Suchergebnisse

Denying Safe Haven to the Corrupt and the Proceeds of Corruption' captures the legal and practical challenges of mutual legal assistance and extradition, as well as solutions for improvement discussed during a master training seminar organized by the ADB/OECD Anti-Corruption Initiative for Asia and the Pacific held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in March 2006.

This book focuses on rural finance development issues in a set of countries about which little current literature on the subject exists. It also represents an attempt to redress a serious imbalance in the attention paid to rural financial market development that has been created by the overwhelming interest in and emphasis on microfinance during the last 2 decades.

Denying Safe Haven to the Corrupt and the Proceeds of Corruption' captures the legal and practical challenges of mutual legal assistance and extradition, as well as solutions for improvement discussed during a master training seminar organized by the ADB/OECD Anti-Corruption Initiative for Asia and the Pacific held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in March 2006.

Well functioning settlement systems are a prerequisite for efficient securities markets. To understand how regional settlement systems can be used to facilitate greater bond market transactions in the ASEAN+3 region, this report reviews existing settlement systems examines existing regional and international links between settlement systems identifies the different types of cross-border settlements available, their advantages and disadvantages, the hurdles faced in establishing effective regional settlements, and the risks involved.

Well functioning settlement systems are a prerequisite for efficient securities markets. To understand how regional settlement systems can be used to facilitate greater bond market transactions in the ASEAN+3 region, this report reviews existing settlement systems examines existing regional and international links between settlement systems identifies the different types of cross-border settlements available, their advantages and disadvantages, the hurdles faced in establishing effective regional settlements, and the risks involved.

Nongovernment organizations (NGOs) began microcredit operations because conventional financial institutions were not providing financial services for the poor and low-income households and their microenterprises. Over time, NGOs began to play a significant role in providing microcredit services in many countries. Ironically, increasing numbers of NGOs have transformed themselves into regulated financial institutions since the first such transformation, that of the NGO Fundacion para la Promocion y el Desarrollo de la Microempresa into BancoSol in Bolivia in 1992. With transformation, these institutions expected to increase the breadth and depth of their outreach, primarily through better access to commercial sources of funds and public deposits to finance their growth. A review and analysis of operations of transformed institutions show that many of these institutions have been able to achieve positive results, as expected, in four fundamental areas: an ownership structure with shareholders to maintain a balance between social mission and profitability/sustainability, increased access to loanable funds from commercial sources, broader range of services including voluntary deposit services, and increased breadth and depth of outreach. However, more intensive research on transformed institutions, particularly on their governance, operational efficiency, and poverty outreach is necessary to improve our understanding of the impact and emerging issues of transformation.

The rapid growth of developing Asia has attracted, and been facilitated by, foreign direct investment (FDI). Potential benefits of FDI inflows extend far beyond financial resources, but costs may entail as well. Governments throughout the region have been striving to find an appropriate policy mix for FDI that will maximize the net benefits for their economies. There is considerable variation in policies and experiences with FDI across countries. This study looks at FDI flows, consequences, and policies in developing Asia. It focuses on a diverse set of six Asian countries and draws lessons from their experiences in managing FDI.

Nongovernment organizations (NGOs) began microcredit operations because conventional financial institutions were not providing financial services for the poor and low-income households and their microenterprises. Over time, NGOs began to play a significant role in providing microcredit services in many countries. Ironically, increasing numbers of NGOs have transformed themselves into regulated financial institutions since the first such transformation, that of the NGO Fundacion para la Promocion y el Desarrollo de la Microempresa into BancoSol in Bolivia in 1992. With transformation, these institutions expected to increase the breadth and depth of their outreach, primarily through better access to commercial sources of funds and public deposits to finance their growth. A review and analysis of operations of transformed institutions show that many of these institutions have been able to achieve positive results, as expected, in four fundamental areas: an ownership structure with shareholders to maintain a balance between social mission and profitability/sustainability, increased access to loanable funds from commercial sources, broader range of services including voluntary deposit services, and increased breadth and depth of outreach. However, more intensive research on transformed institutions, particularly on their governance, operational efficiency, and poverty outreach is necessary to improve our understanding of the impact and emerging issues of transformation.

The rapid growth of developing Asia has attracted, and been facilitated by, foreign direct investment (FDI). Potential benefits of FDI inflows extend far beyond financial resources, but costs may entail as well. Governments throughout the region have been striving to find an appropriate policy mix for FDI that will maximize the net benefits for their economies. There is considerable variation in policies and experiences with FDI across countries. This study looks at FDI flows, consequences, and policies in developing Asia. It focuses on a diverse set of six Asian countries and draws lessons from their experiences in managing FDI.

In the area of anti-money laundering (AML) and combating the financing of terrorism (CFT), there are a number of conventions, principles, recommendations, guidelines, model laws, etc., and it is not easy for many of us to refer to those by visiting each organization's web site one by one. This Manual is a 524-page publication compiling some of those documents, with consents by organizations that produced the original documents. It was prepared under ADB's regional technical assistance No. 5967: Countering Money Laundering in the Asian and Pacific Region, to enhance the dissemination and use of these important documents among government officials and others in charge of AML/CFT. ADB plans to update the Manual once in a year or two.

In the area of anti-money laundering (AML) and combating the financing of terrorism (CFT), there are a number of conventions, principles, recommendations, guidelines, model laws, etc., and it is not easy for many of us to refer to those by visiting each organization's web site one by one. This Manual is a 524-page publication compiling some of those documents, with consents by organizations that produced the original documents. It was prepared under ADB's regional technical assistance No. 5967: Countering Money Laundering in the Asian and Pacific Region, to enhance the dissemination and use of these important documents among government officials and others in charge of AML/CFT. ADB plans to update the Manual once in a year or two.

This public expenditure review identifies various opportunities to improve efficiency and equity in the social sectors. In terms of efficiency, common issues across sectors include prioritizing public interventions on the basis of their costs and effectiveness, reducing the share of personnel expenditures through a more efficient deployment of human resources, and reviewing financial mechanisms to minimize distortions and induce cost-savings (particularly in the health sector). Reallocating resources towards maintenance services, while encouraging outsourcing practices is another cross-cutting theme. Regarding equity, there is a need in all sectors to improve targeting mechanisms in the allocation of public subsidies. The Government still faces the challenge of reducing gender inequalities, particularly among low-income groups. The message also emerges that the private sector should have a more prominent role both in the financing and provision of social services. Improving institutional capacity, governance, and accountability is also a precondition for higher efficiency and equity. One of the most important recommendations from the review is the need to pursue structural reforms to promote growth, while changing the focus of public expenditure management from driving growth to ensuring stabilization and an efficient supply of public goods. The role of public expenditure in the social sectors should be to guarantee necessary investments in human capital to support growth.

The Royal Government of Cambodia adopted the Financial Sector Blueprint for 2001-2010 in a plenary session of the Cabinet meeting chaired by the Prime Minister on 24 August 2001. It was the Government's ground-breaking initiative for financial sector development. The Blueprint has been developed with the assistance of ADB's Cambodia financial sector team.

Rural financial markets have lagged behind in the progress of the rural economy in Asia. This volume, the third in a series, presents a summary of the conceptual evolution that has occurred in rural financial markets since the 1970s. The development of rural financial markets in Asia has been a movement from mandates to markets:the failure of directed credit in many developing Asian countries, the development of microfinance contributed to the emergence of a new market-based paradigm. However, many Asian countries have yet to adopt the new paradigm. The transition countries need to create financial markets involving transformation from a state-planned to a market-based economy. Based on the experiences of 3 Asian flagship financial institutions, and analysis of other financial institutions, a 3-pronged framework for building financial markets is developed.

Discussions of competition and regulatory reform typically focus on price and quantity effects. But improving certain infrastructure services can also stimulate entry, and competition in user industries downstream, allowing new firms to enter, incumbent users to offer new products, and rivalry to intensify. The authors present a case study of how innovations in road freight services affect selected downstream users of those services after regulatory reform. After a period of rigid regulation, and heavy government interference, Mexico in 1989 developed a new policy framework for road transport, with free entry, and market-based price setting. The result: faster, more reliable trucking has allowed user companies to offer new, previously unavailable products, and to reach new areas with existing products. Cheaper, more customer-responsive trucking services have allowed logistical innovations in user firms, and some user firms have decided not to keep their own fleets of trucks, but to outsource trucking services on the open market, thereby converting fixed costs to variable costs. For one fertilizer company, the benefits of reform included a ten percent improvement in operating margin. Successful reform requires careful planning and execution, and political support at high levels. Regulatory reform also profoundly changes the sectoral institution formerly responsible for the regulation. Enough resources should be provided to help organizations in the reformed industry make the transition to the post-reform environment - helping with such tasks as defining the organizations new role, and facilitating the redeployment of staff. The national competition agency can help greatly in laying the groundwork for reform by making a compelling case for the reforms expected benefits. After reform, the competition agency should also help with enforcement, to ensure that the cozy, cartel-like behavior stimulated by tight entry restrictions does not persist. In Mexico, three strong interventions were required to discipline attempted anti-competitive practices in the trucking industry in the years following reform.