June 2007 Newsletter

paul — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 01:00:00 -0400

Highlights

Banker-to-Banker Peer Learning Forum: Developing Career Paths: Supporting Business Strategy and Improving Performance
Portrait of a Leader: Imran Rahman, CEO, BRAC Bank Ltd. Bangladesh
Lender’s Corner: Another Approach to Problem Loans
News: FMO signs a $7 million funding agreement with K-Rep Bank for financing small and medium enterprises (SMEs)

March 2007 Newsletter

paul — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 01:00:00 -0500

Highlights

Banker-to-Banker Peer Learning Forum: Human Resources in a High Growth Environment
Portrait of a Leader: Bun Mony, General Manager, Cambodia Entrepreneur Building Limited (CEB)
Lender’s Corner: Problem Loans
News: CGAP Financial Transparency Awards go to five of Exchange’s partners

December 2006 Newsletter

paul — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 01:00:00 -0500

Highlights

Banker-to-Banker Peer Learning Forum: Using your staff effectively: Delegating Well
Portrait of a Leader: Baboucarr Khan, Founder and CEO, Reliance Financial Services
Lender’s Corner: Rating Loans
News: Planters Development Bank (PDB) Commits to Green Banking

September 2006 Newsletter

paul — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 01:00:00 -0400

Highlights

Banker-to-Banker Peer Learning Forum: HR as a strategic partner in business
Portrait of a Leader: Ganhuyag Chuluun, Founder and CEO, XacBank
Lender’s Corner: Building a workable credit culture within a lending institution
News: IFC Announces its First Equity Investment in Inecobank

June 2006 Newsletter

paul — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 01:00:00 -0400

Highlights

Banker-to-Banker Peer Learning Forum: HR as a strategic resource
Portrait of a Leader: Mher Grigoryan, CEO, Inecobank CJSC
Lender’s Corner: Field visits for monitoring borrowers
News: Samruddhi Chosen to run Kuppam Information Communication Technology Initiative with HP

March 2006 Newsletter

paul — Wed, 01 Mar 2006 01:00:00 -0500

Highlights

Banker-to-Banker Peer Learning Forum: Leadership Engagement and Retention
Portrait of a Leader: N.V. Ramana, Managing Director, Bhartiya Samruddhi Finance Limited (BASIX)
Lender’s Corner: Tipping Points & Red Flags in Credit Decisions
News: Individual Lender Trainings for Managers and Credit Officers, April 3-8, 2006, Kampala, Uganda

Risk Management Forum: Chicago, IL, December 2004

paul — Wed, 01 Dec 2004 01:00:00 -0500

In December 2004, Exchange launched its Banker-to-Banker Peer Learning Forums. The first Forum, held in Chicago, focused on Risk Management for CEOs and COOs of microfinance institutions and small business banks. The launch triggered demand for a series of peer forums where fellow bankers can share their challenges and successes. Due to the wide geographic dispersion of partnerships, we decided to pilot the forums by phone. We currently run three Banker-to-Banker Forums tailored to suit the interests of Chief Executives, Lenders, and Human Resources Managers. The one-hour teleconference discussions provide our clients with a chance to access the collective knowledge of banking experts and other forum participants. We began the CEO Peer Learning Forum with a discussion on Staff Retention and Leadership Development. A result of the forum were cd-roms containing tools to address such topics as credit, operations, institutional, and product risk management, as well as summaries and power points of the presentations.

Small Business Forum: Manila, Philippines, September 2005

paul — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 01:00:00 -0400

ShoreCap Exchange hosted a 5-day workshop providing operational training to experienced senior lenders, credit managers and supervisors from fast growing banks in developing economies. Thirty two small business lenders from 10 Asian, African and Central European countries, representing 13 financial institutions, attended the banker—led training in Manila to learn how to improve their small business lending methodologies to reach further and deeper into their underserved markets. The training was done in partnership with Plantersbank, Manila, and ShoreBank Advisory Services. It was also attended by a few ShoreCap stakeholders, such as the Asian Development Bank, an investor in and partner to ShoreCap since its inception in 2003. Small business lending is both profitable for banks and good for employment generation and income growth. But it does involve a different approach — one focused on cash-flow based underwriting, rather than collateral, and an acute sense of management ability. ShoreCap's initiative in Manila was a way to share the experiences of ShoreBank and Plantersbank along with some of the most successful small and micro lending institutions in developing and emerging economies with thirty lenders from Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe.

Microlending Training: Kampala, Uganda, April 2006

paul — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 09:24:09 -0400

Exchange presented credit training on individual lending for microfinance in early April 2006 in Kampala, Uganda in conjunction with MicroSave. Participants included three of our bank partners in Africa and four of MicroSave's partners, with 19 lenders and 21 managers. This was the culmination of extensive work on development of two separate toolkits for the use of lenders and managers. The week of training focused partly on lenders and then on managers, emphasizing tools and approaches specific to each group.

Cultural Transformation of a Bank

paul — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 10:46:57 -0400

Marian Cook on the remarkable experiences that Planters Bank, Philippines has had through the implementation of sophisticated HR tools that emphasize respect, fairness, and spirituality at the workplace. The paper draws on first-hand insights and is strongly recommended for all practitioners in the field who would like to enhance the quality of the work environment in their organizations.

Peer Advisory Boards

paul — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 10:47:26 -0400

In today’s world, the financial entrepreneur faces a more complex and challenging environment than ever before. This Note discusses an increasingly popular strategy for effective decision making: the Peer Advisory Board (PAB), which brings together a group of peers, whether they are from the same institution or across institutions, for team based advice and problem solving. Marion Cook’s Exchange Note outlines the leadership need PABs can fulfill, as also some quick guiding principles for establishing a new Peer Advisory Board.

Leading Change Management

paul — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 10:48:29 -0400

During our September 2006 in-person knowledge exchange network event in Washington D.C. on Good Governance and Effective Leadership, several of the discussions focused on how organizations could effectively manage the change process. Attendees had interesting insights on what had worked for them, and this note by Gerry Monteiro connects the dots, discussing effective strategies at each stage of the process.

Reflections & Learnings from Risk Management Forum

paul — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 10:49:44 -0400

ShoreCap Exchange’s Risk Management Forum in December 2004 was the first of its kind and created value through the enthusiastic participation of our partners. In this discussion paper Julie A. Gerschick examines risk and opportunity as the driving force behind sustainable growth for MFI partners in a complex and fast-paced environment.

Technical Assistance Delivery to Small Business Banks and MFIs: What Works?

paul — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 10:50:40 -0400

This paper undertakes to update and revise the contemporary service provider’s approach by considering the impact of technical assistance delivery on clients’ demand to services of excellence. It was prepared for the Donor Workshop organized by ShoreCap Exchange at The Hague in 2004.

Strategies for Staff Retention

paul — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 10:51:19 -0400

Employees are every organization’s main asset. Therefore, knowing how to attract, allocate, and train skilled employees plays an ever increasing role in the fulfillment of an organization’s mission, as Marian Cook observes in her staff retentions strategy paper for ShoreCap Exchange. This paper was written as an outcome of discussions at the first CEO Forum call held earlier this year.

Compensation as a Retention Strategy

paul — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 10:51:45 -0400

Staff retention is a function of many aspects of an institution, from the opportunity for career advancement to participation in a shared corporate mission. Building off a previous Exchanging Views Paper: “Strategies for Staff Retention”, “Compensation as a Retention Strategy” explains steps for designing and implementing a new salary structure and provides useful tools for developing a project plan and time line and a communications plan, with insights on experiences shared by Exchange’s partner banks and other players in the industry.

Exchange launches the ShoreBank Action Learning Network

paul — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 13:24:20 -0500

Acting on needs expressed by partner banks, Exchange is proud to launch the ShoreBank Action Learning Network. The Network brings together ShoreCap International investees and other microfinance and small business banks to share tools and strategies that address their operational and growth needs in small business lending, human resources, and risk management.

The Network formalizes some of the ongoing peer relationships that have been created through the knowledge exchange activities. Member banks can interface and network in a structured way, each contributing lessons on efficient and effective practices in various aspects of organizations.

Activities within each program of the Network include targeted initiatives such as:

Bank CEO Mentoring
Peer exchange opportunities for line managers
Training on operational toolkits
Regional dissemination of outputs

September 2007 Newsletter

staff-test — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 17:06:59 -0400

Highlights

Banker-to-Banker Peer Learning Forum: Human Resources Performance Management
Portrait of a Leader: Saifuddin M. Naser, Managing Director & CEO, BRAC Afghanistan Bank
Lender’s Corner: Managing Problem Loans
News: XacBank starting new Business Support Loans for Mongolian students

Reliance Financial Services Wins Three GCCI Awards

staff-test — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 15:11:23 -0500

Wednesday 30th January 2008

Reliance Financial Services has won three prestigious awards conferred by The Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry: Business Person of the Year (2007), Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) of the Year (2007), and Young Entrepreneur of the Year (2007). Reliance is the youngest institution ever to receive these accolades, having been in business only 13 months.

Founded by three young Gambian professionals, (Messrs. Baboucarr Khan, Ismaila Faal and Seedy Njie), Reliance has the vision to be the leading financial services provider for individuals, small and medium sized business (SMEs), and micro enterprise in West Africa. Reliance has already provided access to savings to over 8,500 depositors, and employs more than 80 Gambians. The institution has also been appointed the fourth direct agent of Western Union in The Gambia.

In response to questions about Reliance’s achievements, Mr. Khan noted that “It is important that the provision of financial services be seen as an important catalyst for building economies, enterprises, promoting entrepreneurship as well as regenerating the local economy in the communities.” He hopes that Reliance’s efforts, in concert with government policies, will rejuvenate the economy of The Gambia.
Congratulations to Reliance and keep up the good work!

ShoreCap Exchange Board Member Blogs About Us

paul — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 13:37:02 -0500

Tom Evslin, a member of the board of ShoreCap, has written about us on his blog.

"ShoreCap Exchange...is a nonprofit providing subsidized (but not free!) technical assistance to local microcredit banks around the world. It draws on both the expertise of the mother bank in Chicago and an international network of bankers."

Keep up the good work!