Events

We are pleased to invite you to participate in a roundtable discussion on the launch of the next phase of the Financial Reform and Strengthening Initiative – FIRST 2.0.  This roundtable will take place as part of the EFI Donor Forum.
 
Established in 2002, the FIRST Initiative is a donor partnership dedicated to growth and poverty reduction in low- and middle-income countries  by promoting robust, stable, and inclusive financial sectors. FIRST is the flagship global financial sector technical assistance program jointly implemented by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund alongside development partners. To date, FIRST marked continued successes in fulfilling its mandate through a portfolio of 778 projects (over US$181 million) in 120 countries globally.
 
As FIRST steps up to a new phase, we invite global development partners to discuss the FIRST 2.0 strategy, identify common priorities, and ways to partner.
 
The meeting will take place November 27, 2018, from 3:30pm to 5:00pm in IMF HQ2-01A-280A&B. Please RSVP by November 20, 2018, to Ms. Baaqia Holloway (bholloway@worldbank.org, +1-202-473-4848).

PAST EVENTS
Financial Sector Development in African States facing Fragile Situations | June 28-29, 2016 – Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
 
Fourteenth Annual International Seminar on Policy Challenges for the Financial Sector | Washington, DC, June 2014
 
Thirteenth Annual International Seminar on Policy Challenges for the Financial Sector | Washington, DC, June 2013
 
Twelfth Annual International Seminar on Policy Challenges for the Financial Sector | Washington, DC, June 2012
 
The African Approach to the Implementation of International Standards for Banking Supervision and the Basle Capital Framework

The 4th Consultative Group (CG) Meeting of the FIRST Initiative, titled “How FIRST is making impacts on the ground: Views from clients” was held in Rabat, Morocco on June 9th and 10th, 2015. The FIRST Initiative is built on strong partnerships between its donors, the WBG, the IMF, and our client partners. Thus, the consultative meeting brought together these stakeholders to seek and identify effective new ideas and modalities for the delivery of our technical assistance. Participants included a very geographically and technically diverse group of FIRST clients and partners: from central bank governors, to heads of banking and insurance supervision, and deposit insurance; as well as high level officials from AFI, IAIS, CPMI, and MFW4A. The CG was hailed by participants as a great opportunity for peer to peer learning through both panel discussions and interactive sessions.
Final Report
Meeting Agenda
List of Attendees
During the interactive panel discussions some of the speakers also shared visual presentations (PPT), which are shared below:
FIRST in Financial Inclusion
Session: Toward Universal Financial Access by 2020

• Universal Financial Access by 2020 - Ms. Gloria Grandolini, Senior Director, Finance and Markets Global Practice, World Bank
• Alliance for Financial Inclusion Presentation - Mr. Norbert Mumba, Deputy Executive Director, Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI)

FIRST in Financial Stability
Session: Post-Crisis Regulatory Reform Agenda: What it means for Developing Countries

• Post-Crisis Regulatory Reform Agenda: What it means for Developing Countries - Mr. George Brady, Deputy Secretary General, IAIS
• Principles for Financial Market Infrastructures (PFMIs), retail payments, and financial inclusion  - Mr. Klaus Lӧber, Head of Secretariat Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures, CPMI Secretariat
• Post Crisis Regulatory Reform Agenda: What it means for Low Income Countries - Ms. Justine Bagyenda, Executive Director of Supervision, Bank of Uganda

FIRST’s longer-term engagement
Session: The FIRST’s Programmatic Approach: Implementation Progress
Ms. Consolate Rusagara, Senior Program Manager, FIRST Secretariat
FIRST in financial sector strategies
Session: Financial Sector Development Strategies (FSDS); a catalyst for comprehensive reforms

• Mozambique's Experience with Implementation of Financial Sector Reforms - Mr. Gabriel Mambo, Advisor to the Minister, Ministry of Economy and Finance Mozambique
• FIRST Technical Assistance to Malawi - Dr. McDonald Mwale, Director of Research, Reserve Bank of Malawi

Workshop Event: Crisis Simulation
Crisis Simulation Exercises: Overview
Mr. Gabriel G Sensenbrenner, Lead Financial Economist; Ms. Yejin Carol Lee, Financial Sector Specialist - Finance and Markets Global Practice, World Bank

Public Partial Credit Guarantee Schemes – First Task Force Meeting (March 2015)
 
The first Task Force Meeting for Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of Public Partial Credit Guarantees Schemes for Small and Medium Enterprises in Emerging Markets and Developing Economies, took place on March 30th and 31, 2015 at the World Bank offices in Washington, D.C. The Task Force was convened to come up with a set of credible, generally-agreed voluntary principles for best practices for public partial credit guarantees (PCGs), taking into account the varying challenges of countries at different development stages. During the meetings, the Task Force reached broad consensus on the key areas of coverage in the formulation of the principles for public partial credit guarantee schemes, a timeline for the next phase of the development of the principles as well as a tentative dissemination plan.
 
Following the first meeting, Task Force members were invited to consult with their constituencies and submit their comments and additional ideas to the Secretariat after the minutes have been circulated. Based on the input and feedback received by the Task Force, the Secretariat drafted a Consultative Document, which included the proposed Principles accompanied by Explanatory Notes. The Consultative Document was circulated to the Task Force in May, 2015 and will be discussed in the second meeting of the Task Force scheduled on June 8-10, 2015, in Washington, DC.
 
Public Partial Credit Guarantee Schemes – Second Task Force Meeting (June 2015)
 
The second Task Force Meeting for Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of Public Partial Credit Guarantees Schemes for Small and Medium Enterprises in Emerging Markets and Developing Economies, was held from June 8 - 10, 2015 at the World Bank offices in Washington, D.C. The task force discussed the Consultative Document, which included the proposed Principles accompanied by Explanatory Notes. The Consultative Document consisted of the following components:
A. Legal and regulatory framework;
 B. Corporate governance and risk management;
 C. Operational framework; and
 D. Monitoring and evaluation
Following this meeting, there will be a public consultation with final endorsement of the Principles expected in the 3rd quarter of 2015.
 
Update: World Bank Group and FIRST Initiative Launch the Principles for the Design, Implementation and Evaluation of Credit Guarantee Schemes for SMEs (December 2015)