Overview of Consultancy Project Experience · Web view“Strengthening social and environmental performance”: assistance in implementing a systematic approach in collecting information

Assignment Name: Approx. value of the contract:Country:Location within Country:

Duration of assignment (months):

Name of Client: No of Staff-Months (S/M) of the assignment;Address: Approx. Value of services provided by Your Firm under

the contract:Start Date (Month/Year): Completion Date (Month/Year): No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by

Associated Consultants:Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:-

Name of Senior Staff of your firm involved & functions performed:

Narrative Description of Project:Description of actual services provided by your staff within the assignment: As above

Finished in 2015

Assignment Name: African Postal Financial Services Initiative Approx. value of the contract: 5.000.000 EURCountry: Selected; Benin, Ghana, Madagascar, Senegal. In reserve; Burundi, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, ZimbabweLocation within Country: Mostly rural areas

Duration of assignment (months): 36 months

Name of Client: European Commission – EuropeAid No of Staff-Months (S/M) of the assignment; NAAddress: Thematic Programme of cooperation with third countries in the areas of Migration and [email protected]

Approx. Value of services provided by Your Firm under the contract: NA

Start Date (Month/Year):December 2012

Completion Date (Month/Year):December 2015

No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Consultants: NA

Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:- IFAD Finance Facility for Remittances (Lead Firm)- World Bank Group (WBG)- Universal Postal Union (UPU)- United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF)

Name of Senior Staff of your firm involved & functions performed: Ian RADCLIFFE (Project Coordinator), Norbert BIELEFELD (Remittances & Payment Systems Expert)

Narrative Description of Project: A regional programme seeking to enhance competition in the African remittance market place by promoting and enabling African post offices in selected countries to offer remittances and financial services. The Initiative has four main objectives;(1) Reduce the costs of remittances to/within Africa, which are among the highest in the world, especially for the rural poor;(2) Reduce transaction times via modernization of procedures for transferring money;(3) Broaden the network of rural locations where remittances can be picked up, reducing the time lost and risks for rural dwellers;(4) Deepen the range of financial services to remittances senders / receivers (savings, loans, insurance).Following selection of postal operators based on a number of criteria agreed between the partners, implementation plans to expand remittances and financial services are prepared for these operators and – based on detailed needs assessments – technical assistance to achieve the above will be provided. The technical assistance will cover amongst others marketing, training, ICT support and financial management. Furthermore, the Initiative includes policy advocacy and dissemination of the ‘best practices’ as inputs for scaling up and replication of projects in Africa.Description of actual services provided by your staff within the assignment: WSBI-ESBG’s staff and retained experts are involved in a number of areas;- Active participation in programme design and implementation through project steering committee meetings- Deployment of experts to postal operators selected to receive technical assistance under the programme

Assignment Name: Technical assistance to Sofihdes and ACME Approx. value of the contract: 927.000 EURCountry: HaitiLocation within Country: Port-au-Prince (mainly)


Name of Client: European Investment Bank No of Staff-Months (S/M) of the assignment; 35 S/MAddress: 98-100, boulevard Konrad AdenauerL-2950 Luxembourg

Approx. Value of services provided by Your Firm under the contract: 252.000 EUR (fees & per diems only)



No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Consultants: 22,5 S/M

Name of Associated Consultants, If Any: Name of Senior Staff of your firm involved & functions performed: Conrad Rupert (ESBG Project Coordinator)

mailto:[email protected]

- Pohl Consulting & Associates (Consortium Leader)Narrative Description of Project: This project, funded by the European Investment Bank (EIB) seeks to provide assistance to two financial institutions: the Haitian Financial Society for Economic and Social Developement (Société Financière Haïtienne de Développement

Economique et Social – SOFIHDES), a financial institution specialized in loans for MSMEs, the Association for Cooperation with Micro Enterprise (Association pour la Coopération avec le Micro Entreprise – ACME, a

microfinance institution.Two teams of multidisciplinary experts have been dispatched to the two institutions, with the objective of positioning them as leaders on their respective markets. The TA at both institutions aims to modernize internal policy, systems and procedures, allowing the institutions to (i) function more efficiently in terms of client prospection, market research, risk management, strategic planning and (ii) broadening their client-base thanks to more innovative and adapted products. The components to be implemented at both institutions are the following:1. SOFIHDES:

“Strategic Plan and Governance”: support to the elaboration of a Strategic Plan for the development of SOFIHDES for the period 2013-2016 and support to its implementation (Action plan, monitoring tools etc.)

“Human Resources management”: Assistance to the modernization of its human resources management policy: elaboration a Human Resources Management Manual, job description, reform of the internal organization etc.

“Product Development”: assistance to the development of new innovating financial products aimed at a broadened client-base and supported by a thorough market research and in-depth training on client prospection;

“Operations and MIS”: Modernization of the MIS thanks to the introduction of process mapping tools, risk management functions, operations manuals etc.

“Recovery and Provisions”: standardization of irregular loan monitoring system, definition of standardized recovery procedures etc.

2. ACME: “Marketing & product development”: introduction of market research and client prospection tools, introduction of data

mining methodology, assistance to the conception of a pilot financial product designed for rural areas aimed at supporting the agricultural and agribusiness sector

“Loan process”: introduction of process mapping tools, elaboration of a new loan manual, evaluation of mobile banking possibilities in order to decrease the transaction costs for the clients.

“Human Resources”: identification of the needs in terms of HRM and training of the staff of ACME; introduction of new HRM techniques (job description, new remuneration aligned on staff performance, career development plans etc.)

“Strengthening social and environmental performance”: assistance in implementing a systematic approach in collecting information on the social impact of ACME activities and to increase its social performance via increased transparence on loan conditions, tight control of clients indebtedness, client data protection etc.

Following the successful launch of several mobile money platforms in Haiti, investigations to link both institutions are on-going.Description of actual services provided by your staff within the assignment: Several types of services are being provided in the framework of this project, among which: In-depth training of the staff of both financial institutions; Strategic plans; Market research; Institutional and operational diagnosis; Management tools: loan manual, risk management manual, HRM manual etc. Modernization of the information system Development of innovative pilot financial products Mobile banking

Assignment Name: Working with Savings Banks in order to double the number of savings accounts for the poor.

Approx. value of the contract: 20.000.000 USD for implementing all 10 contracts and programme management

Country: Projects being implemented in Burkina Faso, El Salvador, Indonesia, Morocco, Kenya, Lesotho, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, VietnamLocation within Country: Not applicable


Name of Client: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation No of Staff-Months (S/M) of the assignment; Approximately 105 staff months

Address: PO Box 23350Seattle, WA 98102

Approx. Value of services provided by Your Firm under the contract: approximately 1.000.000 USD for direct programme management

Start Date (Month/Year):November 2008

Completion Date (Month/Year):January 2016

No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Consultants: approximately 35 staff months

Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:- WSBI (World Savings Banks Institute, B)- Oxford Policy Management (UK) for support at programme level.

Name of Senior Staff of your firm involved & functions performed: Ian RADCLIFFE, Program DirectorWeselina ANGELOW, Program Manager

Lisa STAHL, Program ManagerNarrative Description of Project: A program specifically benefiting WSBI member banks to materially increase the number of usable savings accounts for poor people and to spread lessons to support the wider goal of doubling the number of savings accounts for the poor worldwide. The program supports: launching affordable and commercially viable savings services that meet the needs of poor people in the regions selected well

beyond the end of the programme; developing new or improved delivery channels that offer convenient and appropriate access to the poor for the foreseeable

future; training an appropriate and adequate number of front and back office personnel to deliver savings services to the poor; implementing new or improved IT & MIS systems and/or re-engineered business processes that support more efficient

delivery of the savings services to the poor; executing marketing communications programmes to raise awareness of the services on offer amongst the poor and attract

them to open savings accounts; introducing appropriate service standards and customer account information that foster positive customer relationships with

the poor.By the end of the programme, it is expected that the banks selected under the programme should be well placed to offer usable savings services to larger numbers of poor people without further external assistance. Just as importantly, the financial modelling of the sustainability of each project will have established that the improved savings services targeted at the poor are financially viable and justify continued expansion on a purely commercial and strategic basis.In addition, empirical evidence will have been gathered that supports the thesis that expansion of savings services develops access to finance amongst poor communities and that formal retail banking structures can deliver significant incremental growth in the number of poor people with access to finance. This in turn is expected to stimulate development of future international programmes of a similar nature.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff within the assignment: Overall program and fund management Selection of beneficiary banks following a call for proposals process Management of project implementation at beneficiary banks by teams of consultants Publication and dissemination of lessons learned

Assignment Name: Improvement of services in rural areas through installation of a new information system and introducing new savings products and innovative distribution channels at Sonapost

Approx. value of the contract: 2.100.000 USD

Country: Burkina FasoLocation within Country: Ouagadougou, regions


Name of Client: Sonapost, as one of ten beneficiaries of a programme being delivered by WSBI with financial support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

No of Staff-Months (S/M) of the assignment;12 staff months

Address: Société Nationale des postes du Burkina Faso01 BP: 6000 Ouagadougou 01

Approx. Value of services provided by Your Firm under the contract: 1.470.000 USD (70% of total)

Start Date (Month/Year):May 2010

Completion Date (Month/Year):December 2015 (contractual end date)

No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Consultants: 3.5 staff months

Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:FNCE (France), providing 2 senior experts responsible for IT and Business Consulting

Name of Senior Staff of your firm involved & functions performed: Ian RADCLIFFE (Project Director), Lisa STAHL (Project Manager)

Narrative Description of Project: Sonapost plans to improve services to rural customers through modernised electronic transaction systems and via better communication throughout its existing post office infrastructure. Sonapost has put in place a new core banking system. To improve access to savings the existing post office branch network is expanded through village-level delivery services. Where opening a branch is not economically sustainable, Sonapost is creating partnership with local town halls to set-up a service points within these official offices. In smaller villages, markets are provided with mobile kiosk outlets where people can open bank accounts or deposit their money. For even more rural villages or isolated households, delivery service will rely on “courier cyclistes”, cyclists and/or motorcyclists who traditionally carry mail and deliver services door to door throughout the country and will also be the sales agents of Sonapost.The project plans to rely on this enhanced network to collect savings from villages and carry them to the nearest Sonapost branch. These three delivery mechanisms are aiming to tackle the problem of financial accessibility. Rural and poor customers will be able to access their savings accounts without wasting several working hours and money to reach the bank. The project aims to increase the customer base by half a million poor clients by 2014Description of actual services provided your staff within the assignment: Project Coordination and Management, and some specialist technical assistance and training

Assignment Name: Expansion of Sistema FEDECREDITO’s self-sustaining distribution channels to facilitate access to savings


products for low-income customersCountry: El SalvadorLocation within Country: various


Name of Client: Sistema FEDECREDITO, as one of ten beneficiaries of a programme being delivered by WSBI with financial support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

No of Staff-Months (S/M) of the assignment; 8 S/M

Address: Edificio Macario Armando Rosales RosaSV San Salvador - El Salvador

Approx. Value of services provided by Your Firm under the contract: 1.800.000 USD

Start Date (Month/Year):March 2010


No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Consultants: None

Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:- None

Name of Senior Staff of your firm involved & functions performed: Ian RADCLIFFE (WSBI programme director); Weselina ANGELOW (WSBI senior programme manager); Ernesto AGUIRRE (project manager and regulatory compliance expert); Fortunato DA COSTA (IT expert); Jorge Iwaszkiewicz (Risk Management Expert)

Narrative Description of Project: FEDECREDITO sought consulting support and expenditure funding to open a network of non-traditional outlets in areas with no financial institution present, which are almost universally also areas of heightened poverty. These new access points would be run by FEDECREDITO itself (i.e. at association level) but be open to customers of all its members and therefore give some point to the unbanked opening accounts they would not otherwise be able to use and for members to market their services to clients they would not otherwise thought of approaching. The specific assistance sought included help with:

service design to genuinely meet the needs of the poor; setting up the core switching systems; establishing and funding ATM/agent networks and the launch of mobile banking; and the supporting marketing effort to recruit agents and customers.

The overall aim of the project is to expand coverage to as many of the 173 currently unserved municipalities of El Salvador as can realistically be served without incurring operating losses. Almost all of these municipalities display above average poverty levels and FEDECREDITO expects to add 200,000 poor households to an existing customer base of just under 100,000 clients in total.In order to achieve the above, FEDECREDITO requested two different types of consulting support:

ongoing support for the project management aspects of rolling out a network of non-traditional outlets; specialist advice on specific areas of need.

The ongoing support can only be provided at a realistic cost by recruiting regionally and must be based on real experience of implementing banking correspondent networks (particularly Brazil and Colombia). Furthermore, deciding which sort of banking correspondent model will work best with the business model proposed by FEDECREDITO will need two months of specialist input at inception. Apart from visiting banks with relevant experience, this work includes an analysis of how running such a network will require changes in operational risk management procedures and what this might mean for the evolving regulatory framework for FEDECREDITO and its members.On the basis that an appropriate model is identified, ongoing support can then be made available for the life of the project by recruiting regionally from one of the banks or supporting consultancies that have introduced the most closely matching model to that identified as appropriate for FEDECREDITO and its members.Description of actual services provided by your staff within the assignment: As above

Assignment Name: Tabungan Kesejahteraan Umat: A New Approach to Provide Safe Savings Access for the Poor Segment in Indonesia through BTN’s agent network

Approx. value of the contract: 2,380,000 USD

Country: IndonesiaLocation within Country: selected regions in Java (for the pilot)


Name of Client: PT Bank Tabungan Negara (Bank BTN), as one of ten beneficiaries of a programme being delivered by WSBI with financial support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

No of Staff-Months (S/M) of the assignment; 11 staff months

Address: Jl. Gajah Mada No.1Jakarta 10130, Indonesia

Approx. Value of services provided by Your Firm under the contract: 2.380.000 USD (100%)



No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Consultants: -

Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:-

Name of Senior Staff of your firm involved & functions performed: Rolf SOEDJAK (Team Leader), Stephen PEACHEY (Senior Adviser), Ian RADCLIFFE (Project Director)

Narrative Description of Project: BTN plans to automate all 576 postal outlets in Central Java, a region of heightened poverty, to serve as a pilot project for potential expansion nationwide. This will make BTN savings and current accounts much more attractive to the poor as the accounts will be able to receive social assistance transfers currently being paid in cash. This will also help BTN to bring its card services to the otherwise unserved.BTN will also strengthen its IT systems, improve service levels in postal outlets, develop risk management for the new business, and raise awareness among customers and postal staff about the new service. The project works with the local women’s organisation (PKK), as women are important facilitators for marketing the new product and creating awareness in local rural communities. Through the project, BTN aims to add 800,000 million low-income clients to its existing customer base in Central Java alone. The potential subsequent national-level implementation would improve access for millions of additional poor households.Description of actual services provided your staff within the assignment: As above

Assignment Name: Deploying the Agency Network that takes KPOSB to the Heart of Low-income Communities


Country: KenyaLocation within Country: Nairobi, regions


Name of Client: Kenya Postal Savings Banks Office (KPOSB), as one of ten beneficiaries of a programme being delivered by WSBI with financial support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

No of Staff-Months (S/M) of the assignment;5 staff/months, delivered in 70 months

Address: Postbank House, Banda StreetPO Box 30311-00100 Nairobi, Kenya


Start Date (Month/Year):January 2010


No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Consultants: 7 staff/months

Name of Associated Consultants, If Any: Dayo Forster (Lead Consultant); Jorge Iwaszkiewicz (Risk Management Expert); Kristopher Stockett (IT Expert); Stephen Peachey (Technical Advisor)

Name of Senior Staff of your firm involved & functions performed: Ian RADCLIFFE (WSBI programme director); Lisa STAHL (WSBI programme manager)

Narrative Description of Project: To provide financial services to otherwise un-served rural areas, KPOSB will develop a network of non-postal agents based in shops, grocery stores, supermarkets or other local or community institutions. The small existing pilot network of non-postal agents will be expanded into a major and sustainable new service channel to cover the rural area. By 2014, KPOSB aims to increase the number of non-postal agents to 1,000. Fundamental redesign of business processes and IT systems is crucial to improving the efficiency and delivery of financial services. Existing deposit and payments services will be less expensive, more accessible and sustainable for the poor. The network expansion will be supported by the development and implementation of a communications strategy specifically targeting the poor. The project aims to reach the poor and double the entire customer base to two million clients by 2014.Description of actual services provided your staff within the assignment: As above

Assignment Name: Affordably banking the unbanked poor in their neighbourhoods through tripling the number of savings accounts at Lesotho Post Bank (LPB)

Approx. value of the contract: 720.000 USD

Country: LesothoLocation within Country: Maseru, regions


Name of Client: Lesotho Post Bank, as one of ten beneficiaries of a programme being delivered by WSBI with financial support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

No of Staff-Months (S/M) of the assignment; 18 Staff Months

Address: Lesotho PostBankOblate House, Kingsway Road, Maseru

Approx. Value of services provided by Your Firm under the contract: 140.000 (20%)

Start Date (Month/Year):April 2010


No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Consultants: 14.5 Staff Months

Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:- Kenya Post Office Savings Bank (providing a team of experts)

Name of Senior Staff of your firm involved & functions performed: Ian RADCLIFFE (Project Director), Weselina ANGELOW (Project manager)

Narrative Description of Project: LPB is introducing payment card technology. The project is aiming to ensure that products are designed in such a way that meets the needs of the poor and that alternative distribution channels such as agents are being used in addition to the postal network. The project is benefitting from South-South cooperation: a team from Kenya’s KPOSB provides advice on process implementation. Additional resources will also go towards investments in infrastructure and marketing initiatives. The aim is to triple the entire customer base to 180,000, of which 90% would be classified as poor.Description of actual services provided your staff within the assignment: As above

Assignment Name: Providing low income group customers with a Approx. value of the contract; 2,0 m USD

dedicated package of savings-based products in order to foster access to and use of banking servicesCountry: MoroccoLocation within Country: Casablanca, regions


Name of Client: Poste Maroc - AL Barid Bank, as one of ten beneficiaries of a programme being delivered by WSBI with financial support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

No of Staff-Months (S/M) of the assignment;8 staff/months

Address: Avenue Moulay IsmailMA 10000 Rabat - Morocco


Start Date (Month/Year):August 2010



Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:Dominique Pinoche (Marketing Expert) ; FNCE bénévoles

Name of Senior Staff of your firm involved & functions performed: Ian RADCLIFFE (WSBI programme director); Lisa STAHL (WSBI programme manager); Stephen Peachey (Technical Advisor)

Narrative Description of Project: Al-Barid Bank, based on the network of Poste Maroc, plans to market its basic savings account more explicitly to the rural and peri-urban population. Al-Barid Bank will market the new savings services in an economy with very low levels of bank usage and a literacy rate of only 40%. The project will create special service points to assist the poor in using the service and products. The programme will develop and implement a mobile banking system for mobile phone transfers and saving money. This aims to extend outreach in rural and peri-urban areas where access to banks is not always feasible. The project aims to add at least one million poor clients to an existing client base of almost three million.Description of actual services provided your staff within the assignment: The WSBI expert (Dominique Pinoche) provided technical assistance relating to project management, client segmentation and use of the segmentation tool, marketing and sales as well as mobile banking (procurement, technical specifications and implementation).

Assignment Name: Moving from just having cash to having an on-line account

Approx. value of the contract: 500,000 USD

Country: South AfricaLocation within Country: Cape Town & Regions


Name of Client: South African Post Bank (SAPB), as one of ten beneficiaries of a programme being delivered by WSBI with financial support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

No of Staff-Months (S/M) of the assignment; 9 staff-months

Address: Approx. Value of services provided by Your Firm under the contract: 500,000 USD (100%)




Name of Associated Consultants, If Any: Piet Biemans (Business Process Expert)

Name of Senior Staff of your firm involved & functions performed: Ian RADCLIFFE / Weselina ANGELOW, WSBI managers, and Hans BOON, Team Leader

Narrative Description of Project: SAPB aims to replace simple cash payment of social security transfers with automated credits directly into low-cost bank accounts that customers can then use for other savings and payments needs. It will also market this new possibility to customers and encourage the individual members of informal savings groups (wherein one common account is held by a group of people who save together) to open individual bank accounts. The aim is to double SAPB’s accounts among the poor from 2.6 to over 5 million. The assistance provided to SAPB covered three main areas; renegotiating SAPOs transfer pricing with the Post Office so that it cuts the cost of delivering the existing low-cost account via

the postal network. re-engineering the low-cost transaction account to allow it to work better as a grant-receiving account and marketing this facility; re-engineering group accounts so increased penetration of this market can be used as an entry point for marketing individual

low-cost transaction accounts to members.Description of actual services provided your staff within the assignment: as above

Assignment Name: Increasing Rural Savings for TPB low income customers by using POS terminal networks and mobile phone banking

Approx. value of the contract; 1.800.000 USD

Country: TanzaniaLocation within Country: Dar Es Salaam, regions


Name of Client: Tanzania Post Bank (TPB), as one of ten beneficiaries of a programme being delivered by WSBI with financial support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

No of Staff-Months (S/M) of the assignment;9 staff/months, delivered in 32 months

Address: Samora AvenueDar Es Salaam – Tanzania





Name of Associated Consultants, If Any: Bernd Rühlemann (Lead Consultant); Jorge Iwaszkiewicz (Risk Management Expert); Kristopher Stockett (IT Expert); Jeremiah Grossman (Regulation Expert); Piet Biemans (Postal Financial Services Expert); Markus Tacke (Card Risk Expert); Hans Merkel (Marketing Expert)

Name of Senior Staff of your firm involved & functions performed: Ian RADCLIFFE (WSBI programme director); Lisa STAHL (WSBI programme manager); Stephen Peachey (Technical Advisor)

Narrative Description of Project: TPB plans to automate its current network of postal agencies and roll out a parallel network of non-postal agents. The project will provide critical enhancements in TPB’s payments and card production capacity, develop a network of Point-of-Sale terminals and lower the cost of transactions carried out at post offices. It will establish best practice agent network management and fund marketing activities to support the roll-out.TPB also runs a mobile banking project. It aims to make basic financial services more accessible to the poor in rural areas through the development of mobile phone banking business (e.g. checking a balance, processing a payment). The overall aim is to double the entire poor customer base to 1.3 million, of whom 62% will be classified as poor.Description of actual services provided your staff within the assignment: As above

Assignment Name: Linkage Banking for the Poor in Uganda Approx. value of the contract; 1.100.000 USDCountry: UgandaLocation within Country: Kampala, regions


Name of Client: Postbank Uganda (PBU), as one of ten beneficiaries of a programme being delivered by WSBI with financial support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

No of Staff-Months (S/M) of the assignment;9 staff/months

Address: Nkurumah Road, Plot 4/6,P.O.Box 7189 Kampala - Uganda





Name of Associated Consultants, If Any: None Name of Senior Staff of your firm involved & functions performed: Ian RADCLIFFE (WSBI program director); Fatoumata Camara (WSBI program manager); Stephen Peachey (Technical Advisor)

Narrative Description of Project: PBU plans to implement a multi-channel delivery platform to close both the social and geographical gaps between it and the unserved. Of the nine million or so Ugandan adults who are currently saving in a monetary form, less than a third are using any sort of formal or semi-formal deposit-taking institution.The current branch network will be expanded with mobile branches as well as ATMs, low cost rural outlets of its own plus a network of agents.The program will develop and implement a this new channel platform as well as develop the existing cooperation PBU has with SACCO’s and Villages Savings & Loans Association. The project aims to double the customer base.Description of actual services provided your staff within the assignment: As above

Assignment Name: Piloting an integrated package of improved savings and new mobile phone services specifically aimed at unserved low-income people and households


Country: VietnamLocation within Country: Several Regions


Name of Client: Vietnam Postal Savings Company (since 2011; LienViet Postbank), as one of ten beneficiaries of a programme being delivered by WSBI with financial support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

No of Staff-Months (S/M) of the assignment; 15 Staff Months

Address: No 109 Tran Hung Dao, Cua Nam WardHoan Kiem District, Hanoi

Approx. Value of services provided by Your Firm under the contract: 250,000 USD (33%)

Start Date (Month/Year):June 2010


No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Consultants: 10 staff months

Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:Bank Training & Consultancy (BTC, Vietnam)

Name of Senior Staff of your firm involved & functions performed: Weselina Angelow (Senior Project Manager), Ian Radcliffe (Project Director)

Narrative Description of Project: LVPB takes over from VPSC repackaging its existing savings services to offer sustainable and affordable savings accounts. Services will be provided by automated post offices and a large number of Communal Cultural

Points. These represent the deepest existing distribution channel for financial services in the country; they are locations where people meet, carry out cultural activities and receive remittance transfers.The project will take place in several regions, starting with the pilot region of Bac Ninh, and it has the potential to be rolled out throughout the whole country. To do this LVPB is re-engineering existing services, reconfiguring the existing IT platform, marketing the new service and training staff. A longer term business plan will be prepared to roll out a mobile money services nationwide. In the pilot province of Bac Ninh alone, the project previous aim to add up to 100,000 new clients among the poor to VPSC’s total customer base of 400,000 countrywide has now the potential of reaching out to 3 million LVPB clients.Description of actual services provided your staff within the assignment: As above

Finished in 2014Assignment Name: To develop projects with major savings banks to significantly increase outreach to poor people with savings accounts


Country: Brazil (to be confirmed), China, Colombia, India, Pakistan, Peru Tajikistan, Thailand, VietnamLocation within Country: NA


Name of Client: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation No of Staff-Months (S/M) of the assignment; 11.5 S/MAddress: PO Box 23350Seattle, WA 98102

Approx. Value of services provided by Your Firm under the contract: 500,000 USD

Start Date (Month/Year):October 2010

Completion Date (Month/Year):March 2014

No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Consultants: 2.5 S/M

Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:- Oxford Policy Management Ltd (UK)

Name of Senior Staff of your firm involved & functions performed: Ian RADCLIFFE (Project Director), Conrad RUPERT (Project Manager)

Narrative Description of Project: To identify and define viable projects at circa 10 additional WSBI member banks that could be supported by a potential future program to be funded by the Foundation, or involving them in some other way in contributing to the overall goals of the program, i.e.1. To implement viable projects at selected WSBI member banks that increase the availability of demonstrably appropriate,

valuable and convenient savings services for poor people2. To spread lessons from selected projects among WSBI membership and beyond to support the wider goal of doubling [or

significantly increasing] savings accounts in the hands of the poor worldwideThe project is designed around five major activities:1. Desk research aimed at identifying different ways for soliciting proposals among WSBI member banks, and identifying new

countries. Furthermore, templates based on key barriers to savings mobilisation for the poor will be developed for project proposals.

2. Warm-up workshop: Visits to the Mid-Term workshop under the current programme by the potential new beneficiaries identified. This is scheduled to take place in South Africa on 21 and 22 October 2010, and will be followed by a specific one day event for these members on 23 October 2010.

3. Field visits: Following the identification of barriers that face each new potential beneficiary by using the aforementioned templates, up to two visits to them are planned to help design feasible projects and prepare the necessary documentation.

4. Peer learning: Design of a peer learning system, to facilitate WSBI members (existing beneficiaries, new and possibly other members) to benefit from other relevant initiatives identified during desk research and organise workshops or participate in other events if appropriate.

5. Reporting: WSBI will maintain close contact with the Foundation by way of quarterly and/or ad hoc reporting, in order to regularly test ideas as they are being developed and to ensure consistency with the Foundation’s aims and priorities.

The main deliverable of this project will be a concept paper that incorporates fully defined proposals from WSBI members (which could be included in potential future Memoranda of Understanding). It will also include a proposal for implementing the peer learning programme. The concept paper could form the basis of a future grant application.In addition, as part of the reworking of the comparative review on the key barriers for savings banks to serve poor clients to be produced under the first programme and included in the research to be published in December 2011, we also plan to bolster this paper with analysis that incorporates the new banks as well.Description of actual services provided your staff within the assignment: As above

Alternative version:Assignment Name: To develop projects with major savings banks to significantly increase outreach to poor people with savings accounts


Country: China, Colombia, Peru, Tajikistan, Thailand, Vietnam (initially), Ghana (following strategy refresh)Location within Country: NA


Name of Client: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation No of Staff-Months (S/M) of the assignment; 11.5 S/MAddress: PO Box 23350Seattle, WA 98102





Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:- Oxford Policy Management Ltd (UK)

Name of Senior Staff of your firm involved & functions performed: Ian RADCLIFFE (Project Director), Conrad RUPERT (Project Manager)

Narrative Description of Project: The initial objective of this project was to, based on research on the potential size of the market, identify and define viable projects at WSBI member banks that could be supported by a potential future program to be funded by the Foundation, or involving them in some other way in contributing to the overall goals of the program, i.e.1. To implement viable projects at selected WSBI member banks that increase the availability of demonstrably appropriate,

valuable and convenient savings services for poor people2. To spread lessons from selected projects among WSBI membership and beyond to support the wider goal of doubling [or

significantly increasing] savings accounts in the hands of the poor worldwideThe main deliverable of this project was a concept paper that would incorporate fully defined proposals from WSBI members, including a proposal for implementing a peer learning programme whereby wider WSBI membership could benefit from experiences and best practices in reaching out to the poor. In addition, as part of the comparative review on the key barriers for savings banks to serve poor clients that was produced under the related Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funded programme “Doubling the Number of Savings Accounts for the Poor” at 10 WSBI members, the plan was to bolster this paper with analyses that incorporated the new WSBI members as well.The project was put on hold following the foundation’s announcement in May 2011 to review and refresh its Financial Services for the Poor strategy, which was eventually published in early 2012. WSBI’s member in Ghana and a local mobile network operator were subsequently found willing to develop an innovative way of using GSM data to refine customer segmentation models to promote financial inclusion products. This fits well with the foundation’s new Financial Services for the Poor strategy.Description of actual services provided your staff within the assignment: Project Management, membership liaison, identification and contracting of experts, design of data analytics project terms of reference, implementing tendering procedure, etc.

Assignment Name: Piloting how GSM data could be used to refine customer segmentation models to promote financial inclusion products – data analytics component


Country: GhanaLocation within Country: Accra


Name of Client: HFC Bank Ghana & Airtel, as part of a grant implemented by WSBI with financial support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

No of Staff-Months (S/M) of the assignment; 4 staff months

Address: PO Box 23350Seattle, WA 98102 (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation)

Approx. Value of services provided by Your Firm under the contract: 0,5 staff months



No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Consultants: 3,5 staff months

Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:- Cignifi (USA)

Name of Senior Staff of your firm involved & functions performed: Ian RADCLIFFE, Project Director

Narrative Description of Project: In the framework of a grant received from the Bill & Melinda gates Foundation, WSBI contracted the behavioral analytics company Cignifi to assess how GSM behavior data – typically extracted from a mobile operator’s billing system – could be modeled to segment and target bank customers with specific financial services, focusing on savings products. Three components;1. Data discovery: Collect and anonymize raw data from both partners2. Model Design: Match data sets and create cross-sample, the so-called ‘closed user group’3. Implementation: Create scores for each customer, segment the customer base, prepare and present Final ReportA dedicated team of specialists implements the services mainly in the second half of 2013, and the final results are expected early 2014.Description of actual services provided by your staff within the assignment: Project Direction, coordination of activities and high level meetings with the two beneficiaries to move the project along.

Assignment Name: Technical Assistance for Development Bank of the Seychelles

Approx. value of the contract: 294.675 EUR

Country: SeychellesLocation within Country: Victoria


Name of Client: European Investment Bank No of Staff-Months (S/M) of the assignment; 12 S/MAddress: 98-100, boulevard Konrad AdenauerL-2950 Luxembourg

Approx. Value of services provided by Your Firm under the contract: 50.000 EUR

Start Date (Month/Year):February 2013

Completion Date (Month/Year):April 2014

No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Consultants: 10 S/M

Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:- Belgian Bankers Academy (Consortium Leader)

Name of Senior Staff of your firm involved & functions performed: Brian Corduff (ALM Expert)

Narrative Description of Project: Following the shareholders’ approval of a new mandate to start serving higher-risk SMEs, Technical Assistance to the Development Bank of the Seychelles (DBS) so that it becomes an efficient, modern, transparent and accountable financial institution. The project supports improved credit risk management, asset and liability management and governance structures, as well the translation of DBS’s new mandate into a market proposition and a sustainable business model. TA is provided in four main areas;1. Credit risk management framework, including a credit scoring methodology and risk pricing principles2. Asset and Liability Management & Treasury, tools and processes such as interest rate, funding and liquidity management3. Internal Procedures and Corporate Governance, including rules following the new mandate and training / on-the-job coaching4. Business Plan Development Development, with a clear market proposition and medium-term strategyA team of four international experts implements the above services at DBS in a 12 month period. In the end, DBS should be a financially viable banking institution that provides access to financial services to SMEs and start-ups, and help them to increase their capital investment, create new business and thus increase overall employment in the Seychelles.Description of actual services provided by your staff within the assignment: ESBG recruited a Treasury / Asset and Liability Management expert responsible for strengthening DBS’ treasury function through implementation of the tools and processes required for effective asset and liability management. This includes the proposition of an effective risk management environment that enables DBS to measure and manage the most important potential risks that could have detrimental effects on business performance.

Finished in 2013

Assignment Name: Providing Training on Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism for Banking Institutions


Country: UzbekistanLocation within Country: Tashkent

Duration of assignment (months): 0,5 S/M

Name of Client: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)

No of Staff-Months (S/M) of the assignment; 0,5 S/M

Address: OSCE Project Coordinator in Uzbekistan4th Floor, 12b, Afrosiyab Street700015 Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Approx. Value of services provided by Your Firm under the contract: 13.000 EUR


Completion Date (Month/Year):November 2013



Name of Senior Staff of your firm involved & functions performed: Simon GODDARD & Adriana HOLTSLAG-ALVAREZ, Training Experts

Narrative Description of Project: Development and delivery of a 2 day training course on anti-money laundering / countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) to approximately 30 compliance officers of banking institutions in Uzbekistan. The course consisted of presentations and background materials on international legislation and developments in AML/CFT and how this applies to the Uzbek banking sector, and interspersed with practical case studies and exercises. The course was delivered on 18 and 19 November 2013 at premises provided by the National Bank of Uzbekistan.Description of actual services provided by your staff within the assignment: Coordinating the preparation and translation of course materials and presentations, logistical support to the training experts, contractual affairs.

Assignment Name: Study of Remittance and Postal Financial Services


Country: Kazakhstan (Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan)Location within Country: Astana & Regions


Name of Client: IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development)

No of Staff-Months (S/M) of the assignment; 5 S/M

Address: Via Paolo di Dono 4400142 Roma – Italy

Approx. Value of services provided by Your Firm under the contract: 199.890 USD


Completion Date (Month/Year):May 2013


Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:- POFIB BV (Netherlands)- El-Pikir (Kyrgyzstan)- FNT Consultants (Kyrgyzstan)

Name of Senior Staff of your firm involved & functions performed: Norbert BIELEFELD (Project Director), Conrad RUPERT (Project Coordinator)

Narrative Description of Project: In order to increase financial inclusion of poor and unbanked people in rural areas – and in particular remittance receivers – ESBG has been asked by IFAD to undertake a study that aims to achieve a regulatory environment that is more conducive to offering financial services through postal corporations, not only in Kazakhstan but also in other countries in the region. There are six main activities;1) Desk research: a detailed study of existing documentation on KazPost and its role in the Kazakh financial sector, the

situation in the neighbouring countries and initiatives in postal financial services in other parts of the world (in particular IFAD’s Financing Facility for Remittances).

2) Survey of remittances receivers/senders in order to obtain detailed knowledge on their needs and expectations from KazPost and other postal corporations.

3) Mission to Kazakhstan and other countries in the region; interviews with key actors to assess the findings of the desk research and survey, and lay the groundwork for achieving the project objective.

4) Production of a video in order to make the case for and/or generate interest in postal financial services for rural areas.5) Report writing, including benchmarking recommendations and conclusions through a peer review group to mobilize a trove

of experience worldwide.6) Present the results of the assessments at the Global Remittances Forum in May 2013.

Description of actual services provided your staff within the assignment: ESBG’s experts provided the majority of services, in particular the management and coordination of the project, and together with the mass retail markets expert design of the survey questionnaires and subsequent analysis of the results, the writing up of the conclusions and the sharing of lessons through presentation of the best practices video and results to the Global Remittances Forum.

Finished in 2012Assignment Name: Capacity Development of Partner Banks in Microfinance Wholesale Lending


Country: PR ChinaLocation within Country: Kunming, Hohhot & Harbin


Name of Client: Asian Development Bank No of Staff-Months (S/M) of the assignment; 6 S/MAddress: 6, ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City1550 Metro Manila, Philippines

Approx. Value of services provided by Your Firm under the contract: 51.500 USD

Start Date (Month/Year):5 September 2012

Completion Date (Month/Year):30 November 2012


Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:Sanjay SINHA (IND, team Leader) & Crystal SHENG (PRC), both hired directly by the Client

Name of Senior Staff of your firm involved & functions performed: Chris TEUNISSEN, Finance Specialist

Narrative Description of Project: In order to increase the capacity to perform wholesale lending operations to Microcredit Companies (MCC), the Asian Development Bank hired three experts to implement a technical assistance (TA) program at three partner banks in China;- Fudian Bank, Kunming- Bank of Inner Mongolia, Hohhot- Longjiang Bank, HarbinThese partner banks were selected by the ADB to channel debt to the MCC sector, increasing their capital for making loans to underserved market segments of the populace and thus contributing to ADB’s poverty reduction goals. An important component of the TA was the adaptation and implementation of a credit scoring model at each of the partner banks, including accompanying training and capacity building. The TA thus developed partner banks’ capability to effectively conduct microfinance wholesale lending, creating sound credit review processes and risk management systems and culture, and reduced reliance on collateral.Description of actual services provided by your staff within the assignment: ESBG’s expert performed a number of activities;

(i) Desk studies and identifying key issues to be addressed in startup and operations of microfinance wholesale lending, including identification of market competition, product development, underwriting, portfolio management, accounting, regulatory compliance, and loan recovery mechanisms;

(ii) Preparation of strategies for microfinance wholesale lending market entry;(iii) Provision of training to relevant bank personnel or government officials at all levels on international best practices in

wholesale lending in areas such as due diligence, credit underwriting and MCC evaluation techniques, risk management, loan portfolio management, fraud mitigation, managing delinquencies, collection practice, loan workout, and onsite review;

(iv) Training of credit personnel on using the scorecard to evaluate MCC loan applicants that will differentiate successful MCC borrowers; and

(v) Preparation of sections of the TA final report and related policy notes, providing peer review for other sections of the TA final report, and assistance in improving and finalizing the report.

Assignment Name: Western Balkans MSME Finance Framework – Bank for Business

Approx. value of the contract: 350,000 EUR

Country: KosovoLocation within Country: Pristina


Name of Client: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development No of Staff-Months (S/M) of the assignment; 12.5 S/MAddress: One Exchange Square, London EC2A 2JN, UK Approx. Value of services provided by Your Firm under

the contract: 20,000 EURStart Date (Month/Year):February 2011

Completion Date (Month/Year):February 2012


Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:- Grontmij (DK, Lead Manager)- Experian Decision Analytics (UK)

Name of Senior Staff of your firm involved & functions performed: Conrad RUPERT, Project Coordinator

Narrative Description of Project: Implementation of a Technical Cooperation programme that accompanies an EBRD credit line for Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSME’s), addressing weaknesses in the following main areas; Risk Management Internal Audit and Control Credit Analysis Treasury Capacity Strategic Planning and Product DevelopmentProject activities commenced in March 2011 and were completed in February 2012.Description of actual services provided your staff within the assignment: ESBG’s expert was part of a team of consultants that implemented the Credit Analysis component, consisting of the following tasks;1. Analysis of BfB’s methodology of Credit Analysis and identification of areas of weakness;2. Design of Credit Analysis methodology to fit specific features of the bank and its MSME clients;3. Design of templates for in-depth financial analysis for SME borrowers, including spreadsheets for accounting, ratio analysis

and a cash flow based analysis, and design of reporting formats;4. Training of loan officers for SME credit analysis through workshops and on-the-job training.

Assignment Name: Training and Capacity Building Programme to the Banking Universities

Country: Vietnam

Location within Country: Hanoi & Hochiminh City Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm / Entity (profiles): 10 (1 Project Director & 9 Training Experts)

Name of Client: Swiss Confederation represented by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO)

No of Staff: 24 staff

Address: Effingerstrasse 1,3003 BERNE, Switzerland

No of Staff-Months (S/M); duration of assignment:19 International S/M, 8.5 Domestic S/M



Approx. value of services (in current US$):1,000,000 USD

Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:Banking Skills Training and Consultancy Company (BTC, Vietnam)Savings Banks Foundation for International Cooperation (SBFIC, Germany)

No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Consultants: 8.5 International S/M and 8.5 Domestic S/M

Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed:Conrad RUPERT, ESBG Project DirectorNarrative Description of Project:In order to improve the skills of the banking sector’s employees, the government of Switzerland supported the development of the institutional and training capacity of teaching instructors at two bank training institutions owned and operated by the State Bank of

Vietnam through targeted training; the Banking Academy (BA, Hanoi) and the Banking University (BU, Ho Chi Minh City). Both institutions lacked a comprehensive programme to substantially upgrade the knowledge of their teaching staff in major banking subjects up to international standards.The project responded to these requirements by:

1. Offering training at the university instructors, based on practical concepts and tools used by global banks, and2. Helping instructors improving their technical skills and teaching effectiveness.

The following courses (including duration) were developed and delivered at the BA and BU throughout 2008 and 2009 by teams consisting of international and domestic training experts;

Teaching methods for bank trainers (5 days) Commercial Bank Management (10 days) Business strategy Development (5 days) Risk Management (5 days) Credit Management (5 days) The lending process (10 days) Marketing (5 days) Investment Management (5 days)

The courses were attended by approximately 550 instructors at both institutions (an average of about 35 at each course delivery), and about 80% completed the test at the end of the course successfully.The project was extended to end November 2011 to facilitate the research into and subsequent selection and procurement of a suitable computer-based banking simulation model. The system “BankSim”, developed and used by the Belgian Bankers Academy was selected and training of BA and BU lecturers was delivered during August and November 2011.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff: Project Direction, Training.

Finished in 2011

Finished in 2010

Assignment Name: MSME Finance Framework for Western Balkans and Croatia – Opportunity Bank Serbia

Country: Serbia

Location within Country: Novi Sad Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm / Entity (profiles): 1 Risk Management Trainer

Name of Client: EBRD (European Bank for Reconstruction & Development No of Staff: 5Address: One Exchange SquareLondon EC2A 2JN, United Kingdom

No of Staff-Months (S/M); duration of assignment:11 S/M in 12 calendar months

Start Date (Month/Year):September 2009

Completion Date (Month/Year):August 2010

Approx. value of services (in current US$):425.000 USD (319.450 EUR)

Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:- Grontmij │ Carl Bro A/S (DK – Lead Manager)- Experian Decision Analytics (I)

No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Consultants: 10

Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed:Mads Baden JENSEN, off-site Project Manager & Richard BEASLEY, on-site Team LeaderNarrative Description of Project:Implementation of the Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Finance Framework for Western Balkans and Croatia at Opportunity Banka Serbia, covering three main components;1. Risk Management – provide high-quality professional training in Risk Management (general risks and risk alleviation) in order

to lead to a more efficient way of meeting its business targets. Identification of weaknesses and implementation of new policies and procedures to build a solid risk management system. Working closely with OBS senior management team in order to ensure knowledge transfer.

2. Internal Audit and Control – implementation of a risk-based systematic approach for evaluating and establishing Risk self-assessment, strengthening identification of risk areas. Suggest risk alleviation measures and report to OBS’ Audit committee. Preparation and implementation of internal audit and internal control function with a written comprehensive manual of audit policies and procedures and trained staff.

3. Product Development and Product Management – building an appropriate product development and product management capacity in OBS which will contribute to its improved profitability and long-term sustainability.

The assignment was successfully implemented by a team of 5 experts, retained by the consortium partnersDescription of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff: Development of seminar materials and subsequent delivery of short

term Seminars on Credit Risk, Liquidity Risk and Operational Risk.

Assignment Name: Branch Management Training Programme Country: AlbaniaLocation within Country: Tirana Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm / Entity

(profiles): 2Name of Client: Banka Kombëtare Tregtare No of Staff: 5Address: Bulevardi "Zhan d'Ark", Tiranë, Shqipëri No of Staff-Months (S/M); duration of assignment:

1,5 S/MStart Date (Month/Year):February 2010



Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:FAME (Belgium), Belgian Bankers Academy (Belgium)

No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Consultants: 0,5

Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed:Laurie DUFAYS, Deputy Director, WSBI-ESBGNarrative Description of Project: Delivery of the Branch Management Training Programme that was designed by WSBI-ESBG, broken down into 5 modules:1. Strategic Aspects and Marketing Policies (3 days) – delivered by Louis DELCART

Strategic Aspects of Branch Management Marketing in retail banking

2. Customer services (2 days) – Delivered by Paul GAUCI Understanding Customer Needs; Enhancing Communication Skills; Handling Customer Objections, and Needs Based Selling; Creating a Quality Service Oriented Organization Culture; Relationship Banking.

3. Risk Management and Credit Risk Management for SME’s (5 days) – delivered by Tony GRIER Best practices in risk management principles (general & credit) Loan portfolio analysis using tools designed to risk rate and price loans Credit analysis of SMEs and corporate borrowers. Problem loan analysis and early warnings signs detection. Application of credit scoring & Loan rating systems Working groups on business cases (including local business cases)

4. The Management of the Branch (3 days) Branch network: main delivery channel for financial services? The marketing action plan : key tool for business development Defining the objectives –relationship between Head office and branch- The implementation of the action plan and the follow up The organization of the branch and role of front back offices and MIS Role of branch manager and of sales manager,

5. Branch Management Simulation (3 days), highlighting areas which have to be managed optimally: Customers, Marketing, Distribution channels, Process and operations, Human resources and Financial management. Delivered by Louis DELCART & Marina ISHKANOVA

Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff: As above

Assignment Name: Advisory Services to the National Savings and Credit Bank (NSCB)

Country: Zambia

Location within Country: Lusaka Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm / Entity (profiles): 4 Senior Experts

Name of Client: Ministry of Finance and National Planning No of Staff: 4 Senior ExpertsAddress: Rural Finance ProgramCentral Statistical Office Annex BuildingJohn Mbita Road, Off Nationalist Road, PO Box 50845Ridgeway, Lusaka, Zambia

No of Staff-Months (S/M); duration of assignment:13.5 staff/months, delivered in 18 calendar months




Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:None


Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed:Lars-Ake LARSSON, Team Leader, and Conrad RUPERT, ESBG Project Director

Narrative Description of Project:In the framework of the IFAD-funded Rural Finance Program, the project aimed to promote and develop rural and sustainable banking services for low-income households and entrepreneurs through the National Savings and Credit Bank. In order to facilitate this and at the same assist NSCB developing into a financially sound and professionally managed financial institution, technical assistance to NSCB concentrated on implementing its Institutional Development Plan (IDP) which comprised five main areas;1. Post implementation review of the computerisation program at NSCB, which was completed in June 20092. Supporting the IDP through reviewing and updating action plans for all departments at the NSCB3. Assisting NSCB in developing and implementing new savings, loans and other products for its low-income clientele4. Increasing NSCB’s outreach to low-income clients by assisting in the provision of market-led microfinance services5. Reviewing NSCB’s organisational structure, job descriptions and staff manning to meet the Bank’s Business ModelFour senior experts retained by the ESBG were involved in the implementation of the above tasks.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff: Project Direction and Coordination

Assignment Name: EU-EBRD Municipal Finance Facility – Technical Assistance to Abanka Vipa

Country: Slovenia

Location within Country: Ljubljana, other municipalities as required Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm / Entity (profiles): 2

Name of Client: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development No of Staff: 3Address: One Exchange SquareLondon EC2A 2JNUnited Kingdom

No of Staff-Months (S/M); duration of assignment: 5.5 staff/months



Approx. value of services (in current US$):150.000 EUR (200.000 USD)

Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:Swedbank (Sweden)


Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed:Conrad RUPERT, ESBG Project Director, and David JAMES, Team LeaderNarrative Description of Project:In the framework of an EU-EBRD Credit Line made for longer term investments at Small- and Medium-sized Municipalities (SMM), ESBG and Swedbank implemented a TA programme that assisted Abanka Vipa (AV) in developing and refining its marketing strategy and lending / credit risk management procedures for municipal financing operations. The TA and training was mainly provided to the members of the municipal team within the SME department at AV’s Head Office, and officers from selected branches.The assignment was implemented by a small team of one Team Leader from the United Kingdom and a Municipal Finance Expert from Swedbank in Sweden; Swedbank is a leader in municipal finance in its home markets. They focused their inputs along two main pillars; Marketing (including associated risks) and Credit Risk Management.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff: Project Management and Coordination

Finished in 2009Assignment Name: Transition to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in the Banking Sector

Country: Russian Federation

Location within Country:Moscow & some regions

Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm / Entity (profiles): 1 Key Expert, several short term non-key experts

Name of Client: European Community, represented by the European Commission, for and on behalf of the Government of the Russian Federation

No of Staff: 1 Team Leader, 5 Key Experts, several short term non-key experts (local and international)

Address:Rue de la Loi 200, B-1049 BRUSSELS

No of Staff-Months (S/M); Duration of assignment: 160 S/M, 27 calendar months



Approx. value of services (in current US$):5,200,000 USD (3,999,810 EUR)

Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:ZAO PriceWaterhouseCoopers Audit (RU, Lead Firm)FBK ooo (RU)

No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Consultants:25 S/M by ESBG, 135 S/M by other partners

Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed:Philip SMITH, Team Leader (retained by PWC). Richard GREGSON, Project Director (PWC). Alexander BOLSHAKOV, Deputy Team Leader (retained by ESBG).

Narrative Description of Project:Technical Assistance to promote application of International Standards Principles in bookkeeping and accounting, and to prepare Financial Reporting in accordance with IFRS in the Banking Sector of the Russian Federation. Four main components / objectives;1. Analysis and improvement of Central Bank of Russia current legislative framework, in order to apply international standards

principles for bookkeeping and accounting. Result; normative papers underlying application of these principles, and the list of legislative acts which are subject to be reviewed and specified;

2. Improvement of professional expertise of banking specialists in applying bookkeeping and accounting principles in line with international standards, and in preparing financial statements on the basis of principles in accordance with IFRS;

3. Study and use of European best practice on IFRS application by Russian banks specialists; and4. Dissemination of information on application of IFRS principles, in order to introduce bookkeeping and accounting principles in

line with international standards, and in preparing financial statements and using them.The banking community as a whole is the main beneficiary of the project; training and transfer of knowledge initiatives will be directed towards the staff of the Bank of Russia, commercial banks, to representatives of intermediate beneficiaries, and to wider audiences in business and education. In order to increase awareness and provide access to the relevant materials, a project website is established, complemented with materials provided on CD-ROM’s.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff:ESBG’s Expert provides training, and some of its members – in particular CECA of Spain and Swedbank of Sweden – host study tours, providing access to European best practice in the field of IFRS.

Finished in 2008Assignment Name: Strategic Plan for Continuation of Reform in Payment Systems

Country: Azerbaijan

Location within Country: Baku Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm / Entity (profiles): 1 Project Director / Team Leadfer

Name of Client: National Bank of Azerbaijan No of Staff: 1Address: 32 R.Behbudov Street,AZ-1014, Baku, Azerbaijan

No of Staff-Months (S/M); duration of assignment: 1.5 Staff/Month


Completion Date (Month/Year):June 2008

Approx. value of services (in current US$):64,000 USD



Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed:Norbert BIELEFELD, Project Director / Team LeaderNarrative Description of Project: In line with the 2004 Presidential Decree, the State Program spelled out the following objectives regarding the Development of the National Payment Strategy in Azerbaijan over the period 2005 – 2007:

a) the creation of a national card processing center,b) improvement of internal information and accounting systems of commercial banksc) completion of the technological integration of public utilities and public entities related to taxes and pensions to the

payment system infrastructure,d) extension of the geographical coverage of payment systems, increase of access of rural population to financial services,e) improvement of risk management effectiveness in payment systems.

At the closure of the implementation period for this State Program, the objective became to formulate a strategic plan which would allow a further development of the National Payment Strategy. ESBG was subsequently requested to:

Analyse the existing architecture of the National Payment Strategy and its components in the light of advanced international practice;

Prepare a clear and executable Strategic Plan for the next 5 years for the continuation of payment system reform and an operational plan for its implementation.

Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff: As above

Assignment Name: Training Programme for Branch Managers of Lesotho Postbank

Country: Lesotho

Location within Country: Maseru Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm / Entity (profiles): 1 staff (Project Coordinator)

Name of Client: Lesotho Postbank No of Staff: 3 Training StaffAddress: 1st Floor, Post Office BuildingKingsway, Maseru

No of Staff-Months (S/M); duration of assignment:1 staff/month

Start Date (Month/Year): Completion Date (Month/Year): Approx. value of services (in current US$):

October 2008 November 2008 35,000 USD (29.000 EUR)Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:Belgian Bankers Academy


Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed:Laurie DUFAYS, WSBI/ESBG Project CoordinatorNarrative Description of Project: Development and delivery of a 10-day training programme for branch managers and selected professionals from headquarters (including Human Resources and Information Technology Managers), based on Postbank’s request and needs that are geared towards achievement of its mission on Lesotho’s financial market. Accordingly, the programme focused on branch management, marketing of rural products, risk management, credit risk, operational risks, financing MFI, customer care policies, people management.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff: Organisation and implementation of the event in Maseru

Assignment Name: Development of NBFI Regulatory and Supervisory Frameworks


Country: AngolaLocation within Country: Luanda

Duration of assignment (months): 8 calendar months

Name of Client: World Bank Group, represented by The World Bank No of Staff-Months (S/M) of the assignment; 3 staff months

Address: 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433 Approx. Value of services provided by Your Firm under the contract: 108.000 USD





Name of Senior Staff of your firm involved & functions performed: Conrad RUPERT, Project DirectorDenise DIAS, Team Leader (retained by ESBG)

Narrative Description of Project: At the suggestion of the IMF and funded by the FIRST Initiative, provision of Technical Assistance to help Banco Nacional de Angola (BNA) develop regulatory and supervisory frameworks for Non Banking Financial Institutions (NBFI), in line with the umbrella Financial Institutions Act and international standards. Absence of such frameworks is a barrier to the emergence of NBFI’s into the market, as they need to be authorised by BNA. The main objective of the project – which was also part of the financial sector modernisation programme undertaken by the BNA – was to promote the development of the NBFI sector in a diverse, modern, safe and sound manner. The technical assistance included training to relevant BNA staff on implementation of the regulatory and the supervisory frameworks developed as part of this project.Description of actual services provided your staff within the assignment: In addition to the assistance necessary to achieve the above, ESBG’s Project Director provided active Project Management & Administration support, including the identification and contracting of the Team Leader.

Assignment Name: Short-term TA for a Needs Assessment Study at Vanuatu Financial Services Commission (VFSR)


Country: VanuatuLocation within Country: Port Vila

Duration of assignment (months): 15 calendar months

Name of Client: Delegation of the European Commission to Vanuatu No of Staff-Months (S/M) of the assignment; 1,25 Staff Months

Address: P.O. Box 422 - Port Vila Approx. Value of services provided by Your Firm under the contract: approximately 40.000 EUR




Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:- Pohl Consulting (leader of a consortium implementing the Multiple

Framework Contract EuropeAid/119860/C/SV/multi)

Name of Senior Staff of your firm involved & functions performed: Christophe GRANDCOLAS, Team Leader (retained by ESBG)

Narrative Description of Project: In order to come closer to OECD/EU governance standards and to show the international community that Vanuatu is committed to improving its financial regulatory and supervisory regime, identification of weaknesses at the Financial Services Commission, by; Reviewing existing & envisaged legislation, including executive orders and procedure manuals; Assessing VFSC capacity, including compliance, risk management, enforcement, supervision & training; Analysing data collection, data management, data integrity factors, IT tools in use; Assessing communication policy and systems, including customer information and guidance; Evaluating IT aspects of companies’ public files management system, including VFSC’s on-line services; Reporting

The above activities led to the development of a roadmap for resolving VFSC’s problems, including proposals for modernisation / improvement with a SWOT analysis and an impact assessment of proposed measures on national and regional level.Description of actual services provided your staff within the assignment: ESBG retained an external expert to implement the above activities, and provided management and editorial support.

Assignment Name: Marketing the Entrepreneur Segment Country: ThailandLocation within Country: Bangkok Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm / Entity

(profiles): 1 (Seminar Coordinator)Name of Client: Government Savings Bank of Thailand No of Staff: 3 Trainers including coordinatorAddress: 470 Phaholyothin Road, Phayathai, Bangkok 10400 No of Staff-Months (S/M); duration of assignment:

NAStart Date (Month/Year):20 March 2008

Completion Date (Month/Year):21 March 2008

Approx. value of services (in current US$):NA

Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:RSGV (Rheinischer Sparkassen- und Giroverband, Germany)


Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed:Laurie DUFAYS, ESBG-WSBI Seminar CoordinatorNarrative Description of Project:The Government Savings Bank of Thailand (GSB) has a share of 5% in the SME business, which they wish to grow to 20% over the next five years. In order to exchange information and experiences in how to develop and manage this important business line, WSBI organised a seminar for GSB in which several areas were covered; marketing, distribution, credit risk, and communication policies. About 25 people – mainly heads of departments and branch managers– participated in the event, and they signaled that the seminar had helped them to approach the market of professionals and SME’s through a better understanding of the different segments. They also appreciated how to diversify the offer following the type of segments, while the module on credit risk management showed them how to process a loan and how to build a credit file with the necessary guarantees.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff: Event organisation

Assignment Name: Management Skills Development Training Programme for the Banking Sector

Country: Syria

Location within Country: Damascus, Aleppo Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm / Entity (profiles): 3 (1 Team Leader, 2 Trainers

Name of Client: European Commission Delegation to Syria No of Staff:Address: BP 11269 DAMASD, Damascus, Syria No of Staff-Months (S/M), duration of assignment:

4.5 S/M in 6 monthsStart Date (Month/Year):July 2007


Approx. value of services (in current US$):155,000 USD (113,000 EUR)

Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:Pohl Consulting & Associates (D, Lead firm)


Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed: Dr. Mounah GEHA, Team LeaderNarrative Description of Project:Assistance to develop the institutional capacity of the banking sector by improving the skills of staff and management of the Central Bank of Syria and the 6 state-owned banks. Furthermore, support to the continuing building of managerial knowledge and thus creating ownership for the changing process of the Syrian Banking sector.The specific objective is to fill the gap in training skills and knowledge in order to: To prepare staff for taking the lead in the changing process in the Syrian Banking sector; and To develop managerial skills and qualities required by key staff placed in leadership, managerial and supervisory positions,

and staff management practices, as well as in performance management and the role of appraisal.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff: Project Administration & Management

Assignment Name: Assistance to FEDECREDITO Country: El SalvadorLocation within Country: San Salvador, El Salvador Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm/Entity

(profiles): 1staffName of Client: No of Staff: 1

Federación de Cajas de Crédito y de Bancos de los TrabajadoresAddress:25 Av. Norte y 23 Calle Poniente, Edificio Armando Rosales, San Salvador, El Salvador

No of Staff-Months; Duration of Assignment:1 staff month





No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Consultants:

Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed: José LINARES FONTELA (Team Leader)Narrative Description of Project:The objectives of this assignment were as follows;1. To identify the needs of cajas and banks of the system of FEDECREDITO2. To provide training based on the needs assessment on Microcredit and SME credit Marketing and Microcredit and SME

credit Applicants Qualification; on Savings Marketing and Loan Collecting and RecoveryDescription of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff: Project Coordination and administration.

Assignment Name: Capacity Building for Financial Sector Reforms Country: MongoliaLocation within Country:Ulan Bataar

Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm / Entity (profiles): 2 short term experts

Name of Client:Asian Development Bank

No of Staff:11 staff (5 international, 6 local)

Address:6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City 1550, Philippines

No of Staff-Months (S/M); Duration of assignment: 58 S/M, 13 calendar months

Start Date (Month/Year):September 2006



Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:Wiener Börse AG – Vienna Exchange (A, Lead Firm)CAPMEX – The Capital Market Experts (A)

No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Consultants:6 S/M by ESBG, 52 S/M by other partners

Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed:Eric MOLSON, Team Leader (retained by Consortium Leader Wiener Börse AGNarrative Description of Project:Implementation of policy reforms called for in the Financial Regulation and Governance Programme, and strengthening of the Ministry of Finance and the Financial Regulatory Commission (FRC) / Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) within the Bank of Mongolia. Provision of consultant’s expertise in a number of areas;(i) Implementing procedures for non-judicial foreclosure of collateral(ii) Establishing FRC by developing transition arrangements, organisational, structural & internal procedures(iii) Drafting of laws and regulations to address the weaknesses and gaps in the legal framework(iv) Introducing corporate governance structure and practices in banks, non-bank financial intermediaries and security issuers(v) Developing information technology and management information systems for the FRC and the FIU, and(vi) Providing capacity building / training on financial regulation, on/off-site supervision, accounting, auditing and reporting

standards, and on IT/MISDescription of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff: ESBG provided the international experts broadly responsible for implementing areas (v) and (vi) in the above list.

Finished in 2007Assignment Name: Diagnostic Review of IT Network Architecture, Hardware, Software Security, Safety and Integration of Databases of Savings Bank of Mongolia

Country: Mongolia

Location within Country: Ulan Bataar Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm / Entity (profiles): 2 International Experts

Name of Client: The Savings Bank of Mongolia No of Staff: 2 International ExpertsAddress: Hudaldaani gudamj-6, Ulaanbaatar-11 No of Staff-Months (S/M); duration of assignment:

1.5 S/M in 4 MonthsStart Date (Month/Year): Completion Date (Month/Year): Approx. value of services (in current US$):

June 2007 September 2007 51,000 USD (39,000 EUR)Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:None


Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed:Kristopher STOCKETT, International Expert / David LEE, International ExpertNarrative Description of Project: The Mongolian Savings Bank approached ESBG for support and assistance in improving and upgrading its IT network, hardware and software systems, database and information security to international standards. Two experts retained by the ESBG came to in Ulan Bataar to carry out a diagnostic review and assessment of the bank’s IT systems, followed by a strategy report presenting findings, challenges, solutions and recommendations and budget estimates for upgrading and maintenance costs.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff: Project Management

Assignment Name: Access to Finance for Farmers in the Gezira Region Country: SudanLocation within Country: Wad Madani in the Gezira Region, and Khartoum Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm / Entity

(profiles): 2 International ExpertsName of Client: Gezira Farmers Union No of Staff: 2 International ExpertsAddress: C/O WB Khartoum office: House 7 Block 5, Gama’a Avenue PO Box 913 Khartoum

No of Staff-Months (S/M); duration of assignment: 4 Staff Months






Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed:James MACDADE, Team Leader / Gerhard DEDORATH, International ExpertNarrative Description of Project:Following a request for technical assistance from the Gezira Farmers’ Union (GFU), with the support of the World Bank, FIRST Initiative awarded ESBG a contract to review the financial sector in the Gezira region with the aim of improving access to financial services for farmers participating in the Gezira Irrigation Scheme (GIS or Scheme). This project was part of on-going World Bank TA support for the implementation of reforms of the GIS aimed at making the region more self sufficient and less dependent on state subsidies.The purpose of this project was a plan for improving the rural financial sector and access to finance for farmers in this region. This is complementary to efforts by the World Bank to improve the productivity and profitability of the region by working with farmers on crop yield and improved farming techniques. Efforts to reform the GIS, improve farm outputs and access to finance reinforced each other and jointly contributed to improving the agricultural profitability of the regionDescription of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff: Project Management

Assignment Name: Poverty Assessment of Client Segments Served by Savings and Postal Banks

Country: Regional (India, Mexico, Tanzania & Thailand)

Location within Country: Head Offices of WSBI members (New Delhi, México City, Dar Es Salaam, Bangkok)

Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm / Entity (profiles): 1 (Project Director)

Name of Client:Consultancy Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP)

No of Staff:2

Address: CGAP Secretariat, MSN P 3-300, World Bank Groupc/o Dulles Commerce Centre, bldg 10023760 Pebble Run Drive, Sterling VA 20166 USA

No of Staff-Months (S/M); duration of assignment: 2.5 S/M in 16 months




Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:Oxford Policy Management (UK), Intellecap (India), Miguel JIMENEZ (Mexico), Kreative Outcomes (Tanzania) and Research International (Thailand)

No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Consultants: 2.5

Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed:Mark BIENSTMAN (Project Director ESBG-WSBI), Stephen PEACHEY (Team Leader)Narrative Description of Project:The objective of the project was to gather data and deliver analysis on the clients reached and services offered by a set of four representative WSBI members (National Savings Institute at the Ministry of Finance in India, BANSEFI of Mexico, the Tanzania Postal Bank and the Government Savings Bank of Thailand), by addressing two questions;

1. How poor are account holders of above WSBI members, indicative of savings and postal banks?2. How are these accounts used by clients, in order to understand the extent to which services offered are meeting their

financial needs?After having chosen the representative WSBI members and selecting local data collection firms, Consultant conducted a survey with a sample of clients of the above savings/postal banks and non-clients by using CGAP’s Poverty Assessment Tool (PAT). The results were passed on to OPM for statistical analysis to address the two main research questions.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff: Project Management and Administration, support in identifying and selecting a sample of representative WSBI members

Assignment Name: Support to the State Bank of Vietnam Country: VietnamLocation within Country:Hanoi and regions

Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm/Entity (profiles): 1

Name of Client:European Community, represented by the Delegation of the European Commission to Vietnam

No of Staff:4 Key Experts

Address:56, Ly Thai To, Hanoi

No of Staff-Months (S/M; duration of assignment: 74 S/M in 18 months



Approx. value of services (in current US$): 1,400,000 USD (1,200,000 EUR)

Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:Caisse Nationale des Caisses d’Epargne (F)Lloyds TSB (UK)Ernst & Young (Vietnam)

No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Consultants:74 staff-months

Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed: Ian RADCLIFFE (Project Director), Richard HANDS (Team Leader)Narrative Description of Project:In the framework of Support to Vietnam’s Poverty Reduction and Growth Strategy under PRSC III, a consortium led by ESBG was awarded a contract to provide support to the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) in the areas of bank regulation and supervision.The project addresses two key areas:- Assessment of information required for bank supervision, i.e. assessing Vietnamese banks’ regulatory compliance in major

cities and provinces, to identify the reasons why they are not compliant and determine how to achieve compliance.- Provision of training to SBV inspectors in the fields of bank supervision, monitoring and risk provisioning.Implementation of the project is in the hands of a project office in Hanoi, managed by 4 key experts. These experts are supported in their tasks by a team of international and local experts, and an ESBG project director coordinates activities and deals with administrative issuesDescription of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff:Project Coordination and Direction

Assignment Name: EU Study on Financial Literacy Schemes Country: European UnionLocation within Country: Not Applicable Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm / Entity

(profiles): 2 Project ManagersName of Client: European Commission DG Market No of Staff: NAAddress: Rue de Spa 2, 1049 Brussels, Belgium No of Staff-Months (S/M); duration of assignment:

0.5 S/M in 6 monthsStart Date (Month/Year):February 2007


Approx. value of services (in current US$):114,995 €

Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:Evers & Jung (D, Lead)


Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed:Anne-Françoise LEFEVRE, Project Manager ESBGNarrative Description of Project:The major goal of the Study was to compile an “exhaustive overview on all Financial Literacy Schemes in the EU27”. A networking approach was designed to fulfil this task, in order to create a methodology which is not only cost- and time-saving but also advantageous for clearness reasons. The project was implemented in 5 steps1. Determination of a selection methodology, desk research, development of questionnaire2. Dissemination of questionnaire, follow-up3. Cluster analysis, selection of schemes for the case studies4. Review of additional literature, expert interviews

5. Finalisation of case studies, literature list, final reportESBG’s role was to provide guidance as to the schemes’ selection criteria, to contribute to drafting the questionnaire, to disseminate the questionnaire to its membership, and follow up in collecting data on education schemes, as well as provide input for the analysis of the findings of the survey.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff: Dissemination of questionnaires, follow up on data collection

Assignment Name: Basel II workshops and Conference Presentation Country: PakistanLocation within Country: Islamabad, Lahore Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm / Entity

(profiles): 1 Risk Management SpecialistName of Client: Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) No of Staff: 1Address: ACCA Pakistan, 61-C Main Gulberg,Lahore 54660, PAKISTAN

No of Staff-Months (S/M); duration of assignment: 0.25 S/M in 0.5 month






Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed:Christian MARLIER, Risk Management SpecialistNarrative Description of Project:The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) aims to have all banks in Pakistan compliant with Basel II by the end of 2007. Following an invitation from ACCA, ESBG delivered a series of training sessions during March to representatives of the State Bank of Pakistan, the Pakistan Securities and Exchange Commission, other banks and listed companies in order to introduce the concept of Basel II. The seminars and workshops were delivered in Lahore and Islamabad by a Risk Management expert retained by the ESBGDescription of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff: Project Management & Administration

Assignment Name: Technical Assistance for a System for Collection of Public Utilities Fees

Country: Azerbaijan

Location within Country:Baku


Name of Client:National Bank of Azerbaijan

No of Staff: 2

Address:Project Management Unit of the Financial Sector Technical Assistance Project, 1014 Baku, 32 Rashid Behbudov St

No of Staff-Months; Duration of assignment: 3 staff months in 12 months



Approx. value of services (in current US$): 94,000 USD


No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Consultants: none

Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed: Norbert BIELEFELD (Project Coordinator) / Noud BLOM (International Expert)Narrative Description of Project:Design of a centralised utility fees collection system (including uniform codes, selection of an operator, and agreement on practical arrangements), to be integrated in the existing national payment system. One ESBG and one external expert perform the tasks that are required.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff:See above.

Assignment Name: Conducting a regulatory benchmark with Postal Savings Banks at the Postbank of South Africa.

Country: South Africa

Location within Country: Pretoria, Sun City Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm / Entity (profiles): 4 (various profiles)

Name of Client: South African Post Limited, represented by Postbank No of Staff: 4Address: 497 Schubart Street, Pretoria No of Staff-Months (S/M); duration of assignment:

1 S/M in 2 monthsStart Date (Month/Year):July 2007



Name of Associated Consultants, If Any: No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Consultants: -

Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed: Abigail CARPIO (Postal Savings Banks Specialist), Mark BIENSTMAN (Postal Banking Specialist)Narrative Description of Project:Assist Postbank of South Africa with developing a regulatory benchmark, based on international best practice from postal savings banks that have already been corporatised. In addition, development and delivery of a presentation on international best practices and future trends in postal banking to Senior Executives of Postbank.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff: See above

Assignment Name: Payment and Banking System Modernisation Project


Country: Kyrgyz RepublicLocation within Country: Bishkek


Name of Client: National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic No of Staff-Months (S/M) of the assignment; 2 S/MAddress: Large-Value Payments and Monitoring DivisionProject Implementation Unit of National Bank of Kyrgyz Republic, 101 Umetalieva str., 720040 Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic




No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Consultants: None


Name of Senior Staff of your firm involved & functions performed: Conrad RUPERT (Project Coordinator) / Norbert BIELEFELD (Payment Systems Expert)

Narrative Description of Project: One ESBG expert provided assistance for evaluation of bidding documents related to the procurement of the Real Time Gross and Settlement system of the Kyrgyz Republic. This will subsequently lead to selection and contract negotiations, in accordance with World Bank guidelines, of the offers of the suppliers for the procurement of hardware and software for the RTGS. The main task of the ESBG expert is to advise, guide and train the NBKR Evaluation Committee in analyzing the quality, responsiveness and competitiveness of the proposals related to the technical, specifications, and price, qualifications of vendors and all other requirements of the RTGS’ bidding documents during the Evaluation stageDescription of actual services provided by your staff within the assignment: As above

Finished in 2006Assignment Name: Evaluate effectiveness of exit strategies for EU funds for financing projects at local level in El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua

Country: El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua

Location within Country: Various Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm/Entity (profiles): 4 staff (Team Leader and three national experts)

Name of Client:Commission of the European Communities to Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Panama.

No of Staff: 4

Address:Del Colegio Teresiano 1 cuadra al Este, Frente a Clínica Tiscapa,2654 – Managua, NICARAGUA





Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:Pohl Consulting & Associates (Lead firm)


Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed: Conrad RUPERT (Project Coordinator) / José LINARES FONTELA (Team Leader)The objectives of this assignment were as follows;3. To make a detailed inventory of all projects financed by EU funds in Nicaragua, El Salvador and Honduras, including the

areas where the funds have to been committed and disbursed1. To evaluate the strategy for funding local initiatives, differentiating between projects implemented through NGOs and through

national governments2. To evaluate the policies as regards the use of the funds (i.e. have they reached the beneficiaries and were they used

correctly), and propose alternatives / improvements;3. To propose a new strategy for cooperation between the EU and the three countries, so that financial flows are used more

effectively.One Team Leader and 3 local experts performed the work, which commenced in February 2006 when the team was mobilised at the EC Delegation in Managua. The final report was delivered in May 2006.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff:Project Coordination and administration.

Assignment Name: Branch SIM: Simulation on Branch Performance Management

Country: Thailand

Location within Country: ??? Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm / Entity (profiles): 1 ESBG/WSBI Project Manager

Name of Client: Government Savings Bank of Thailand No of Staff: 1 FacilitatorAddress: Government Savings Bank470 Phaholyothin Road, Phayathai, Bangkok 104

No of Staff-Months (S/M); duration of assignment: 4 staff/days

Start Date (Month/Year):30 January 2006

Completion Date (Month/Year):1 February 2006


Name of Associated Consultants, If Any: World Savings Banks Institute (B), Belgian Bankers Academy (B)


Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed:Chris DE NOOSE, Chairman of the Management Committee WSBI/ESBGNarrative Description of Project:Computer based simulation game on branch management, with Government Savings Bank branch managers making decisions in small working groups that have an impact on the overall outcome. The game has several rounds, and takes into account all activity areas and decisions that branch managers may encounter.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff: Facilitation of the seminar, project management

Assignment Name: Workshop on new marketing tools – Advanced Segmentation Policies

Country: Thailand

Location within Country: Bangkok (Nai Lert Park Hotel) Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm / Entity (profiles): 1 ESBG/WSBI Project Manager

Name of Client: Government Savings Bank of Thailand No of Staff: 4 presenters / specialistsAddress: Government Savings Bank470 Phaholyothin Road, Phayathai, Bangkok 104


Start Date (Month/Year):2 February 2006



Name of Associated Consultants, If Any: World Savings Banks Institute (B), Fédération Nationale des Caisses d’Epargne (F), Euro-SOFAC (F), Rheinischer Sparkassen- und Giroverband (D)


Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed:Chris DE NOOSE, Chairman of the Management Committee WSBI/ESBGNarrative Description of Project:Organisation of a workshop at the Government Savings Bank, covering a number of topics;- Modern techniques and tools for structuring the customer base into segments- How to adapt the product offer & the distribution channels to the target customersThe above was delivered through plenary presentations and interactive discussions through smaller working groupsDescription of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff: Facilitation of the seminar, project management

Assignment Name: Workshop on Risk Management Country: VietnamLocation within Country: Hanoi Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm / Entity

(profiles): 1 ESBG/WSBI Project ManagerName of Client: Vietnam Postal Savings Service Company (VPSC) No of Staff:Address: No of Staff-Months (S/M); duration of assignment:

8 staff daysStart Date (Month/Year):20 April 2006

Completion Date (Month/Year):21 April 2006

Approx. value of services (in current US$):

Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:World Savings Banks Institute (B), Fédération Nationale des Caisses d’Epargne (F)


Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed:Emma FERNANDEZ, WSBI/ESBG Project ManagerNarrative Description of Project:Increasingly, a pro-active management style towards risk management is seen as the key towards ensuring viability and long-term sustainability of banking institutions. A workshop was therefore organised at WSBI member VPSC which (1) raised its managers’ awareness of the need to develop a risk management culture within their institution, and (2) provided them with management techniques and risk monitoring instruments that are currently available for universal banks.20 VPSC staff participated in the workshop, including heads of department, treasury, audit and controlling, and asset and liability management. At the end of the workshop, they acquired a global vision of the risks encountered by VPSC and their interaction on the overall activities. Similarly, participants developed a specific understanding of the impact of each risk on each level of activity.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff: Facilitation of the seminar, project management

Assignment Name: Savings Banks’ Access to Finance – enlarging and deepening the outreach worldwide

Country: India

Location within Country: New Delhi Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm / Entity (profiles): 1 WSBI/ESBG Project Manager

Name of Client: National Savings Institute of India (NSI) No of Staff: 3 presentersAddress: Office of the Director, National Savings InstituteCGO Complex, ‘A’ Wing, 4th Floor Seminary Hills, Nagpur – 440006

No of Staff-Months (S/M); duration of assignment:6 working days

Start Date (Month/Year):11 December 2006

Completion Date (Month/Year):12 December 2006




Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed:Laurie DUFAYS, ESBG/WSBI Project ManagerNarrative Description of Project:In line with the importance and role of the savings banks in the access to finance topic, the seminar contributes to a better understanding and a cross-regional exchange of best practices in the four areas where savings banks can build and strengthen a accessible local banking structures;1. Maintaining and further extending their accessible distribution network;2. Co-operating with local specialized microfinance and development institutions to complete the distribution network to further,

remote areas;3. Continue providing targeted, accessible, low cost, low risk products in a fully transparent way, accompanying this provision of

products with financial literacy efforts;4. Make available, on an ongoing basis, data on achieved results in expanding access.The seminar was developed with the contributions of NSI India and FNCE France, both players having impressive market share in their respective countries and fostering access to finance in developing and developed economies respectively. Against this background, the seminar presented best practices / case studies, as well as partnerships with other financial institutions, as examples that might serve to trigger debates and inspire eventual solutions to innovative ways in which retail banks serve enhanced access to finance.Topics that were discussed included- Presentation of WSBI’s studies on the role played by savings banks in the field of Access to Finance- Product segmentation and costs (including case studies by NSI and ICICI)- Product design, marketing, distributions channels (including case studies by NSI & Government Savings Bank of Thailand)- Financial Literacy education schemes (including case studies by FNCE & NSI)Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff: Facilitation of the seminar, project management

Assignment Name: Seminar on Performance Management Country: Regional (Kenya, Tanzania & Uganda)Location within Country:Seminar took place at the offices of Post Bank Uganda in Kampala

Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm / Entity (profiles): 1 ESBG/WSBI project Manager

Name of Client: Association of Savings Banks in East Africa (Kenya Post Office Savings Bank, Tanzania Post Bank, Post Bank Uganda)

No of Staff: 3 specialists provided by the partners

Address: NA No of Staff-Months (S/M); duration of assignment: 10 staff days in total

Start Date (Month/Year): Completion Date (Month/Year): Approx. value of services (in current US$):

3 October 2006 5 October 2006 NAName of Associated Consultants, If Any:World Savings Banks Institute (B), Swedbank (S), Fédération Nationale des Caisses d’Epargne (F)


Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed:Laurie DUFAYS, ESBG/WSBI Project ManagerNarrative Description of Project:3 day seminar to explain the concept of Performance Management to staff of three Eastern African postal financial institutions.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff: Project Management, Delivery of presentations

Assignment Name: Branch SIM: Simulation on Branch Performance Management

Country: Thailand


Name of Client: Government Savings Bank of Thailand No of Staff: 2 FacilitatorsAddress: Government Savings Bank470 Phaholyothin Road, Phayathai, Bangkok 104


Start Date (Month/Year):30 January 2006


Approx. value of services (in current US$): 12,000

Name of Associated Consultants, If Any: World Savings Banks Institute (B), Belgian Bankers Academy (B)


Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed: Emma Fernandez - Project managerNarrative Description of Project:Computer based simulation game on branch management, with Government Savings Bank branch managers making decisions in small working groups that have an impact on the overall outcome. The game has several rounds, and takes into account all activity areas and decisions that branch managers may encounter.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff: Facilitation of the seminar, project management

Assignment Name: Workshop on new marketing tools – Advanced Segmentation Policies

Country: Thailand


Name of Client: Government Savings Bank of Thailand No of Staff: 4 presenters / specialistsAddress: Government Savings Bank470 Phaholyothin Road, Phayathai, Bangkok 104


Start Date (Month/Year):2 February 2006


Approx. value of services (in current US$): 12.000

Name of Associated Consultants, If Any: World Savings Banks Institute (B), Fédération Nationale des Caisses d’Epargne (F), Euro-SOFAC (F), Rheinischer Sparkassen- und Giroverband (D)


Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed:Chris DE NOOSE, Chairman of the Management Committee WSBI/ESBGNarrative Description of Project:Organisation of a workshop at the Government Savings Bank, covering a number of topics;- Modern techniques and tools for structuring the customer base into segments- How to adapt the product offer & the distribution channels to the target customersThe above was delivered through plenary presentations and interactive discussions through smaller working groupsDescription of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff: Facilitation of the seminar, project management

Assignment Name: Workshop on Risk Management Country: VietnamLocation within Country: Hanoi Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm / Entity

(profiles): 1 ESBG/WSBI Project ManagerName of Client: Vietnam Postal Savings Service Company (VPSC) No of Staff: 3

Address: No of Staff-Months (S/M); duration of assignment: 8 staff days

Start Date (Month/Year):20 April 2006

Completion Date (Month/Year):21 April 2006


Name of Associated Consultants, If Any: World Savings Banks Institute (B), Fédération Nationale des Caisses d’Epargne (F)


Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed:Emma FERNANDEZ, WSBI/ESBG Project ManagerNarrative Description of Project:Increasingly, a pro-active management style towards risk management is seen as the key towards ensuring viability and long-term sustainability of banking institutions. A workshop was therefore organised at WSBI member VPSC which (1) raised its managers’ awareness of the need to develop a risk management culture within their institution, and (2) provided them with management techniques and risk monitoring instruments that are currently available for universal banks.20 VPSC staff participated in the workshop, including heads of department, treasury, audit and controlling, and asset and liability management. At the end of the workshop, they acquired a global vision of the risks encountered by VPSC and their interaction on the overall activities. Similarly, participants developed a specific understanding of the impact of each risk on each level of activity.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff: Facilitation of the seminar, project management

Assignment Name: Seminar on Performance Management Country: Regional (Kenya, Tanzania & Uganda)Location within Country:Seminar took place at the offices of Post Bank Uganda in Kampala

Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm / Entity (profiles): 1 ESBG/WSBI project Manager

Name of Client: Association of Savings Banks in East Africa (Kenya Post Office Savings Bank, Tanzania Post Bank, Post Bank Uganda)

No of Staff: 3 specialists provided by the partners

Address: NA No of Staff-Months (S/M); duration of assignment: 10 staff days in total

Start Date (Month/Year):3 October 2006

Completion Date (Month/Year):5 October 2006


Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:World Savings Banks Institute (B), Swedbank (S), Fédération Nationale des Caisses d’Epargne (F)


Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed:Laurie DUFAYS, ESBG/WSBI Project ManagerNarrative Description of Project:3 day seminar to explain the concept of Performance Management to staff of three Eastern African postal financial institutions.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff: Project Management, Delivery of presentations

Assignment Name: Seminar on Strategic and Operational Business Planning

Country:Tunisia

Location within Country: Hammamet (Hotel Mehari) Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm / Entity (profiles): 1 WSBI/ESBG Project Manager

Name of Client: La Poste Tunisienne – Tunisian Post Office No of Staff: 3Address: Siège social de l'Office National des PostesRue Hedi Nuira, 1023 Tunis

No of Staff-Months (S/M); duration of assignment:10 staff days

Start Date (Month/Year):7 June 2006

Completion Date (Month/Year):8 June 2006



No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Consultants: 5 staff days

Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed:Emma FERNANDEZ, WSBI/ESBG Project ManagerNarrative Description of Project:The seminar was a follow up of the seminar that was held on the occasion of the Africa Regional Group Meeting in Mombassa in June 2005, and focused on operational planning with short to medium term objectives. The seminar emphasized the tools necessary to describe, monitor and follow up existing processes as well as expected results in different banking areas. The seminar also illustrated the roles, responsibilities and accountabilities of different hierarchical layers and related human resources planning. Finally, the event highlighted the role of leadership in communication issues, ensuring the execution of the plan at all

levels of the organisation.Hosted by the Tunisian Post Office, the seminar was attended by 33 representatives from more than 15 WSBI member institutions in Africa, Europe and Asia.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff: Facilitation of the seminar, including choosing the topics, identifying and subsequently contracting the training experts, and

negotiations with the Tunisian Post Office Project management

Assignment Name: Innobank - Validate and evaluate the implementation of an intelligent new bank branch

Country: Belgium, Spain

Location within Country: Various Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm / Entity (profiles): 5 ESBG staff (various positions)

Name of Client: European Commission – DG Information Society No of Staff: NAAddress: B – 1049 Brussels, Belgium No of Staff-Months (S/M); duration of assignment:

4 S/M for ESBG staff, implemented in 24 monthsStart Date (Month/Year):January 2005



Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:La Caixa (E, lead), Fortis Bank (B), Fujitsu (E), Fraunhofer Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung (D), TB Solutions (E), Siemens Business Services SA/NV (B), Wincor-Nixdorf (B)


Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed: Ian RADCLIFFE (ESBG Project Director, Norbert BIELEFELD, ESBG Payments SpecialistNarrative Description of Project:Validate and evaluate the implementation of an intelligent new bank branch by using new but mature technologies, enabling enhanced, more secure and user-freedom oriented bank services. The technologies and procedures to be used for these new services are (1) Biometrics, (2) Paper-free office system, (3) Wireless technologies, and (4) Cash management.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff: Project Coordination and Administration

Assignment Name:EU-China Financial Services Cooperation Project

Country:People’s Republic of China

Location within Country:Beijing & Regions


Name of Client:European Commission, on behalf of People’s Republic of China

No of Staff: 30

Address:15 Dongzhimenwai, Sanlitun, 100600 Beijing

No of Staff-Months; Duration of assignment; 249 staff-months (Phase I), 77 staff-months (Phase II)

Start Date (Month/Year):January 2003 (Phase I)January 2006 (Phase II)

Completion Date (Month/Year):December 2005 (Phase I)December 2006 (Phase II)

Approx. value of services (in current US$): 6,992,000 EUR (Phase I)1,358,000 EUR (Phase II)

Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:Caisse Nationale des Caisses d’Epargne (France) / Lloyds TSB ank plc (United Kingdom) / Savings Banks Foundation for International Cooperation (Germany) / Swedbank (Sweden) / Wiener Börse AG (Austria) / Gesamtverband der Deutschen Versicherungswirtschaft (Germany)

No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Consultants:215 staff-months (Phase I)77 staff-months (Phase II)

Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed: Ian RADCLIFFE (Project Director) / Barry LIVETT (Team Leader)Narrative Description of Project Phase I & II):The objective was to develop banking, insurance and securities market components of China’s financial services industry through:- policy advice, that draws upon European best practice- the implementation of a nationwide training /examination /professional accreditation system- the provision of access to European financial markets practice via a series of high level forums, round table discussion

programmes and overseas training seminars and internshipsThe Project also provided counterparts with necessary tools to help China’s financial services industry meet WTO accession obligations. The scope of work can be broken down into the following main activities:1. Policy advice for financial sector development2. Strategy development and regional initiatives (e.g. Shanghai CFETS, …)3. Capacity building for public administration/supervisory bodies in China (PBOC, CBRC, CIRC, CSRC)4. Delivery of policy advice to regulators and supervisors for banking, insurance and securities sector5. Establishment of a fully operational Project Management Office (PMO), and sub-PMOs for banking, insurance & securities6. Fully operational national curricula and qualifications systems for all sectors, agreed number of certificates awarded by

project end following bi-annual examinations7. Distance Learning Programmes8. Development of a pool of 200-300 trainers covering all three sectors9. Upgraded training facilities at selected banks and trained management of training departments10. Internships and study tours organised in the EU11. Organisation of an annual EU-China Financial Market Round Table12. Performance of activities aimed at acceptance by financial sector of certificates, recognition of EU’s contribution to project.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff:Project Direction, Coordination / backstopping, annual EU-China Financial Services Round Table, Team Leadership and responsibility for TA to Securities and Overall Leadership for TA to Banking

Finished in 2005Assignment Name: Restructuring of the Malawi Savings Bank (Phase II) Country: MalawiLocation within Country:Blantyre


Name of Client: Privatisation Commission No of Staff: 9Address:2nd Floorn Livingstone Towers, Blantyre





Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:Caisse Nationale des Caisses d’Epargne (F)KPMG (MW)Swedbank (S)Lloyds TSB Bank plc (UK)

No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Consultants: 9.5 months

Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed: Lars-Ake LARSSON (Team Leader) / Ian RADCLIFFE (Project Director)

Narrative Description of Project:Following a SWOT and identification of restructuring opportunities to make the Malawi Savings Bank (MSB) and Malawi Rural Finance Company (MRFC) commercially viable (Phase I of the World Bank funded Privatisation and Utility Reform Project), review of recommendations and diagnostic review of Phase I by the consultant and implementation of the restructuring plan to strengthen sustainability of operations (Phase II). Following discussions with the Government of Malawi, it has been decided to concentrate efforts on supporting the MSB; merger with the MRFC is currently not a viable option.After the successful implementation of restructuring strategies, further work will be undertaken to determine the options for privatizing the bank and implementation of the best option (Phase III).Malawi Savings Bank operates a nation-wide branch network and currently employs about 200 staff.Areas of assistance; Microfinance Retail Banking Operations Information Technology Internal Audit Treasury and balance sheet management Credit operations, compliance and control Depositors ledger and databasesDescription of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff:Project Direction

Assignment Name: Feasibility study for establishment of a Regional Development Fund

Country: Mali

Location within Country: The districts of Kolokani, Banamba and Nara in the Region of Koulikoro


Name of Client: Programme de Développement Multisectoriel et Décentralisé – Koulikoro (PDMD-K)

No of Staff: 2

Address: BP28, Koulikoroba, République de Mali No of Staff-Months; Duration of assignment: 3 staff-months in 10 months






Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed: Angela DOURADO (Project Coordinator) / Jean-Yves GOURVEZ (Team Leader)Narrative Description of Project:In the framework of a technical cooperation programme between Belgium and Mali, implementation of a feasibility study for the establishment of a fund for development of the region.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff:

Assignment Name: Resolution of Savings Bank’s Future Country: MongoliaLocation within Country: Ulaanbataar Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm/Entity

(profiles): 2Name of Client: Ministry of Finance and Economy, Financial Capacity Development Project

No of Staff: 2

Address:United Nations Street 5/1, Ulaanbataar, 210646 Mongolia

No of Staff-Months; Duration of assignment: 4 staff/months in 7 months






Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed: Lars-Åke LARSSON, Senior ExpertNarrative Description of Project:The project ‘Resolution of Savings Bank’s Future’ is a key component of the World Bank funded ‘Financial Capacity Development Project’ (FCDP). FCDP supports institutional capacity building of the Mongolian banking sector, in order to reduce systemic risks and enhance financial intermediation.The Savings Bank is critical to the banking sector, given its country-wide branch network and role in access to finance. It was

established in 1996 after closure of two significant commercial banks, with their deposits transferred to the new bank. The deposits are covered by special purpose bonds, Bank Restructuring Bonds (BRBs), on which the government pays interest.The purpose of the contract is to redeem the Government BRB’s, and to transform the Savings Bank of Mongolia into universal bank. This component of the FCDP has therefore 3 key objectives: (1) to make the savings bank saleable, (2) due diligence & pricing, and (3) management of the privatisation process.The ESBG assignment relates to the first objective, and consists of a number of tasks;- A detailed financial and institutional analysis of the Bank, especially its deposit / loan base and profitability;- Preparation of a plan to make the bank saleable, including analysis of possible buyers of the BRBs and/or other alternatives;- Assistance to the Government to implement the aforementioned plan and to review the draft law on deposit insurance

(including its expected impact on the plan), and;- Design of the technical evaluation criteria and scores, taking into account lessons learnt in previous bank privatisations that

took place in Mongolia.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff:Project Management

Assignment Name: Impact on SMEs of the Basel II accord on capital adequacy rules: information dissemination through the organisation of conferences, including background material

Country: Regional (31 European countries)

Location within Country:Various

Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm/Entity (profiles): 3 (project management staff)

Name of Client:European Commission, Directorate General Enterprise & Industry

No of Staff:19 staff

Address:Rue de la Loi, 200B – 1049 Brussels

No of Staff-Months; Duration of assignment: 35 staff-months in 19 months




Name of Associated Consultants, If Any: UEAPME (European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, Belgium)Lloyds TSB Bank plc (United Kingdom)


Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed: Ian RADCLIFFE (Project Director), Conrad RUPERT (Project Coordinator)Narrative Description of Project: Help SMEs and industry organisations in 31 Multi-annual Programme for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship (MAP) countries to understand the changes that will occur in their access to finance as a result of the Basel II accord. The scope of work included: Gathering information from banks within MAP by way of a survey about the information they are currently requesting / intend

to request for their internal rating and loan processing purposes; Developing toolkits and other training material that will assist SMEs in revising their procedures; Organising a series of one-day information and dissemination conferences; ESBG and its consortium partners propose to

deliver a total of 60 conferences in 30 of the 31 MAP countries. Development and maintenance of a website throughout the project to provide access to background information and other

material to as wide an audience of SMEs as possible.ESBG’s approach distributed the survey amongst a representative selection of ESBG/WSBI members rather than to a broader number of banks within MAP. The development of background, training and conference material was led by Lloyds TSB Bank, drawing on relevant training material. UEAPME led the conference organisation, and obtained undertakings from its membership in almost all MAP countries to assume logistical and administrative organisation of local conferences. A team of speakers was drawn from ESBG and UEAPME members. Finally, the website was developed and hosted on ESBG’s server, to provide information and other material in 24 official languages of the MAP countries.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff: Overall Project Management and Coordination, hosting a web-site, organisation of training the trainer seminars

Finished in 2004

Finished in 2003Assignment Name:Evaluation of the National Action Plan for Microfinance

Country:Mali

Location within Country: Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm/Entity

Bamako & Regions (profiles): 1Name of Client:Cellule de Gestion du Projet de Développement du Secteur Financier (PDSF)

No of Staff: 3

Address:Immeuble Mamadou Kanda KEÏTA, à côté de l’Immeuble SONAVIE, Hamdallaye ACI 2000 Bamako – MALI BPE 5528 Bamako – MALI

No of Staff-Months; Duration of assignment; 2.5 staff-months in 1.5 months




Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:Caisse Nationale des Caisses d’Epargne (F)


Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed: Ian RADCLIFFE, Project DirectorNarrative Description of Project:Evaluate implementation of the action plan for development of microfinance (MF) for 1999 - 2002, adopted in 1998 with a number of objectives; improving access of the poor to financial services, increasing geographical coverage of MF, mobilising savings and development of credits, and improving regulation / supervision.The consultancy required for the project was provided by two experts from France. They (1) evaluated the effectiveness of the plan, identified impediments and their impact, and (2) provided recommendations for measures to be undertaken in 2004 - 2007. The consultants' findings were described in a final report, developed and produced in concert with and presented to the various stakeholders of the project (the National Consultative Group on MF, the Professional Association for MF in Mali, the Professional Association of Banks and Financial Institutions and the Management Team for Decentralised Financial Systems)Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff:Management, administrative and backstopping support

Assignment Name: Advisory Services to the Savings & Settlement Company of the Kyrgyz Republic (SSC)

Country:Kyrgyz Republic

Location within Country:Bishkek


Name of Client:Savings & Settlement Company of the Kyrgyz Republic

No of Staff: 4

Address:38 A Molodaya Gvardia ave., KR – 720010 Bishkek

No of Staff-Months; Duration of assignment; 4 staff-months in 2 months




Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:MNT Consulting (KG)

No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Consultants: 2 staff-months

Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed: Lars-Ake LARSSON & Wolfgang BERG, International ExpertsNarrative Description of Project:Assessment and SWOT analysis of the SSC, and development of a limited number of strategic options for its future. This includes merging with the Post Office (Kyrgyz Pochtasy). The project consists of three consecutive and interrelated main activities, each with a number of key issues / tasks; SWOT analysis of SSC and assessment of Kyrgyz Pochtasy;

Detailed analysis of SSC’s overall financial / structural situation, operating policies / procedures, strategic planning methods and procedures, budgeting, competitive position and the structure of customer base, branch network. Also overview of Kyrgyz Pochtasy, including network of outlets, current products and services, and ability to distribute (parts of) SSC’s products and services.

Development of strategic options for SSC; Development of a detailed action plan for a limited number of options;

Medium-term action plan for development of SSC’s into a full-fledged commercial bank with a broad range of products and services, including an organisation chart, scope of operations and estimate of required funding and timetables.

Two international experts, retained by ESBG, and two local experts retained by MNT Consulting perform these services.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff:Project Management & Administration

Assignment Name: Feasibility Study on the establishment a financial subsidiary of 'Société Nationale la Poste du Sénégal'

Country:Senegal

Location within Country:Dakar


Name of Client:Société Nationale la Poste du SénégalRue Abdoulaye SeckMarie Parsine, 6SN - DAKAR

No of Staff: 2

Address: No of Staff-Months; Duration of assignment; 3.5 staff-months in 6 months



Approx. value of services (in current US$): 40,000 euro



Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed: Jozef LAMBRECHTS, Team LeaderNarrative Description of Project:Analysis of various options in setting up a financial subsidiary of 'La Poste', specialised in mobilising of deposits and providing micro & small credits to community based organisations. Through this establishment, ‘La Poste’ would aim to take an active part in the economic and social development of Senegal. The scope of study included; a diagnostic of the existing business environment; reference was made to the institutional framework that governs financial

institutions and ‘La Poste’, and to the operations of decentralized financial systems. a description of the views of supervisory authorities and other stakeholders in this process. proposals for an institutional framework (legal & regulatory aspects, including capital structure and supervisory bodies,

organisational structure and human resources policy, management and information systems, internal procedures, etc.) a Business plan and some suggestions on the required assistance for the first year of this project.The feasibility study was performed by a team consisting of a Belgian expert and a local expert.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff:Project Management & Administration

Finished in 2002Assignment Name: TA on Support to a Bank Training Centre for the Commercial Banking Sector (Phase 1)

Country: Azerbaijan

Location within Country: Baku Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm/Entity(profiles): 3

Name of Client: Bank's Association of Azerbaijan, No of Staff: 21Address:1, B. Sardarov Str., 370001 BAKU, Azerbaijan




Approx. value of services (in current US$): 2,350,000 USD

Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:Bank Austria, Austria / Sparkassenstiftung für Internationale Kooperation, Germany / Lloyds TSB Bank, United Kingdom


Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed: Ian RADCLIFFE, Project Director / Conrad RUPERT, Project Manager / Georg RADOBERSKY, Team LeaderNarrative Description of Project:Modernisation of the banking system in Azerbaijan by developing the professional skills and knowledge of practising bankers through the establishment of the Azerbaijan Bank Training Centre in Baku (including physical establishment, and legal support to its registration at the appropriate institutions), with local management and local trainers able to meet the needs of these practising bankers.The outputs of this project are as follows: Development of a curriculum for the Centre, leading to more than 30 modular courses on all banking topics, broken down into

short term (2 days), medium-term (5 days) and long-term (12 weeks) courses. Delivery of these courses and training of (primarily) commercial bankers in a number of disciplines. Building a faculty of local permanent and part-time trainers, including provision of assistance to the legal establishment of the

Centre. Establishment of a high quality resources centre / library and procurement of equipment (classroom and office furniture,

computer equipment, car, etc) for the centre. Assistance in recruiting and training local management, in order to ensure sustainability at project end.

Support to institution building at the Banks’ Association of Azerbaijan.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff:Project Management and Administration + on-site team leader

Phase 2: addresses as above

Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm/Entity (profiles): 3 No of Staff: 18No of Staff-Months; Duration of assignment: 31.5 staff-months in 16 monthsStart Date (Month/Year):August 2001



Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:Sparkassenstiftung für Internationale Kooperation (Germany) / Lloyds TSB Bank (United Kingdom)


Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed: Ian RADCLIFFE, Project Director / Conrad RUPERT, Project Manager / John GROOM, Team LeaderNarrative Description of Project:Following the successful execution of the first phase of this programme, which was concluded in August 2001, the ESBG was awarded an Extension of the Contract by the EU Tacis Programme. The main objectives of this 16-month extension are; Continuation of the development and delivery of current and new courses aimed at practitioners in the Azeri banking sector and

further development of the pool of local trainers Development of new activities in order to broaden the income base of the ABTC (training of insurance and central bank

practitioners, direct consultancy to local banks and their customers, etc) Enhancement of management and training capacity at the ABTC (including study visits)Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff:Project Management and Administration + on-site team leader

Finished in 2001Assignment Name:Restructuring of Greek Post Savings Bank

Country:Greece

Location within Country:ATHENS


Name of Client: Greek Post Savings Bank No of Staff: 11Address:Pesmazoglou Street n°2, GR – 10175 Athens

No of Staff-Months; Duration of assignment: 2.5 staff-months in 18 months


Completion Date (Month/Year):October 2001


Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:(Kantor Management Consultants (Greece, Lead Manager) / Lloyds TSB Bank (United Kingdom) / Caisse Nationale des Caisses d’Epargne (France) / Savings Bank foundation for international cooperation (Germany) / Swedbank (Sweden)


Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed: Ian RADCLIFFE (Project Director)Narrative Description of Project:Study and Implementation of the Restructuring (Operational & Organisational) of the Hellenic Post Savings Bank. Technical Assistance in the following areas: Customer Related Processes; customer service, deposits management, banking services, money supplies (cash transport), branch accounting and network management, Support Processes; services design and promotion and advertising, and Corporate Processes; corporate planning and internal audit.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff:Project Management & Direction

Finished in 2000Assignment Name: Audit, Portfolio Review, Valuation and Diagnostic Review of the Savings Bank of the Republic of Armenia

Country:Armenia

Location within Country:Yerevan


Name of Client: Armsberbank, Savings bank of Republic of Armenia No of Staff: 4Address: No of Staff-Months; Duration of assignment; 0.5

Nalbandyan str. 46, Yerevan staff-months in 6 monthsStart Date (Month/Year):October 1999



Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:KPMG (Armenia, Lead Manager) / Savings Banks Foundation for International Cooperation (Germany)


Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed: Ian RADCLIFFE, Project DirectorNarrative Description of Project:Diagnostic Review of the Savings Bank of Armenia. This Review has led to recommendations to the Government of Armenia on the future ownership structure and role of the bank in the Armenian banking sector. The review concentrated on four main components: Overall strategy, Organisation & Risk Management, Management Information Systems and Human Resources Management, and AutomationDescription of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff:Project Management & Direction

Assignment Name: Pre-feasibility Study of Postal Financial Services in Chad

Country:Chad

Location within Country:Ndjamena

Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm/Entity (profiles):1 (Project Director)

Name of Client:Ministry of Communications (Chad)

No of Staff:2

Address: No of Staff-Months; Duration of assignment ; 2 staff-months in 2 months




Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:Caisse Nationale des Caisses d’Epargne (France)

No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Consultants: 1 staff-month

Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed: Laurie DUFAYS (Project Director & Expert), Jean-Yves ROUCHY (Narrative Description of Project:The study aimed at assessing the development of postal financial services in order to recommend an institutional modality for the provision of such services, and at examining attractiveness and initial feasibility of setting up a self-sustaining financial services business through Chad Post. The scope of the study covered the current banking and payment systems with a focus on gaps and opportunities existing in the market for servicing rural residents, small enterprises and low income communities. Recommendations were given with regard to technical issues, the legal and regulatory framework, product portfolio, institutional arrangements and human resources development, while a costs-benefits analysis of each option was requested to assess the interest of potential investors or partners. The study was performed in concert with an Expert provided by our member organization in France, the Caisse Nationale des Caisses d’EpargneDescription of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff:As above

Assignment Name: TA for the Reform of the Commercial Banking Sector in former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Country: Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Location within Country:Skopje


Name of Client: Banking Sector No of Staff: 16Address:c/o Ministry of Finance, Dame Gruev 14, MK – 91000 SKOPJE





Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:Lloyds TSB Bank (United Kingdom) / Sparkassenstiftung für Internationale Kooperation (Germany)


Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed: Ian RADCLIFFE, Project Director / Conrad RUPERT, Project Manager / Chris GWILLIAM, Team LeaderNarrative Description of Project:

This EU Phare funded project, which commenced in June 1998 and which was completed in June 2000, had the objective to support the development of a competitive banking sector in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The project consisted of two modules:1. Technical Assistance to the three largest commercial banks, in order to prepare them for the replacement of the current

payments clearing system (ZPP). This module focused on assistance in three operational areas: Retail Banking, Treasury and MIS/IT. The programme also included the delivery of three seminars to selected banks in the above areas.

2. Credit and Risk Management training to commercial banking sector; 1 week courses to credit specialists of all commercial banks that participated in international donor funded micro and SME credit lines.

Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff:Project Management and Administration

Finished in 1999Assignment Name:Diagnostic Study of Halyk Savings Bank of Kazakhstan

Country:Kazakhstan

Location within Country:Almaty


Name of Client:Halyk Savings Bank of Kazakhstan

No of Staff:2

Address:Rozybakiev Street, 97, KZ – 480046 ALMATY

No of Staff-Months; Duration of assignment: 1 staff-month in 1 month





No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Consultants: Not applicable

Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed: Ian RADCLIFFE, Project Director ESBGJohn WARNER, ExpertNarrative Description of Project:In March 1999, a consultant retained by the ESBG undertook a mission to Almaty to undertake a diagnostic study of the largest bank in the country with 67% market share in retail deposits. The purpose of the project was to advise the Kazak government (which held 80% of the shares) on an appropriate strategy for the future role, ownership and development of Halyk Bank. The study led to concrete results and recommendations in a number of retail banking areas, which have been examined and which may lead to a larger project funded by the EBRD or the World Bank.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff:Project Management and Administration

Assignment Name: Comparative Analysis of the Postal Savings Banks in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda

Country:Kenya, Tanzania & Uganda

Location within Country:Various

Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm/Entity (profiles): 2 (Project Director & Expert)

Name of Client:Postal Savings Banks in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda

No of Staff:2

Address:Post Bank House/Banda Street, P.O. Box 30311, KN - NairobiExtelcoms Annex building, Samora Avenue, TN - Dar Es SalaamPlot 11/13, Nkrumah Road, Postbank House, UG - Kampala

No of Staff-Months; Duration of assignment: Not Applicable



Approx. value of services (in current US$): Not Applicable



Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed: Ian RADCLIFFE (Project Director), Hugues KAMEWE (Expert)Narrative Description of Project:The study aimed at giving a comprehensive overview and analysis of the current situation of Postal Savings Banks (PSBs) in these three countries. It highlighted their institutional framework, products and services, financial situation, savings mobilization capacity and market position in their respective financial systems. The dynamic and recent evolution of those institutions was highlighted with a particular focus on corporate issues such as how to redesign the relationship with the Post and the Treasury. In

addition, the study investigated the possible role of PSBs in microfinance and the potential for cooperation and joint strategies with microfinance institutions (MFIs). Finally, the study delivered a SWOT analysis of PSBs, provided an insight to the problems and challenges associated with PSBs reform identified areas where technical assistance is needed to strengthen PSBs. The project was funded by funds under the UNDP programme.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff:As above

Assignment Name: Bank and Insurance Training in Slovenia Country: SloveniaLocation within Country: Ljubljana Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm / Entity

(profiles): 1 Project DirectorName of Client: Ministry of Finance of Slovenia, Phare PIU No of Staff: 10 expertsAddress: No of Staff-Months (S/M); duration of assignment:

13 S/M (International) & 20 S/M (Local) in 12 monthsStart Date (Month/Year):May 1998



Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:Sparkassenstiftung für Internationale Kooperation (D), Gesamtverband derDeutschen Versicherungswirtschaft (D)


Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed:Fiona JOYCE (ESBG Project Director)Narrative Description of Project:Assistance to Bank and Insurance Associations with putting in place a sustainable standardised modular training system, including certification and accreditation. Training of trainers, including setting up a systematic training system and assistance with the development of training modules.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff: Project Direction & Administration

Finished in 1998Assignment Name:Extension of the European Banking Advisory Service

Country:Ukraine

Location within Country:Kyiv


Name of Client:Postal Pensionary Bank Aval and All Ukrainian Joint Stock Bank VA

No of Staff: 18

Address:Vul. Leskova, 9, UA-252101 KYIV (Aval)Vul. Zooholichna, 5, UA-254119 KYIV (Va)



Completion Date (Month/Year): February 1998


Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:Hill Samuel Bank (Lloyds TSB Bank, United Kingdom) / Caisse Nationale des Caisses d'Epargne (France) / Westdeutsche Bank Consult (Germany) / Savings Banks Development Association (Denmark) / Savings Banks Association (Finland)

No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Consultants: 43.5 Staff-months

Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed: Ian RADCLIFFE, Project Director / Andrew JACKSON, TL Va Bank / Kari HALONEN, TL Aval BankNarrative Description of Project:The overall objective of this EU Tacis funded project was the institutional strengthening of four Ukrainian banks through the development and implementation of an Institution Building Programme in order to facilitate the banks' participation in the EBRD credit line of $100m for the SME sector in Ukraine. The ESBG was awarded a contract to provide Technical Assistance to two of the four banks. The specific objective of this project was to assist the banks in its institutional strengthening and, in particular, to develop the banks’ credit departments in order to help them to reach over time international credit worthiness standards and to facilitate their participation in the EBRD SME credit line.Manuals, guidelines and training materials were produced in the following areas:Credit / Financial management / Audit system / Treasury / Organisation and Human Resources / Information technology and Management Information SystemsDescription of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff:Project Management and Administration

Finished in 1997Assignment Name:Provision of Long Term Adviser to CEO and Management Team and provision of On-Call Experts to work in specified areas with CEO and Long Term Adviser

Country:Latvia

Location within Country:Riga


Name of Client:Latvijas Krajbanka,

No of Staff:9

Address:1 Palasta Street, LV – RIGA



Completion Date (Month/Year):July 1997


Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:Swedbank, SwedenLatvijas Krajbanka, LatviaHill Samuel Bank (Lloyds TSB Bank), United KingdomWestdeutsche Bank Consult, Germany

No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Consultants: 35.5 staff-months

Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed: Fiona JOYCE, Project Director ESBG, Johan ENGSTRÖM, Long Term AdviserNarrative Description of Project:This project, which was awarded to the European Savings Banks Group Consortium by the EU Phare Programme, took place between April 1996 and July 1997 and aimed to create from the existing Savings Bank a country-wide retail bank which is financially sound, profitable, efficient, customer-friendly and able to play its full role in the future of the economy.This was through on the one hand on-going support and effective transfer of knowledge from the on-site Adviser to the CEO and Senior Management Team over a twelve month period, and, on the other hand, through the provision of 24 man/months of hands-on consultancy support by on-call experts in the following priority areas: Branch Performance Improvement, including the re-engineering of processes, branch consolidation, and branch level

marketing Credit, in particular debt recovery and new lending Financial control, Balance sheet management and Treasury Internal Audit Business planning and Capital Raising.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff:Project Management and Administration

Assignment Name:Bank and Insurance Training in the Ukraine

Country:Ukraine

Location within Country:Kyiv


Name of Client:Kiev State University of Economics

No of Staff: 32

Address:-





Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:ASLK / CGER (B, now part of Fortis Bank) / Lloyds TSB Bank (UK) / Moore Stephens (UK) / Sparkassenstiftung für Internationale Kooperation (D)

No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by Associated Consultants: 123 months

Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed: Fiona JOYCE (Project Director) / George MOZGOVOY (Team Leader)Narrative Description of Project:The establishment of the Ukrainian Finance and Banking School (UFBS) and the Ukrainian Insurance Training Centre (UITC) at the Kiev State University of Economics were the two objectives of this TACIS project which was designed to contribute to the reform of banking and insurance sectors of the Ukraine.The objectives of the project were to: develop and deliver a training programme for banking and insurance practitioners and trainers, based on a training needs

analysis;

prepare course material: altogether the ESBG developed a body of material for a total of 19 course titles, covering virtually all aspects of banking for the UFBS. This material was prepared in English or German and translated into Russian.

advise on and procure equipment for the training centres.set up study visits for Ukrainian Banking and Insurance Practitioners and trainers to the EU organise and implement of a special training programme for a group of 15 young lecturers , over a twelve month period,

including a stay of just under 6 months in the UK or Germany design and deliver a pilot distance learning programme for the banking project; carry out a feasibility study for a Master ‘s Degree in insurance; establish a documentation centre at the UITC.The contract was subsequently extended by a further six months, during which the main focus was on performance by Ukrainian academic staff associated with the project partner. The outputs over this period were the development of a series of case studies reflecting bank operations in the Ukraine, the development of a Bank Accounting Training Guide, the translation of the Distance Learning Materials from Russian into Ukrainian, and the compilation of a Glossary of Banking Terminology.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff:Project Management, IT & marketing consultancy.

Finished in 1996

On-going activities or other relevant experienceAssignment Name: Training and Capacity building events on MF. WSBI has provided a considerable amount of training and capacity building events in the field of MF, under the form of: Congresses (cross-regional events), Seminars (events open to institutions within same region) Workshops (tailor-made training for staff of a single institution)The WSBI has equally cooperated with its own members as well as other IFIs (United Nations, Microcredit Summit, Inter-American Development Bank-IADB) by participating actively in their microfinance training events.

Country (Selection):5 Congresses (1 in China, 4 in Peru). 2 Conferences (El Salvador and Belgium). 4 Seminars (India, Senegal, Tanzania & Bolivia). 3 Workshops (Kenya, Thailand & Benin). Participaction in worldwide microfinance conference organised by Thai member (Thailand). Participation in 7 IADB fora (Spain Argentina, Dominican Republic, Brazil, Guatemala, Colombia and Bolivia). Participation in the Microcredit Summit in the U.S. & Canada and in the Latin-American Summit in Chile. Participation in most stakeholder events organised by the United Nations in the framework of The Year of Microcredit

Location within Country (Selection):Beijing (China); Lima (Peru); Dakar (Senegal); Arusha (Tanzania); La Paz (Bolivia); Nairobi (Kenya); Bangkok (Thailand); Buenos Aires (Argentina); Barcelona (Spain); Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic); Rio de Janeiro (Brazil); New York (U.S.A); Ciudad de Guatemala (Guatemala); Cartagena de Indias (Colombia); Brussels (Belgium); San Salvador (El Salvador); Cotonou (Benin); Santiago (Chile); Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia); Bangkok (Thailand); New Delhi (India)

Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm/Entity (profiles):Average of 2 to 3 WSBI staff. Staff profiles: 1 Deputy Director, 1 Advisor & 1 Project Manager

Name of Client: WSBI members that benefited from these activities are, a.o.; Bolivian Union of Savings and Loan Financial Institutions for Housing - UNIVIV (Bolivia); Tanzania Postal Bank (Tanzania); La Poste (Senegal); Peruvian Federation of Savings and Loans Institutions – FEPCMAC (Peru); National Bank for Housing – BNV (Dominican Republic); the Government Savings Bank (Thailand); Kenya Post Office Savings Bank – KPOSB (Kenya); National Bank for Development (Egypt); National Savings Institute of India, etc.

No of Staff: Average number of participants dependent on the nature of the event:Congress / Conference: Average of 300 people.Seminar / workshop: Average of 30 to 50 people

Address:Not applicable

No of Staff-Months; Duration of assignment: Each training event has a duration of 2 to 3 days.

Start Date (Month/Year):Training activities started in June 1999.

Completion Date (Month/Year):On-going activity and has been performed to date (see below)

Approx. value of services (in current US$):Not applicable

A selection of Seminars and Conferences in which WSBI was involved: New Delhi, India, 11-12 December 2006/ Lima, Peru, 28-30 November 2006/ Bangkok, Thailand, 24-25 November 2005/ Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, 5-7 October 2005/ Santiago, Chile, 19-22 April 2005/ Cotonou, Benin, 2-3 December 2004/ San Salvador, El Salvador, 24-26 November 2004/ Brussels, Belgium, 26-27 October 2004/ Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, 8-10 September 2004/ Trujillo, Peru, 20-22 April 2004/ Guatemala City, Guatemala, 4-5 September 2003/ New York, USA, 10-13 November 2002 / Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2-4 September 2002 / Beijing, China, 22-23 May 2002 / Nairobi, Kenya, 17-18 April 2002 / Lima, Peru, 20-22 February 2002 / Bangkok, Thailand, 10 January 2002 / Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 14-16 November 2001 / Lima, Peru, 13-15 February 2001 / Barcelona, Spain, 17-20

October 2000 /Dakar, Senegal, 30 October - 1 November 2000 / Arusha, Tanzania, 22-23 March 2000 / La Paz, Bolivia, 13-15 March 2000 / Buenos Aires, Argentina, 22-24 June 1999Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:The contents of the training are delivered by the staff of the WSBI in cooperation with some members of its network and external organizations on an ad hoc basis. Some of the organizations collaborating with the WSBI are, among others:From the Savings Banks Network: The French National Federation of Savings Banks (FNCE); The National Association of German Savings Banks (DSGV); EuroSofac – Subsidiary of some European savings banks members of the WSBI network; The Spanish Confederation of Savings Banks (CECA); The Savings Banks Foundation for International Cooperation (SBFIC); The Peruvian Federation of Municipal Savings and Loans Institutions (FEPCMAC); Banco Caja Social (Colombia); FEDECREDITO (El Salvador); BancoEstado (Chile); The Government Savings Bank of Thailand; etc.From outside the Savings Banks Network: Inter-American Development Bank (IADB); Central Bank of Western African States (CBWAS); Universal Postal Union (UPU); International Labour Organisation (ILO); UN Economic Commission for Latin America (UNECLAC); United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI); Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP); Redcamif, Fondesif, Acción Internacional, MicroSave, Bancosol, etc.Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed: Mrs. Laurie DUFAYS, Deputy Director, Financial Sector Development Department of the WSBI: Responsible for the overall management of training and capacity building activities and programmes within the WSBI and lecturer.Ms. Emma FERNANDEZ, Project Manager, Financial Sector Development Department of the WSBI, responsible for the organization of training and capacity building events.Mrs. Angela AREVALO, Advisor Institutional Relations, Financial Sector Development Department of the WSBI, responsible for relationships between WSBI and the members of its network in Latin America and the Caribbean as well as relations with external organizations.Narrative Description of Project and description of Actual Services Provided by Your StaffSee section on Microfinance Activities (above)

Assignment Name: ESBG’s lobbying activities in the area of Anti Money Laundering (AML)

Country: European Union

Location within Country: Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm/Entity (profiles):

Name of Client: European Banking Industry Committee (EBIC) No of Staff: 7Address: No of Staff-Months; Duration of assignment: On-

goingStart Date (Month/Year):2004

Completion Date (Month/Year):On-going activity

Approx. value of services (in current US$): NA

Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:Members ESBG


Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed: Michaela KOLLER (Member of the Management Committee, ESBG) & Hector CALVO (ESBG)Narrative Description of Project:The ESBG participates actively in the shaping of new anti-money laundering legislation by contributing the expertise of its members savings and retail banks. In the framework of the proposal for a third EU Anti-Money Laundering Directive in particular, the ESBG has drawn the attention of EU policy makers’ to a number of issues which would impose unnecessary burdens to the credit sector, thereby hindering the targeted aim of tackling money laundering and the funding of terrorism effectively.The latest views on anti-money laundering developed by the ESBG in the framework of the European Banking Industry Committee (EBIC) may be found on www.eubic.org, in the section position papers.The ESBG has furthermore developed a number of recommendations within EBIC, which would improve the application of EC Regulations by the credit sector in the field of embargo measures and financial sanctions.Likewise, the ESBG, in the context of the European Payments Council (EPC), is expressing contributing its members’ views as to how Special Recommendation VII of the OECD’s Financial Action task Force (FATF), on wire transfers, should be best transposed into EU legislation.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff:

Expert advice on AML Coordination with supra-national legislators Representation of interests

http://www.eubic.org/

Organisation of meetings

Assignment Name: ESBG’s Activities to fight the funding of terrorism Country: European UnionLocation within Country: Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm/Entity

(profiles):Name of Client: DG RELEX of the European Commission No of Staff: 1Address: No of Staff-Months; Duration of assignment: 3

yearsStart Date (Month/Year):2001

Completion Date (Month/Year):2004


Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:Members ESBG, European Banking Federation, European Association of Cooperative Banks, European Association of Public Banks, Aubay Consultants


Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed: Michaela KOLLER (Member of the Management Committee, ESBG) & Hector CALVO (ESBG)Narrative Description of Project:The ESBG, in cooperation with three other European Credit Sector Federations, established last year a consolidated list of financial sanctions in electronic format. The electronic list, which is hosted and maintained by DG RELEX on its website, http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/cfsp/sanctions/list/consol-list.htm, contains all the information regarding persons and organisations subject to EU financial sanctions which is available in the Official Journal of the European Communities.The list can be publicly accessed from the Commission’s website. Entering a password, ESBG members can furthermore access the list via an FTP protocol and download its contents into their IT systems, which enables them to automatically run a search to detect whether any of their customers are listed.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff:

In-depth research Coordination with supra-national legislators

Assignment Name: Corporate Governance Country: European UnionLocation within Country: NA Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm/Entity

(profiles):Name of Client: ESBG members No of Staff: NAAddress: No of Staff-Months; Duration of assignment:

OngoingStart Date (Month/Year):December 2004

Completion Date (Month/Year):Ongoing


Name of Associated Consultants, If Any: NANone


Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed:Narrative Description of Project:Technical expertise in the field of Corporate Governance:I) Monitoring the European Commission’s Action Plan on Modernisation of Company Law and Enhancement of Corporate Governance. The Plan issued in May 2003 set the following two objectives accompanied by the implementation of several measures: to strengthen shareholder rights and third party protection, with a proper distinction between categories of companies, and to foster efficiency and competitiveness of business, with special attention to some specific cross-border issues.These objectives are accompanied by several measures which are being implemented in a short to long term perspective such as the recently issued Recommendations on Directors’ pay and Independent directors and Board Committees on 6 October 2004. ESBG lobbying activities range therefore from monitoring and advising on the latest EU initiatives such as: latest proposals on Directives/Regulations/Recommendations in the framework of the Action Plan: Directive on cross-border

mergers (18.11.2003), Proposal of Directive on collective board responsibility and more disclosure on transactions, off-balance sheet vehicles and corporate governance (28.10.2004)

establishment of the Corporate Governance Forum taking part in the call for application for the Advisory Committee to the Corporate Governance ForumII) As corporate governance may be roughly defined as all the rules and regulations within which an organization works to ensure probity and accountability accompanying fields e.g. Financial Crime / latest proposal on Money Laundering are monitored.Practical experience:1) Setting up of ESBG Questionnaire in order to define minimum level of external and internal control measures common for all

the ESBG members, and

http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/cfsp/sanctions/list/consol-list.htm

2) Advice in the introduction of essential internal measures e.g. internal audit procedures, internal control structures, drafting of code of conduct and insider trading rules, prevention of fraud and rules applying to OLAF investigations and internal audit committees.

Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff:The project has recently commenced, and it is expected that the following services will be provided: Assistance in establishment of internal control / audit systems including audit / control handbook. Reviewing effectiveness of internal control structure and implementation of improvement proposals depending on

organisational approach of bank (such as functional, divisional or matrix approach). Assistance in the development and drafting of code of conduct rules e.g. to reflect the responsibility of management and to

maintain the effectiveness of its operations. Assistance in the installation of compliance procedures e.g. to ensure consistent interpretation of the insider trading rules. Assistance with the introduction of audit committees and budget committees – definition of processes and responsibilities. Compliance work

Assignment Name: Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) Country: European UnionLocation within Country:European Union

Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm/Entity (profiles): 4 on behalf of ESBG

Name of Client:ESBG and WSBI Members

No of Staff:NA

Address:NA

No of Staff-Months; Duration of assignment: 120 man/months


Completion Date (Month/Year):On-going




Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed:Norbert BIELEFELDNarrative Description of Project:The SEPA project is about transforming the 27 national payments markets in the EU into a single “internal” i.e. domestic market, where payments can be made and received by end customers nationally and across borders with the same ease and convenience. In scope for the SEPA project are the development and implementation of pan-European standards and rules for credit transfers, direct debits, payments and withdrawals with cards through any digital channel, as well as the harmonization of the rules and conditions for handling wholesale cash. In scope are also contributions to and negotiation of related legislative and regulatory proposals, representation of positions to the European Commission, European Parliament, Eurosystem, and within the interbank body (European Payments Council - EPC), as well as the analysis of implications for members, and the identification of new business opportunities.ESBG plays a pivotal role in the EPC. It held the Secretariat General when the EPC was established, and project-managed for several years both the cards and cash working groups. It participates in and develops positions for each of the EPC working groups. In parallel ESBG develops independent research on the evolution of the Single Euro Payments Area, (see the Payments Section on ESBG-WSBI website).Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff: Analysis of legal, regulatory, business, standards and technical environments Identification and removal of barriers to SEPA by payment instrument Design of infrastructure (credit transfer, direct debit, cash) and infrastructure enhancement (cards) Design and execution of migration plans (Secretariat / Project Management). Lobbying of regulatory authorities. Formulation of strategy plans;

Assignment Name: Practical Implications of the Introduction of Euro Notes and Coins (Workshop)

Country: Belgium for initial conference, several Central & Eastern European countries for follow up

Location within Country:Brussels


Name of Client: Senior Staff at Central Banks, Ministries of Finance and savings banks in Candidate Countries

No of Staff: 10 speakers, provided by key institutions.

Address: NA No of Staff-Months; Duration of assignment: NAStart Date (Month/Year):June 2001 (first conference)

Completion Date (Month/Year):December 2001 (follow up conference)

Approx. value of services (in current US$):Not available

Name of Associated Consultants, If Any: No of Months of Professional Staff Provided by

European Commission, European Central Bank Associated Consultants:Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed:Norbert BIELEFELD, Jennifer ROBERTSONNarrative Description of Project: In the context of discussions between ESBG members in euro-zone countries it became increasingly apparent that the introduction of the fiduciary euro on 1 January 2002 would have substantial implications for countries outside the euro-zone, particularly in Central & Eastern Europe (CEE). These implications are (i) of a logistical nature, and (ii) the importance of communication and information. The European Commission and European Central Bank (of which the ESBG is an official partner) approached ESBG to organise a series of workshops to address these topics, with the following aims: to create awareness about the strategic implications of the introduction of the fiduciary euro. to enable an exchange of views on the different problems associated with the physical introduction of the fiduciary euro (input

from experience ESBG euro coordinators). to promote an exchange of views on the extent and need to inform bank staff and customers about specific aspects of the

introduction of the fiduciary euro. to inform and discuss the practical adaptations necessary to ensure a smooth transition. to inform and discuss security (both practical and fraud prevention aspects).Some 60 senior delegates from Central Banks and member savings banks attended the workshop which was funded by the European Commission’s TAIEX Programme. All participants regarded the workshop as very successful, and signalled that their insights in the issues surrounding the euro had improved. Speakers were invited from key institutions such as national euro info centres, the Belgian Ministry of Finance, the European Commission and the European Central Bank.Following the initial workshop in Belgium, seminars were repeated at ESBG/WSBI member banks in several CEE countries.

Assignment Name: Access to Finance – International Conference Country: BelgiumLocation within Country: Brussels Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm / Entity

(profiles): 5 ESBG/WSBI staffName of Client: Membership World Savings Banks Institute (WSBI) No of Staff: see aboveAddress: NA No of Staff-Months (S/M); duration of assignment:

2 Day ConferenceStart Date (Month/Year):October 2004

Completion Date (Month/Year):October 2004


Name of Associated Consultants, If Any:World Bank


Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed:Antonique KONING, Ian RADCLIFFENarrative Description of Project:WSBI (sister organisation to ESBG) with the World Bank, organised a 2-day conference on Access to Finance, and the important role of savings banks. The conference consisted of a number of sessions;1. Review of obstacles standing in the way of access to finance, including tasters of regional viewpoints2. Working groups

- 1: Financial exclusion in developed countries: reaching the un-banked- 2: Access to finance in developing countries: diversifying financial services- 3: How can SME finance be improved

3. The role of savings banks in the provision of access4. Successful experiences in improving access to finance5. The view and reaction of regional development banksSpeakers at this conference include top-level officials and practitioners from the World Bank and other international institutions (ILO, IADB, EBRD, etc), European Commission (DG Enterprise), universities and selected members of ESBG/WSBI (including Sberbank from Russia, Banco Estado from Chile, the Thailand Government of Savings Banks, and many others), as well as representatives of SMEs and consumer associations. One of the highlights of the conference will be the presentation and discussion of the results of a study undertaken by two external consultants on behalf of the World Savings Banks Institute in 2004. The objective of the study is to assess the concept of access to finance within various regions of the world and the findings will enrich the debate with savings banks’ values and experiences.Description of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff: Studies, conference organization, concepts of access to finance, as well as concepts of access to finance.

Assignment Name: Optimal Consumer Information and Education in a Competitive Retail Banking Environment

Country: Belgium

Location within Country: Brussels Professional Staff Provided by Your Firm / Entity (profiles): 6 staff in conference organisation

Name of Client: A conference in the context of the EU/US Retail Banking Forum

No of Staff: as above

Address: Hotel Sofitel, Place Jourdan, Brussels No of Staff-Months (S/M); duration of assignment:Conference took place on 16 April 2008



Approx. value of services (in current US$):

Name of Associated Consultants, If Any: Various organization sent representatives for presentations, such as the European Commission, the US Office of Thrift Supervision, Financial Education Specialists from ESBG/WSBI members, international banking regulators, etc.


Name of Senior Staff (Project Director/Coordinator, Team Leader) involved & functions performed:Dirk SMET, Chris DE NOOSE, Kristina MAKSINENNarrative Description of Project:The conference explored the domain between consumer protection and the freedom of choice of financial products and services. One possibility to ensure consumer protection is to regulate the products on offer. Another possible measure consists in setting information requirements common to all service providers. It is also argued that ultimately consumers should be responsible for their own financial decisions; this is best achieved with a high level of financial education. Consumer information in the field of mortgages is taken as a concrete case study.The conference gathered representatives of policy-makers and regulators, as well as representatives of financial institutions and of consumer organisations. An important contribution will come from experts on financial education. Colleagues from the USA will contributed with their specific experiences in the US context, and this in the framework of the EU/US retail banking forumDescription of Actual Services Provided by Your Staff: Conference organisation

Documents

Overview of Consultancy Project Experience · Web view“Strengthening social and environmental performance”: assistance in implementing a systematic approach in collecting information