Thailand Financial News

Jakarta is on the world stage this week as global leaders attend The Asian Banker Summit, the most significant annual gathering of professionals in the financial services industry, from 25 – 28 March 2007. The prestigious annual event opened yesterday and over 500 banking professionals from more than 24 countries are in Jakarta for the most important meeting of its kind in the country.

Global leaders from the US, Europe and Asia, including former Australian prime minister, Paul Keating, to speak and chair sessions at The Asian Banker Summit in Jakarta, 25 – 28 March 2007 Dr.

Burhanuddin Abdullah, governor of Bank Indonesia, will open the main conference on 26 March, 2007 and will join global leaders The Hon. Paul Keating, former prime minister of Australia, Mr Jaime Caruana, former governor of the Bank of Spain and also the celebrated former chairman of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, Mr Rob Close OBE, president of CLS Bank International, Sir Brian Pitman, former chairman of Lloyds TSB, and Mr William Seidman, former chairman of the US Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and chairman of The Asian Banker Summit Advisory Council. “Also featured will be about 60 prominent figures who have played pivotal roles in changing the world of banking” added Ms Shaw. Achievement Awards presentation held for a large circle of elite bankers from around the region

Asia’s top leaders in the financial services industry received awards for their leadership achievement from The Asian Banker at a glittering ceremony on 25 March, 2007, the opening day of The Asian Banker Summit, in the presence of Guest of Honour Dr. Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Minister of Finance of Indonesia. The ceremony was the culmination of the Asian Banker Leadership Achievement Awards 2006 programme, a three month long research into leadership performance and achievement in financial services. Top bankers in 14 countries and nine specialized areas received awards recognizing their achievements in 2006 and the strength of their leadership, as well as an award for the top woman banker in the region. There were also two lifetime achievement award winners. Jiang Jianqing, chairman of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, received the award for leadership achievement for both China and for the entire region. Having led his bank through several years of transformation from a large, sprawling institution burdened with high levels of non-performing loans to the tight organisation that became the world’s largest ever initial public offering in 2006, his contribution to the financial services industry in China was an outstanding display of outstanding vision, performance and achievement. Fiona Shaw said “The Achievement Awards programme has been incentivising chairman and CEOs of banks in the region to focus on their skill sets such as meeting their commitments to shareholders, being visionary and leading from the front.” Microfinance session and tour of Indonesian banks to spotlight the technical contribution of Indonesian banks to an important sector

Indonesian banks such as Bank Rakyat Indonesia have been applying the concept of microfinance for decades and have developed it into a commercially viable proposition that could move microfinance beyond the focus of policy banks and non-profit organizations and into the wider business world. It is hoped that a better understanding of the commercial prospects of microfinance will encourage commercial organizations to help the business to prosper, spread rapidly, and reach more people than ever. A special session on 25 March, 2007 discussed the models and strategies for commercial banks in microbanking and strategies for improving profitability from microfinance initiatives. It also looked at identifying markets and developing products for microbanking, and challenges in taking it to the next level of maturity. On 28 March, 2007, there will be a tour of Bank Rakyat Indonesia’s microfinance facilities to show senior bankers from emerging economies how the business has grown in Indonesia and how it is managed, including a full tour of the facilities and meetings with clients. The Asian Banker Summit is being held in Jakarta with the full support of Perbanas (Indonesian Banks’ Association). Mr Sigit Pramono, president director, Bank Negara Indonesia and chairman, Perbanas, said “We are delighted to be supporting  The Asian Banker Summit in Jakarta. As official host, we want to highlight the remarkable transformation of Indonesian banks in recent years. At the Summit, senior banking officials will exchange ideas on regional and global issues with a large delegation of senior Indonesian bankers”. “We are delighted to have the full support of Perbanas as official host of The Asian Banker Summit” said Fiona Shaw, director of forums for The Asian Banker. “The Summit will place Indonesia’s financial services industry on the world stage and Mr Pramono will be giving a local response to the regional and global issues discussed during the two-days of Summit proceedings. Perbanas will also be giving a briefing on the Indonesian banking industry prior to the tour of Bank Rakyat Indonesia on 28 March, 2007” –www.theasianbanker.com (March 30 2007)–