RBAP-MABS conducts Savings Mobilization Workshop

October 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Cebu City. Savings mobilization is the important half of financial intermediation and a key service that rural banks provide local communities.  Given this importance, the USAID-supported RBAP-MABS program has always emphasized this function and urged MABS participating banks to design savings products that better meet clients needs.
On October 26-28, twelve (12) participants from Cantilan Bank, Green Bank, Rural Bank of Placer, First Agro Industrial Rural (FAIR) Bank and Progressive Bank attended a savings mobilization workshop to acquire the necessary tools to increase their deposit volume and outreach. The training was held at the Golden Prince Hotel & Suites in Cebu City.
The three-day workshop featured a series of group and individual case studies, sample case exercises, brainstorming, and sharing of bank practices and field experiences. These exercises got the participants to diagnose their operations, re-visit their existing products, and learn about savings product promotions techniques.
The workshop participants also learned about market research tools that they can use for developing new deposit products or enhancing existing ones.  Using the tools, the participants interviewed respondents in a designated practice area. From the exercise, the workshop participants were able to appreciate the importance of knowing local people’s current savings practices and what they deem important in choosing where to put their savings. The interviews also revealed how the respondents perceive the bank and its services, and what promotional strategies and messages would be suitable to design.

Cebu City. Savings mobilization is the important half of financial intermediation and a key service that rural banks provide local communities.  Given this importance, the USAID-supported RBAP-MABS program has always emphasized this function and urged MABS participating banks to design savings products that better meet clients needs.

On October 26-28, twelve (12) participants from Cantilan Bank, Green Bank, Rural Bank of Placer, First Agro Industrial Rural (FAIR) Bank and Progressive Bank attended a savings mobilization workshop to acquire the necessary tools to increase their deposit volume and outreach. The training was held at the Golden Prince Hotel & Suites in Cebu City.

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RBAP-MABS reviews Progressive Bank’s operations

September 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment
To support its participating banks in continuously enhancing their products, services and operations, the USAID-supported RBAP-MABS program regularly conducts operations and product reviews to identify the banks’ strengths and areas for improvement. On August 31 – September 2, the RBAP-MABS team conducted a review of Progressive Bank, a MABS participating bank based in Iloilo.
The team assessed the bank’s performance, microfinance loan products, delivery systems, loan documentation, and management information systems (MIS) through reviews, focus group discussions, loan documentation checks, and review of MIS functionalities and reports. With these observations, the team provided recommendations to improve the bank’s product design and operational system.
To date, Progressive Bank is serving almost 23,000 micro-entrepreneurs in Iloilo province, with its operating units strategically located in Balasan, Pototan and Jaro, Iloilo City. Originally known as the Rural Bank of Balasan (RBB), the bank was established on March 8, 1975 to support the financial needs of the agricultural sector, particularly the sugar industry, in northern Iloilo. In 2003, the bank adopted the business name Progressive Bank, Inc. (PBI). The bank now offers three microfinance loans – Kabulig group loan microfinance, Unwad Kabulig individual loan microfinance and Kabulig Panguma micro-agri loan.
The bank started offering KABULIG Grupo, its group microfinance lending program, in 2002. In 2007, the bank expanded its microfinance products and services to include the Umwad KABULIG (business) and KABULIG panguma (agri-fishery) loans, ably assisted by RBAP-MABS.
To further enable the Bank to serve the banking needs of rural folks in Balasan and neighboring municipalities, a new three-storey office building is being constructed and the bank is planning to expand to new areas in Capiz.

see full sizeTo support its participating banks in continuously enhancing their products, services and operations, the USAID-supported RBAP-MABS program regularly conducts operations and product reviews to identify the banks’ strengths and areas for improvement. On August 31 – September 2, the RBAP-MABS team conducted a review of Progressive Bank, a MABS participating bank based in Iloilo.

The team assessed the bank’s performance, microfinance loan products, delivery systems, loan documentation, and management information systems (MIS) through reviews, focus group discussions, loan documentation checks, and review of MIS functionalities and reports. With these observations, the team provided recommendations to improve the bank’s product design and operational system.

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Rural bankers learn group lending best practices in Cebu workshop

July 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Seven MABS Participating Banks from Visayas and Mindanao joined the RBAP-MABS staff on July 21-23 in Cebu City for the Group Lending Enhancement Training Workshop.  Ms. Tess Espenilla of USAID opened the session with a welcome address expressing the need for the group lending product, which has been at the heart of microfinance for the past four decades, to be adjusted to the current needs of microfinance clients.  Eighteen rural bankers, mainly microfinance unit managers and other bank officers, from Green Bank of Caraga, Cantilan Bank, Rural Bank of Guinobatan, Rural Bank of Oroquieta, Siargao Bank, Progressive Bank and First Agro-Industrial Rural Bank participated in the workshop.
The workshop covered the stages of center development, tools for classifying the status of centers and members, group lending enhancement options, product transition models, market research and development of the product enhancement transition plan.  The rural bankers gained a wealth of knowledge on group lending product enhancement options and transition tools and processes.   Participants noted that applying the concepts covered in the training should not be difficult; the keys are to base transition on specific, established criteria and regularly review the needs of clients.
The highlight of the training session was applying the market research concepts in the field.  On the second day of the workshop, the rural bankers conducted interviews at two group lending centers from Green Bank’s branch in Cebu.  They gathered members’ opinions on the bank’s group lending products, the effectiveness of center meetings, and suggestions for further financial services that could benefit the members.  The workshop participants brought this knowledge back to the training room where they tabulated and analyzed the survey results. They also generated recommendations to enhance the product.  By the time the second day was over, it was evident that market research remains the foundation of crafting successful group lending products.
Microenterprise Access to Banking Services (MABS) is a United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded program in partnership with the Rural Bankers’ Association of the Philippines (RBAP), with oversight from the Office of the President through the Mindanao Development Authority (MINDA).

Cebu workshop 1Seven MABS Participating Banks from Visayas and Mindanao joined the RBAP-MABS staff on July 21-23 in Cebu City for the Group Lending Enhancement Training Workshop.  Ms. Tess Espenilla of USAID opened the session with a welcome address expressing the need for the group lending product, which has been at the heart of microfinance for the past four decades, to be adjusted to the current needs of microfinance clients.  Eighteen rural bankers, mainly microfinance unit managers and other bank officers, from Green Bank of Caraga, Cantilan Bank, Rural Bank of Guinobatan, Rural Bank of Oroquieta, Siargao Bank, Progressive Bank and First Agro-Industrial Rural Bank participated in the workshop. [Read more...]

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MABS provides technical assistance to Progressive Bank

July 10, 2009 By Leave a Comment

MABS conducted a three-day technical assistance to Progressive Bank on July 7-9, 2009 to review the bank’s microfinance operations, recommend improvements in its operating processes, and provide advice on ways to strengthen its organizational structure and supervision. This is in continuation of the program’s commitment to provide continued support and assistance to its participating banks. [Read more...]

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