MICROFINANCE EVENT: WSBI World Congress of Savings and Retail Banks; November 15-16, 2018; New Delhi, India

The World Savings and Retail Banking Institute (WSBI) World Congress will focus on the role of retail banks in “making globalization inclusive for all.” Presentation titles include: (1) Digitisation as a Tool for Financial Inclusion and Customer Proximity; (2) Locally Focused Savings and Retail Banks in a Circular and Digital Economy; and (3) Two Worlds No Longer Apart – Rural and Local Development for Growth in Harmony.

The confirmed list of speakers includes:
– Rajnish Kumar, Chairman, State Bank of India
– Harsh Kumar Bhanwala, Chairman, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD)
– Rajiv Kumar, Vice Chairman, National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog)
– Javier Gonzalez Fraga, President, Banco de la Nación Argentina
– Naoyuki Yoshino, Dean & CEO, Asian Development Bank Institute

Background on Organizers:

WSBI focuses on regulatory issues affecting the banking industry. The organization’s 6,000 members hold aggregate assets of USD 15 trillion and serve 1.3 billion customers in 80 countries. The affiliated European Savings and Retail Banking Group (ESBG) represents 1,000 savings and retail banks in 21 European countries. ESBG members have aggregate assets of EUR 6.3 trillion (USD 7.3 trillion), delivering retail banking services to 150 million people.

The State Bank of India (SBI), founded in 1955 by an act of Parliament, provides investment, consumer, commercial, retail, and private banking services, as well as offering asset management, pensions, mortgages and credit cards. For the fiscal year 2017, SBI reported total deposits of INR 362 trillion (USD 50 billion), a net loss of INR 65 billion (USD 96 million), return on assets of -0.19 percent and return on equity of -3.8 percent.

NABARD is a development bank in India that formulates the credit and banking policy for the rural sector, supervises and conducts on-site inspections of cooperatives and regional rural banks (RRBs), and promotes the development of rural microfinance. Set up with an initial capital of INR 1 billion (USD 14 million) in 1982, NABARD’s paid-up capital stood at INR 1 trillion (USD 1.4 billion) as of March 2018.

The National Savings Institute (NSI) operates under the Department of Economic Affairs in India’s Ministry of Finance. It is entrusted with encouraging savings through post offices and selected banks throughout the country. As of 2014, NSI had facilitated INR 2 trillion (USD 28.5 billion) in savings.

CaixaBank is a retail bank in Spain that also operates in Portugal following its acquisition of Banco Portugues de Investimento. As of 2017, CaixaBank had assets of EUR 383 billion (USD 442 billion), gross income of EUR 8.2 billion (USD 9.5 billion) and a net profit of EUR 1.7 billion (USD 1.9 billion).

Bank BTN (PT Bank Tabungan Negara) provides financial services, facilitating growth of small and medium-sized businesses in Indonesia. As of 2017, Bank BTN had assets of IDR 261.3 trillion (USD 17.2 billion) and after-tax income of IDR 3 trillion (USD 202 million).

Cost: The fee to attend is EUR 900 (USD 1,038) per attendee, with a rate of EUR 200 (USD 230) offered for accompanying guests.

Event Website: https://www.wsbi-esbg.org/Events/WorldCongress_2018

For more information, you may call +32 2 211 11 11 or contact event organizers via email info[at]wsbi-esbg.org.

By Anuhya Tadepalli, Research Associate

Sources and Additional Resources

Event registration
https://www.wsbi-esbg.org/Events/WorldCongress_2018/Pages/Registration.aspx

Event agenda
https://www.wsbi-esbg.org/Events/WorldCongress_2018/Pages/Programme.aspx

WSBI-ESBG website
https://www.wsbi-esbg.org

State Bank of India website
https://sbi.co.in/

NABARD website
https://www.nabard.org/default.aspx

NSI website
http://www.nsiindia.gov.in/Home.aspx

Caixa Bank website
https://www.caixabank.com/index_en.html