28 August 2010
More rural banks are now preparing to offer housing microfinance (HMF) services as RBAP-MABS trains its third batch of bankers on market research for the HMF loan product. Twenty-five (25) participants from 9 rural banks interested in developing housing microfinance services for their clients attended the training held on August 25-27 in Mallig, Isabela.
Held as a collaborative effort of the USAID-supported RBAP-MABS Program and its certified service providers, Punla sa Tao Foundation and Microfinance Innovation Center for Resource and Alternatives (MICRA), the training was initiated by Ms. Praxedes Ignacio, President of the Northeast Luzon Microfinance Council.
The rural banks and microfinance institutions represented in the training were Rural Bank of Mabitac, Philippine Rural Banking Corp. (PR Bank), Mallig Plains Rural Bank, Agri-Business Rural Bank, Cagayan Valley Cooperative Bank, Rural Bank of Luna (Kalinga-Apayao), North Pacific Banking Corp. (a Rural Bank), Rural Bank of Maddela and Nueva Segovia Consortium of Cooperatives.
While the focus of the training was on conducting market research to prepare for housing microfinance services, also it also included updates on cash flow analysis for the benefit of the trainees. Cashflow-based lending is at the heart of the RBAP-MABS Approach and allows banks to more appropriately determine the debt capacity of their clients.
The participants received training on the tools for market research with hands-on practice on survey data gathering, processing and analyzing. “It’s a very engaging, informative and helpful workshop for our bank, especially the market research tips,” Ms. Kimberly Cabbigat (Agri-Business Rural Bank) said after the training workshop. The participants reinforced this statement as they further asserted that the workshop helped them with hands-on experiences in analyzing market research data collected in the field.
Mr. Caloy Pasion, the Executive Vice-President of PR Bank shared, “I am happy to say that I appreciate and thanked the facilitators as the training provided very interesting topics and helped get my staff involved.”
The training event is the first module for banks planning to develop and offer housing microfinance services. HMF is a new service that banks are now actively pursuing after the issuance of BSP Circular 678 early this year. The participants will now work over the next month in conducting their own market research for their banks. After this research, the participants will again gather to participate in the second module for the housing microfinance product development course, where the participants will prepare their business plans, strategies and operation manuals.
The RBAP-MABS Program is supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). As of June 2010, RBAP-MABS participating banks have already disbursed more than 1,665 housing microfinance loans totaling more than PhP 52.04 million.
More rural banks are now preparing to offer housing microfinance (HMF) services as RBAP-MABS trains its third batch of bankers on market research for the HMF loan product. Twenty-five (25) participants from 9 rural banks interested in developing housing microfinance services for their clients attended the training held on August 25-27 in Mallig, Isabela.
Held as a collaborative effort of the USAID-supported RBAP-MABS Program and its certified service providers, Punla sa Tao Foundation and Microfinance Innovation Center for Resource and Alternatives (MICRA), the training was initiated by Ms. Praxedes Ignacio, President of the Northeast Luzon Microfinance Council.
The rural banks and microfinance institutions represented in the training were Rural Bank of Mabitac, Philippine Rural Banking Corp. (PR Bank), Mallig Plains Rural Bank, Agri-Business Rural Bank, Cagayan Valley Cooperative Bank, Rural Bank of Luna (Kalinga-Apayao), North Pacific Banking Corp. (a Rural Bank), Rural Bank of Maddela and Nueva Segovia Consortium of Cooperatives.
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24 August 2010
RBAP-MABS Microinsurance Coordinator Ruth Aseron shared the experiences of rural banks and their insurance partners in microinsurance distribution at the Microinsurance Asian Summit held on August 3-5, 2010 at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, Singapore.
Organized by Hanson Wade, the event convened leaders and representatives of established institutions and new entrants to the emerging industry of microinsurance. Present at the event was a diversity of key private institutions comprised of underwriters and insurance providers, reinsurers, social investors, technology solutions providers, NGO MFIs, foreign donor agencies and technical assistance providers.
A significant interest of participants at the event was the potential convergence of rural banks’ mobile phone banking and microinsurance services to facilitate cost-efficient payment, administration and claims while partnering with private insurance companies in order to increase access and reduce the costs of managing small accounts.
Secretary General Yoshi Kawai of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) opened the 2-day conference with a discussion on the G20 Initiatives on Microinsurance and the significance of developing relevant policies and regulations founded on financial inclusion and poverty alleviation. This established the theme of the conference as speakers evinced social entrepreneurship with discussions on sustainability of microinsurance products balanced with addressing risk protection needs of the “middle poor” or “mass market”.
The three-day event included workshops that allowed participants to analyze and share experiences from around the region on effective microinsurance product development and distribution.
RBAP-MABS Microinsurance Coordinator Ruth Aseron shared the experiences of rural banks and their insurance partners in microinsurance distribution at the Microinsurance Asian Summit held on August 3-5, 2010 at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, Singapore.
Organized by Hanson Wade, the event convened leaders and representatives of established institutions and new entrants to the emerging industry of microinsurance. Present at the event was a diversity of key private institutions comprised of underwriters and insurance providers, reinsurers, social investors, technology solutions providers, NGO MFIs, foreign donor agencies and technical assistance providers.
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21 August 2010
The USAID-supported RBAP-MABS program team conducted an operations review of two of its participating banks based in the Bicol Region: the Rural Bank of San Vicente and the Rural Bank of Jose Panganiban. The operations and product review was conducted to assess the banks’ performance and present the status of their microfinance loan products. RBAP-MABS evaluated the banks’ microfinance delivery systems, loan documentation, and Management Information System (MIS). Using this evaluation, the team worked with the bank in recommending improvements for the products’ design and operational system.
Based in Camarines Norte, both banks serve thousands of clients in the area. RB San Vicente serves the microenterpreneurs of Daet, San Vicente and Labo, while RB Jose Panganiban caters to the needs of microenterprise clients in Paracale and Jose Panganiban. Both banks have a branch in Daet, the provincial capital.
The management of RB San Vicente and of RB Jose Panganiban both wish to expand their respective banks’ microfinance operations by offering additional products such as agricultural microfinance, housing microfinance, and microinsurance to their microenterprise clients and to the small farmers in Camarines Norte. With enhancements to their microfinance product and additional new product offerings, the banks will be able to reach out to more clients and expand their operations in Camarines Norte.
On August 17-20, the USAID-supported RBAP-MABS program team conducted an operations review of two of its participating banks based in the Bicol Region: the Rural Bank of San Vicente and the Rural Bank of Jose Panganiban. The operations and product review was conducted to assess the banks’ performance and present the status of their microfinance loan products. RBAP-MABS evaluated the banks’ microfinance delivery systems, loan documentation, and Management Information System (MIS). Using this evaluation, the team worked with the bank in recommending improvements for the products’ design and operational system.
Based in Camarines Norte, both banks serve thousands of clients in the area. RB San Vicente serves the microenterpreneurs of Daet, San Vicente and Labo, while RB Jose Panganiban caters to the needs of microenterprise clients in Paracale and Jose Panganiban. Both banks have a branch in Daet, the provincial capital.
The management of RB San Vicente and of RB Jose Panganiban both wish to expand their respective banks’ microfinance operations by offering additional products such as agricultural microfinance, housing microfinance, and microinsurance to their microenterprise clients and to the small farmers in Camarines Norte. With enhancements to their microfinance product and additional new product offerings, the banks will be able to reach out to more clients and expand their operations in Camarines Norte.
14 August 2010
A study group from Pakistan visited the Philippines on August 9-13 to get an in-depth perspective of the Philippine microfinance industry. Composed of nine senior managers from microfinance oriented banks and other microfinance institutions of the Pakistan Microfinance Network (PMN), the visit focused on savings mobilization practices and mobile phone banking services offered by rural banks.
On August 9, the delegates visited the Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines (RBAP) and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) for a walk through of the country’s current microfinance climate. RBAP-MABS provided a presentation of rural banks’ successful delivery of banking services to microfinance clients in the countryside, and shared experiences on savings mobilization strategies as well as mobile phone banking services via mobile money.
The study group then visited various rural banks to learn about their products and activities for increasing deposit levels and encouraging small savers through innovations and incentives. Among the rural banks that the study group visited were Green Bank of Caraga and CARD Bank.
The group inquired about the unique strategies of both banks in attracting and managing hundreds of thousands of small deposit accounts. They also studied the technological innovations used in banking, including mobile phone banking services such as Text-A-Deposit, Text-A-Withdrawal and SMS updates being offered by rural banks to their clients.
A study group from Pakistan visited the Philippines on August 9-13 to get an in-depth perspective of the Philippine microfinance industry. Composed of nine senior managers from microfinance oriented banks and other microfinance institutions of the Pakistan Microfinance Network (PMN), the visit focused on savings mobilization practices and mobile phone banking services offered by rural banks.
On August 9, the delegates visited the Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines (RBAP) and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) for a walk through of the country’s current microfinance climate. RBAP-MABS provided a presentation of rural banks’ successful delivery of banking services to microfinance clients in the countryside, and shared experiences on savings mobilization strategies as well as mobile phone banking services via mobile money.
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13 August 2010
RBAP-MABS conducted a Senior Management Orientation (SMO) for the Chamber of La Union Rural Bankers (CLURB) on August 11 to provide all interested member rural banks with an overview of the MABS Program and the MABS Approach to Microfinance.
Thirteen rural banks participated in the activity: Bannawag Bank, La Union Development Bank, Rang-ay Bank, Rural Bank of Luna, Cooperative Rural Bank of San Gabriel, Rural Bank of Bacnotan, Cooperative Bank of La Union, Rural Bank of Agoo, Rural Bank of Sudipen, Rural Bank of Caba, Rural Bank of Bauang, Rural Bank of Bangan, and Rural Bank of Rosario. The team provided an understanding of how the MABS Approach can be used to assist rural banks to develop their capacity to more effectively provide microfinance services in their respective communities. The Federation was quite interested in exploring ways to group together to more effectively share in the costs of bringing the MABS Approach training modules to La Union for the benefit of all of their interested member rural banks.
A follow up SMO was also conducted for the Board of Directors of Rural Bank of Rosario (La Union) Inc. on August 12. Fifteen participants from the bank’s management and staff attended the orientation held at the bank’s main office. Among them were the bank’s chairman, Mr. Jesus Tabora; bank president, Mr. Nicholas Tabora; members of the Board of Directors; senior officers from different departments; and the branch managers of all of the bank’s five branches.
The first of the MABS Approach to Microfinance modules, the SMO introduces bank officers and key personnel to the important stages of developing new microfinance products and services including market research, product development, loan administration and management, pilot testing, and operations review. A representative from the Microfinance Innovation Center for Resources and Alternatives (MICRA) Philippines, one of the three MABS Service Providers, also presented an overview on their training program and other initiatives. After the SMO, the bank officers expressed their interest in joining the group training for the MABS Approach with MICRA, along with three other rural banks.
RBAP-MABS has been supported by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) since 1997 and has been the main vehicle for RBAP to provide microfinance product development and best practice training to well over 300 member rural banks across the Philippines.
RBAP-MABS conducted a Senior Management Orientation (SMO) for the Chamber of La Union Rural Bankers (CLURB) on August 11 to provide all interested member rural banks with an overview of the MABS Program and the MABS Approach to Microfinance.
Thirteen rural banks participated in the activity: Bannawag Bank, La Union Development Bank, Rang-ay Bank, Rural Bank of Luna, Cooperative Rural Bank of San Gabriel, Rural Bank of Bacnotan, Cooperative Bank of La Union, Rural Bank of Agoo, Rural Bank of Sudipen, Rural Bank of Caba, Rural Bank of Bauang, Rural Bank of Bangan, and Rural Bank of Rosario. The team provided an understanding of how the MABS Approach can be used to assist rural banks to develop their capacity to more effectively provide microfinance services in their respective communities. The Federation was quite interested in exploring ways to group together to more effectively share in the costs of bringing the MABS Approach training modules to La Union for the benefit of all of their interested member rural banks.
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