With the recent Board approval of scaling up the operation of ADFIAP’s Asia-Pacific Institute of Development Finance (IDF) as part of the Association’s social entrepreneurship direction, the training arm has developed its own business model going forward.

As a stand alone business unit of the Association, the IDF positions itself as the eminent training and credentialing center for development financing in Asia Pacific backed by the Association’s over 30 years of experience and expertise in organizing and conducting training and capacity-building programs in the region. The objective is to continue professionalizing the field of development finance by designing and delivering skills-oriented and mindset-forming programs on development banking, using the ADFIAP members’ extensive and practical knowledge on the field.

To allow cross-fertilization and exchange of ideas, cultures and know-how thereby broadening and revitalizing the development banking profession, the IDF aims to invite participants from other financial institutions and same-purposed development organizations to enroll in its regular and credentialing program-offerings.

Presently, the IDF has three credentialing programs for the professional and managerial staff of development finance institutions (DFIs) each granting successful graduates the following credentials: the Associate in Development Banking (Level 1), the Affiliate in Development Bank Management (Level 2) and Fellow in Development Banking (Level 3). The IDF also runs specialized seminars and workshops on risk management, project management, environmental due diligence, public relations, corporate governance and CSR as well as study tour programs on microfinance and small and medium enterprises (SME) finance. It plans to expand its training porfolio to include Islamic banking and sustainability reporting, among others.

For more information and to enrol in the IDF’s programs for 2008, please visit the ADFIAP website at www.www.adfiap.org in the meantime that the IDF’s own website is being enhanced and uploaded in the Internet.