under the fourth phase of the project, aim to develop a “governance-sustainable development framework” for banks and financial institutions in the Asia-Pacific region by incorporating sustainable development and good governance practices into their investing, lending, and other business activities. Back to top Association Update : 6/13/2007 : Active ADFIAP Speaks at UNESCAP Green Growth Forum Upon the invitation of the United Nations' Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), ADFIAP, represented by its Secretary General, Mr. Octavio B. Peralta, spoke on the Association's sustainable development mission and how its member-DFIs contribute to the greening of businesses in the region during the 3rd "Green Growth" dialogue held at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre (BITEC) on June 5, 2007. The dialogue focused on how private and public sectors of society can provide a set of policy recommendations that can help bring about the greening of businesses in the Asia-Pacific region. Attending the event, that ran in parallel with the Entech Pollutec/Renewable Energy Asia 2007, were about 300 delegates from sectoral ministries of UNESCAP's 53 member-states, including ministries of energy, finance, development, trade, industry, commerce, foreign affairs, development agencies as well as representatives from private businesses, consumer groups, chambers of commer0ce, international organizations and business associations actively promoting green business growth. Greening the markets and business is one of the five major tracks of the "Green Growth" approach. The remaining four tracks include green tax and budget reform, sustainable consumption, development of sustainable infrastructure and the development of new eco-efficiency indicators. Together, the five tracks cover what UNESCAP deems necessary for the upgrading of economies to become more sustainable so that they can provide growth for both present and future generations. For ADFIAP, its participation in the event is part of its outreach to same-purposed institutions in the sustainable development field as well as its commitment to the United Nations as ADFIAP is an NGO in consultative status with the UN. Back to top Association Update : 6/14/2007 : Active ADFIAP in Kazakhstan PPP Conference ADFIAP, represented by its Secretary General, Mr. Octavio B. Peralta, participated and spoke during the conference on public-private partnership hosted by its member-bank, the Development Bank of Kazakhstan. Over one hundred delegates from European and Asian organizations attended the event that was opened by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mr. Karim Masimov. The forum under the theme, “Public Private Partnership as a Factor of Economic Development”, dissected policy, legal, and institutional frameworks of PPP as an effective tool for national economic development. PPP has been considered as an effective way of attracting investments and technology to infrastructure and social sectors all over the world such as in transportation, energy, education, medicine, financial sector, public order and security, tourism, various municipal services, telecommunications, ecology and others. Mr. Peralta presented the current situation of development finance in the Asia-Pacific region as well as shared with the delegates PPP practices and experiences of some ADFIAP member-institutions. The event was held on May 31, 2007 at the Rixos Hotel in the Kazakh capital city of Astana. Back to top Association Update : 6/14/2007 : Active Thai Travel Mart Hosts ADFIAP The Tourism Authority of Thailand and the Thai Tourism Industry-sponsored Thailand Travel Mart, the country’s largest and most effective travel and tourism business-to-business (B2B) trade exposition and show, hosted ADFIAP, represented by its Secretary General, Mr. Octavio B. Peralta, during its TTM+ event held at the Impact Exhibition and Convention Center in Bangkok. This year's event consisted of 300 invited buyers from key and emerging markets as well as 400 sellers from Thailand and the Mekong Region countries. The annual travel mart continues to gain recognition as an important distribution channel to present quality tourism products as well as a platform for travel traders to meet and exchange ideas on tourism trends of Thailand and beyond. From ADFIAP’s point of view, the exhibition afforded it to know more and be updated on tourism products and tourism-related issues and trends that can guide the Association in providing better services to its members. It also provides a window of opportunity for ADFIAP to invite potential members through the participating countries' tourism authorities. ADFIAP organizes training programs and conferences in different countries in the region, most of which have travel and tourism-related activities. Back to top Association Update : 6/14/2007 : Active ADFIAP/SME Bank Malaysia Study Tour Program on SME Finance Held ADFIAP, in cooperation with SME Bank Malaysia, successfully conducted the ADFIAP/SME Bank Malaysia Study Tour Program on SME Finance last June 6 to 8, 2007 in Kuala Lumpur and Malacca, Malaysia with eight (8) participants coming from various member banks in the Pacific Islands (Bank of the Cook Islands); Small Industries Development Bank of India and Export-Import Bank of India; Seylan Bank (Sri Lanka); Oman Development Bank; and, Rural Development Bank (Cambodia) in attendance. The 3-day study tour program aimed to expose participants to international best practices on SME finance by showcasing current approaches and strategies on the various issues that confront SME financing. The briefing sessions conducted by senior officers of SME Bank Malaysia and Bank Negara Malaysia as well as project visits to Mara Industrial Area in Kuala Lumpur and SME Bank Factory Complex in Malacca provided an excellent platform of exchange of ideas for the participants, project coordinators and speakers alike. The visit to the SME Advisory Units of both SME Bank Malaysia and Bank Negara Malaysia further enhanced the participants’ capabilities in providing better consultancy and advisory services for SMEs. Malaysia is the fourth country selected by ADFIAP to run the program on SME Finance, the first one being piloted in Manila and co-organized with the Planters Development Bank last April 24 to 26, 2006; second one in Japan in cooperation with the Development Bank of Japan and the Japan Economic Research Institute in November 8 to 10, 2006 and the third one in Thailand in cooperation with SME Bank Thailand from December 13 to 15, 2006 under the SME-FI undertaking held in November 2004 in Kuala Lumpur during the CEO Forum. ADFIAP’s support for SMEs dates back since its inception 30 years ago through capacity building programs on SME Financing as well as publications which feature various issues on SME Financing. Dato’ Azmi bin Abdullah, Managing Director, SME Bank Malaysia extended a warm welcome to all the participants who paid a courtesy visit to him on the first day of the program. ADFIAP was represented by its Senior Executive for Membership, Ms. Sandy Lim. Back to top Association Update : 5/22/2007 : Active Hanoi Meetings, biggest ever! Over 120 delegates, representing 61 organizations from 36 countries of members, partners and guests convened in Hanoi, Vietnam on May 9-11, 2007 for the 30th ADFIAP Annual Meetings, the biggest ever in recent history of the Association. The successful meetings consisted the 17th Ordinary Meeting of the General Assembly, the 65th Board of Directors Meeting, the Permanent Working Committee Meetings, the ADFIAP Awards Night, the ADFIAP Expo, the new networking event, Delegate-Meets-Delegate, two roundtables on water sector finance and the ADFIAP Enterprise Fund, and the conference proper with the theme “DFIs: Measuring Up to International Standards and Best Practices.” Experts from members and partner-organizations made presentations and shared their ideas and insights on various topics covering the conference theme. The six sessions and corresponding speakers, respectively, were: Session I: Measuring Up to Good Governance Best Practices, Mr. John Bohn, former chairman, Center for International Private Enterprise and Director, National Endowment for Democracy (USA) and Mr. Jean-Rene Halde, President, Business Development Bank of Canada; Session II: Measuring up to Risk Management and the Basel II Framework, Mr. Gavin Gunning, Director, Corporate and Government Ratings, Standard and Poors (Melbourne) and Mr. Rakesh Rewari, Deputy Managing Director, SIDBI (India); Session III: Measuring up to the International Accounting System, Ms. Anita Menon, Associate Director, KMPG Business Advisory Sdn. Berhad and Mr. Gary Angove, Partner, Ernst & Young Vietnam, Ltd; Session IV: Measuring up to Responsible Investment Principles¨Social & Environmental Dimensions, Mr, Niels van Dijk, Deputy of Party, Eco-Asia USAID/Environmental Cooperation-Asia (ECO-ASIA) and Ms. Diana Smallridge, President, International Financing Consulting, Ltd.; Session V: Measuring up to Sustainable SME Development and Growth, Mr. Haje Schuette, Division Chief, KfW Development Bank, Shri Shankarnarayan Rao, Executive Director Export-Import Bank of India; and Mr. Zaigham Mahmood Rizvi, Chairman and Managing Director, House Building Finance Corporation. Back to top Association Update : 5/22/2007 : Active Nine members win major awards Nine member-institutions from nine countries topped this year’s Outstanding Development Project Awards, an annual awards program which recognizes the ADFIAP member-banks’ achievements in nine (9) categories. The winners were presented with their trophies during the Awards Night on May 10, 2007 in Hanoi, Vietnam in conjunction with the 31st ADFIAP Annual Meetings. The winning members are as follows: Japan Development Bank for Environmental Development; Small Industries Development Bank of India and Small and Medium Enterprise Development Bank of Thailand for SME Development; Bank Pembangunan Malaysia Berhad for Infrastructure Development; Development Bank of Kazakhstan for Technology Development; Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam for Trade Development; Fiji Development Bank for Local Economic Development; Micro Finance Development Fund (Mongolia) for Development Finance-Led Poverty Alleviation; and Development Bank of the Philippines for Corporate Governance. The winning entries were: Japan Development Bank: "Earthquake Contingency Line Credit and World’s First Loan Program based on Disaster Management Ratings" Small Industries Development Bank of India: “SME Rating Agency Ltd." (SMERA); Small and Medium Enterprise Bank of Thailand: "Thai Kitchen of the World Loan Project" Bank Pembangunan Malaysia Berhad: “Storm Water Management and Road Tunnel (SMART) Project” Development Bank of Kazahstan: “Production Complex Biohim JSC BIOHIM Company” Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam: “Coffee Futures Trading: A Promising Opportunity for Traditional Product” Fiji Development Bank: “Momi Bay Resort and Taunovo Bay Resort Projects" Microfinance Development Fund: “Microfinance Outreach Program” Development Bank of the Philippines: “DBP’s Corporate Governance Program” For the 11th straight year running, the ADFIAP Development Project Awards has recognized the outstanding project achievements of member-banks and has become the hallmark of development performance and excellence in the region. Back to top Association Update : 5/22/2007 : Active BIM, NBU, PhilExim, FDB get special recognition The Bank of Industry and Mine (BIM) and the National Bank of Uzbekistan were given Special Recognition Awards for their projects, “Infrastructure Development in Strategic Industries” and “Micro-lending Facility for Farmers and Rural Enterprises”, respectively, during the Awards Nights of the 30th th ADFIAP Annual Meetings in Hanoi, Vietnam. The awards recognizes BIM for its vision of a diversified and sustainable economy by providing financial and technical assistance to strategic industries such as petrochemicals, industrial gases and cement, thereby assuring infrastructure development to grow and flourish in the country. NBU was recognized for its noble and exceptional approach to reduce poverty in the country by providing microloans to farmers and rural families in the poorest areas to improve their income-generating capacity through enterprise-building, despite being the largest commercial bank in Uzbekistan. The Philippine Export-Import Credit Agency (PhilEXIM) received the Best Annual Report Award and Fiji Development Bank was cited for being the first member in 2007 to remit its annual membership dues. Back to top Association Update : 5/22/2007 : Active ADFIAP increases to 79 members The ADFIAP Board has approved the membership of three more institutions – Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (Pakistan); National Housing Bank (India) and the Bank Keshavarzi (Iran) during their 65th meeting on May 9, 2007 in Hanoi, Vietnam, increasing the Association’s membership to 79 in 36 countries and territories spanning the Asia-Pacific region. Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) erstwhile Agricultural Development Bank of Pakistan (ADBP) is the premier financial institution geared towards the development of agriculture sector through provision of financial services and technical know how. The restructuring of former ADBP is being carried out with the aim to uplift the agriculture and rural sector by raising farm productivity, streamlining the institutional credit and increasing income generating capacity of the farming community. ZTBL was incorporated as a Public Limited Company on 14th December, 2002 through repeal of ADB Ordinance of 1961. National Housing Bank (NHB) was established on July 9, 1988 under an Act of the Parliament, i.e., the National Housing Bank Act, 1987 to function as a principal agency to promote Housing Finance Institutions and to provide financial and other support to such institutions. The Act empowers NHB to issue directions to housing finance institutions to ensure their growth on sound lines; make loans and advances and render any other form of financial assistance to scheduled banks and housing finance institutions or to any authority established by or under any Central, State or Provincial Act and engaged in slum improvement and formulate schemes for the purpose of mobilisation of resources and extension of credit for housing. Bank Keshavarzi was founded in 1933 as Farming and Industrial Bank. Today, having 71 years of experience, it serves as the only specialized financial institution in the agricultural sector that holds over 1800 branches nationwide and finances nearly 70% of the sector. During the past decade, the bank has been successful in meeting its mission and objectives, especially the required finances of the agricultural sector, through active participation in financial markets and relying on adequate resource mobilization. Credit and savings growth of the bank, presumably the two essential pillars in banking operations, represent a brighter horizon and remarkable prosperities in achieving the today standards of a modern and developed bank. Back to top Association Update : 5/22/2007 : Active Venkat Subramanian, CEO of the Year The ADFIAP "CEO of the Year" Award went to Mr. TC Venkat Subramanian of Exim Bank India. The award is given to an exceptional individual whose performance and achievements, to the judgement of the Awards Board, stand out from among the other nominees for the awards. Mr. T.C. Venkat Subramanian was cited for leading Exim Bank India to new heights. Under his stewardship, the Bank has continued to exhibit exceptional business and financial performance. During the financial year 2006, the Bank’s loan approvals increased by an impressive 29% and disbursements by 31% over the previous year, while the total loan assets of the Bank exceeded Rs.180 billion, an increase of 34% over the previous year. This builds upon the significant increases already achieved in FY 2003, FY 2004 and FY 2005. During his tenure, Exim Bank India has been playing a key role in catalyzing and facilitating India’s exports. To this end, Mr. Venkat Subramanian, through his inspiring leadership, has broadened and deepened the range of activities of the Bank through several initiatives going well beyond the role of a traditional export credit agency. Mr. Venkat Subramanian has also enhanced the Bank’s visibility and standing with its various constituencies including through participation and leadership in international events such as meetings of Forum of Asian Exim Banks (an initiative, incidentally, of Exim Bank India); the creation of a Global Network of Export-Import Banks and Development Finance Institutions (in which he has been the key initiator with United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and is the Honorary President); meetings of the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and African Development Bank; and as a featured, invited speaker in international programmes/conferences. Mr. Venkat Subramanian, given his deep and abiding interest in enhancing the quality of life in the village and rural sector, has positioned the Bank as an enabler, facilitator, innovator and financier of micro and grassroots enterprises, groups of village and rural entrepreneurs, ventures in co-operative sector. This has resulted in extensive working arrangements being set in place with microfinance institutions, non-governmental organizations, self-help groups, cooperatives to help small enterprises in this crucial sector to become international players. In the process, while addressing the needs of employment generation and sustainable development in a cross-section of society that is relatively disadvantaged, he has unstintingly worked towards helping them to achieve an international dimension in their endeavours. Back to top Board matters round-up Association Update : 5/22/2007 : Active H. E. Yahya Bin Said Al-Jabri, Distinguished Person of the Year The Distinguished Person-of-the Year Awardee for 2007 is H. E Yahya Bin Said Al-Jabri, Chairman of the Oman Development Bank. The award is given to a person who has, in his or her chosen career, excelled and made a mark in the country or internationally for his or her outstanding accomplishment(s) in the field of development, in general, and in the development banking profession, in particular. H.E Yahya Al Jabri was cited for his achievements at the helm of Oman Development Bank (ODB) and as Executive President of the Capital Market Authority (CMA) of the Sultanate of Oman. He is known as a person of vision, leadership and integrity that have been time and again tested and proven by many exceptional achievements over the past three decades or more in the field of economic development through effective financial management and performance. As a senior Government official of the country, he is a well known and respected professional among the public as well as media in the Sultanate of Oman. Highly-educated and experienced, he is often invited to many international conferences related to financial services in Oman and other countries. H.E. Yahya Al Jabri is Chairman of the Board of Directors of Oman Development Bank (ODB) and concurrently holds the position of Executive President of the Capital Market Authority (CMA), an appointment made by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, the ruler of Oman, through a Royal Decree in 1999. He is acknowledged as the architect and founding President of the Muscat Stock Exchange that is well known for its transparency and efficiency. H.E. Yahya Al Jabri’s appointment at CMA was done at a crucial time when there was a crisis in stock market operations. Under his leadership at CMA, a number of reforms were successfully undertaken and the organization has benefited up until now. As such, he was given the status of His Excellency, an honor given to Advisors and Undersecretaries in Oman. With his remarkable achievement at the CMA, H.E. Yahya Al Jabri was again called upon in 2004 and tasked with the restructuring of the Oman Development Bank, the pioneer development finance institution (DFI) of Oman, which despite its early successes in 1979, had its share of difficulties in subsequent years, including a very high non-performing loan portfolio. Since taking over at ODB in 2004, the performance of the Bank over the past three years has improved significantly. The multi-fold growth in the business of the Bank, in terms of sanction and disbursement has increased the lending volume of the Bank by 380% over 2004, and about 274% in 2005. H.E. Yahya Al Jabri has formulated an institutional vision for the Bank based on the evolving economic environment of the country by giving more emphasis to developing a non-oil related economy and an efficient national human resource force. Back to top Association Update : 5/22/2007 : Active Board matters round-up Board reconfirms 8 new members In its meeting in Hanoi on May 9, 2007, the Board reconfirmed the membership applications of the following eight (8) new members: Export-Import Bank of Thailand, Credit Guarantee Corporation of Malaysia, Bank Ekspor Indonesia, First Credit & Investment Bank Ltd. (Pakistan), Export Finance & Insurance Corporation (Australia), Land Bank of the Philippines, National Housing Bank (India) and Zarai Taraqiati Bank Ltd. (Pakistan). Board representation increased The Board approved the Secretariat’s proposal allowing for a “one Board seat for every five (5) members in the country” policy in order to provide greater Board representation for countries having many members. The ADFIAP Constitution allows for a maximum Board seat of 30 voting members. Training committee to build capacity of trainers The Board's permanent working committee on training chaired by Vice Chair, Mr. Falefa Lima of Samoa Development Bank, proposed to implement a two to three-year capacity-building program for trainers and training administrators of member-institutions to enable them to conduct relevant and timely training courses for their officers and staff. The committee also reviewed the results of the training needs assessment (TNA) survey that was conducted across the membership. The results of the survey showed that for banking operation training needs, the two ADFIAP credentialing programs, i.e., Core Development Banking and Development Bank Management Programs, as well as risk management, project finance, and trade finance were the top 5 training programs needed. For institutional development, the top 5 programs needed were on corporate governance, business strategy, total quality management, organizational development and decision-making. Other proposals made by the committee included considering to conduct “in-country” training programs for cost effectiveness as well as developing more “practical” training programs using actual case studies by member-banks. Business Cooperation Committee focuses on member contacts, working together The working committee on business cooperation chaired by Vice Chair, Mr. Zaigham Mahmood Rizvi of House Building Finance Corporation, wants to start cooperation activities among members by identifying first the contact persons at operational levels in member-institutions as well as get the involvement of their middle-level officers. The committee also wishes to establish a “marketplace” for members and continue the networking sessions that started in Hanoi during the "Delegate-Meets-Delegate" event there. It also would like to find out what are the motivations of members in joining the Association as well as what "de-motivates" them in participating in ADFIAP events. For “big” members like Japan, Canada, China, Korea and others, the committee wishes to find out whether their membership in ADFIAP is “worth their time and money” and that there could be some “business sense” to their membership. Finance & Relations Committee bats for growth in resources The working committee on finance and relations chaired by Mr. Nihal Fonseka, DFCC Bank, is looking for ways to improve the financial growth of the Association but with a proviso that ADFIAP has first to make the Association more relevant to its members in terms of services and other benefits of membership. On increasing revenues, the committee would like to continue its initiative to increase membership by requesting each member to recruit one new member this year, pursue grant opportunities such the the one with the European Union, and sustain the momentum gained on the setting up of the ADFIAP Enterprise Fund. The committee also proposed to open the ADFIAP annual meetings for non-members for a token fee and, at the same time, enhance the image and visibility of the Association. On reducing the co