...Roles of International Financial Institutions Marcus Jenkins MGT448 January 10, 2011 Paul Bogert Introduction When listening to the latest television report concerning global business news or world economics, names of financial institutions such as World Bank, International Monetary Funds, and Asian Development Bank may be the center of some discussion. A major player on the global forefront, international financial institutions function much differently from local neighborhood banks. In this paper the author will define the roles of international financial institutions and explain the role international financial institutions play in global financing operations. Also the author describes how international financial institutions can help in managing risks. Defining International Financial Institutions “The international financial institutions (IFIs) are global institutions established to promote economic development and trade” (Arvanitakis, 2001). Governed by international law, these financial institutions are generally established by more than one country. Funded by taxpayers these institutions are also very influential. Each year these institutions lend billions of dollars to help fund economic development and projects in some of the poorer nations in the world. The most prominent example of international financial institutions is the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund were the first...
Words: 1184 - Pages: 5
...theof the globe and tighter global communication. The emergence of this new revolution has changed and elevated the roles that financial institutions play in global functions and their importance. It has also increased their significance in managing risks. This paper intends to first define the roles of financial institutions and describe how they are applied to global financial operations. Then it will elucidate the significance of these institutions in managing risks. Defining International Financial Institutions Financial institutions are institutions that act as financial intermediaries and provide their members and customers with financial services and support. Like their counterparts, international financial institutions serve the same purpose, but are institutions by two or more countries and are subject to international laws (International Financial Institutions). Other functions of international financial institutions are stabilizing the exchange rate, regulating currency conversion, economic and social restructuring, and assisting countries in financial crisis. There are various types of international financial institutions that include Bretton Woods Institutions, Regional financial institutions, and Bi-lateral development banks. Some examples of these financial institutions are the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, European...
Words: 1762 - Pages: 8
...TERMS * Rural Financial Services Project (Africa Development Bank, German Agency for Technical Cooperation, World Bank): refers to a project being undertaken by the above bodies to provide financial services to the rural dwellers to enhance development. * Credit risk: This refers to the degree to which it is likely that a borrower or debtor may not repay a loan or debt. It also means a particular borrower or debtor perceived by a lender or creditor as being particularly not likely to repay a debt. (Microsoft Encarta 2007). | | | INTRODUCTION Poverty is one of the problems faced by the people living in the rural areas and this largely affects their lifestyles both socially and economically. Along with poverty, many other social problems or issues can be pointed out including unemployment, lack of education, lack of proper governance and over population. These problems are associated with poverty and most of the time regarded as causes or effects. In government’s bid to eradicate poverty from the rural areas, it adopted strategies and one of such strategies is microfinance. Microfinance involves the application of innovative methodologies that make financial services available to relatively poor households and microenterprises. Microfinance can also be termed as the practice of providing financial services including micro credit, micro savings and micro insurance to poverty stricken or poor individuals, such that they are assisted to collect large sums of money...
Words: 3433 - Pages: 14
...explore the role of development finance in economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Development Finance is practice of using scarce financial resources in an unconventional ways in order to advance economic activity(ies). According to (Nyembezi, 2009), development finance makes the economy run smoothly and effectively. The aim of the development finance is to look at the challenges and design the framework as well as stimulating core activities that will develop the economic growth. As stated by (Nyembezi, 2009) development finance, in an economy, can be compared to oil in a vehicle engine that ensures its sound and smooth operation. According to (Ocran, 2012), development finance is concerned with the financing of development at: • Household level • Firm level • Geographical area/national/regional level This paper looks at the role of development finance at national and regional level in economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2002) defines development finance officially as funding “used in measuring the inflow of resources to recipient countries: including (a) bilateral official development assistance (ODA), (b) grants and concessional and non-concessional development lending by multilateral financial institutions, and (c) Other Official Flows for development purposes (including refinancing Loans) which have too low a Grant Element to qualify as ODA”. The role of development finance and economic growth ...
Words: 1598 - Pages: 7
...Study The financial system is created to move funds from surplus economic units to deficit economic units in order to produce goods and services and to make investment in new equipment and facilities so as to facilitate the growth of the economy and improve the standard of living of its citizens. It is generally recognized that financial system plays a catalytic role in the process of economic development. The financial system of any nation is a function of the size of its economy. A growing economy places more responsibilities on the financial sector to mobilize the needed capital to facilitate production, generate employment and income. An economy that does not experience growth on sustained basis is likely to have a very passive financial sector as there are no incentives for investment. Through the process of growth, financial system offers a wide range of portfolio options for savers and issuable instruments for investors, a function often referred to as financial intermediation (Oke, 2000). The Nigerian financial system comprises of various institutions, markets and operations that are in the business of providing financial services. These institutions can be broadly categorized into money and capital markets. While money market is a market in which short term financial instruments are traded, the capital market on the other hand deals with long term transactions. The major players in the money market are the banks and discount houses. The intermediation role of banks ensures...
Words: 1201 - Pages: 5
...Abstract Financial intermediation is an important activity in the economy because it allows funds to be channeled from people who might otherwise not put them to productive use to people who will ultimately put the funds to productive uses. In line with the assumption that banking sector plays an important role in financing the investment projects, successive governments in Nigeria have carried out reforms and institutional innovations in the banking sector. The overall intention of these reforms has been to ensure financial stability so as to influence the growth of the economy and also enhance banks to play a critical role of financial intermediation in Nigeria. However, despite the fact that Nigerian banks have undergone series of restructuring/reforms aimed at strengthening the banks’ ability to efficient service delivery and fund the real sector, problems such as; inefficiency in allocating funds to the real sector, lack of long-dated funding, neglect of the core private sector in terms of credit extension, weak capacity of the banks to fund the real sector, low-level activities of banks, and illiquidity still lingers. This study therefore, examines empirically the impact of financial intermediation on the development of the Nigerian economy with the aim of determining the importance of financial intermediaries and its influence. This study found out that the financial intermediaries (banks) in Nigeria exhibit inefficiency and weak capacity in the allocation of funds to...
Words: 9809 - Pages: 40
...Introduction In modern economic society, while the global countries economic become more and more integrated, each member country focuses on the financial developments and economic growth, so that they can occupy one position in the modern competitive economic environment. Financial development involve lots of factors, including producing information about possible investments and allocating capital; monitoring the firm performance and corporate governance; trading, diversification, and management of risk; mobilization and pooling of savings; and easing the exchange of goods and service. Usually the financial development level is primarily determined by the local institutional quality, the extent of government police, geographic elements, native income level and cultural tradition. These factors formed the economic environment in which the banks and other financial firms to make decision for investment project and exogenous financing, furthermore, the customers decide whether consumption or saving, moreover, the financial intermediaries finance the fund in which approach from savers to borrowers. The well financial system can perfect the effect of information, enforcement and transaction cost on the saving rate, investment decision and technological innovation, and steady state growth rate. Financial market channel the fund to investment opportunities to get the profit, so if the financial system cannot work well, the economic growth also more or less affected. The essay mainly...
Words: 3225 - Pages: 13
...Table of Contents 1 Introduction 1 2 Literature review 1 1.2. Theoretical review of financial development and economic growth nexus 1 1.3 Review of the empirical literature 4 1.3.1 Time series 5 1.3.2 Cross-country studies 6 1.3.3 Panel data studies 7 3 Conclusions 8 4 References 9 1 Introduction “Finance is powerful. The financial system can be an engine of economic prosperity – or a destructive cause of economic decline and misery.” Levine, R. (2011) p.85 Obviously, financial system and economy are related. But what is the nature of this relationship? The objective of this paper is to critically evaluate the existing theoretical and empirical literature on the finance-growth nexus. What is the role of the financial sector in economic growth? Does finance cause growth or simply follows it? There is no wide agreement about this task among recognised economists. Even Nobel Prize winners disagree in regard to the role of finance in economic development. Levine (2003) states that the role of finance as a major determinant of economic growth is over-stressed. Moreover Levine (2003) argued that where enterprise leads finance follows. Quite the opposite, important acknowledgment should be taken into account and it follows as “[the idea] that financial markets contribute to economic growth is a proposition too obvious for serious discussion.” Levine (2003) p.1 Similar to that, he also declared that the finance growth...
Words: 3466 - Pages: 14
...ASSIGNMENT#1 Submitted By: Saadia 1. Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic financial institution (AAOIFI) The AAOIFI is a non-profit organization that focuses mainly on the area of accounting and auditing for Islamic financial institutions. While recognizing the need for standards, AAOIFI was established on February 1990 in Algeria and was registered on March 1991 in the kingdom of Bahrain. The organization is supported by 200 institution members from 45 countries across the global. The AAOIFI is one of prominent Islamic agency that attempts to install accounting and auditing standard for Islamic financial industry. The main object is to develop and disseminate accounting and auditing thought relevant to Islamic financial institutions and their applications. Its tasks include holding seminars, publishing periodicals, newsletters, commissioning research and prepare, promulgate, interpret and review, the accounting and auditing standards for Islamic financial institutions. Its notable efforts are to inform and encourage banking supervisors around the world to adopt its standard as the benchmark for Islamic financial institutions in their countries. These attempts to improve the transparency and comparability of the financial reporting of Islamic financial institutions are bearing fruit. The AAOIFI’s standard has been applied in various countries such as Bahrain and Sudan which require Islamic Banks in their countries to follow AAOIFI’s standards. In Qatar and Saudi...
Words: 2021 - Pages: 9
...profitable because due to the lack of monetary resources. Only few people of rural India are using capital intensive method to cultivate their lands. The most of the rural people are not sustaining in their small business for a long period of time due to insufficient fund available with them. Microfinance in one of the important tool which plays a significant role in poverty elimination and economic development of rural poor. The need therefore, is to share experiences and materials, which will help not only in understanding...
Words: 1260 - Pages: 6
...Development of Non Bank Financial Institutions to Strengthen the Financial System of Bangladesh - MONZUR HOSSAIN∗ -MD. SHAHIDUZZAMAN∗ Abstract Non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) represent one of the most important parts of a financial system. In Bangladesh, NBFIs are new in the financial system as compared to banking financial institutions (BFIs). Starting from the IPDC in 1981, a total of 25 NBFIs are now working in the country. As on June 30, 2001 the total amount of paid up capital and reserve of 24 NBFIs stood Tk.6901.8 million (BB, 2002). The NBFIs sector in Bangladesh consisting primarily of the development financial institutions, leasing enterprises, investment companies, merchant bankers etc. The financing modes of the NBFIs are long term in nature. Traditionally our banking financial institutions are involved in term lending activities, which are mostly unfamiliar products for them. Inefficiency of BFIs in long-term loan management has already leaded an enormous volume of outstanding loan in our country. At this backdrop, in order to ensure flow of term loans and to meet the credit gap, NBFIs have immense importance in the economy. In addition, non-bank financial sector is important to increase the mobilization of term savings and for the sake of providing support services to the capital market. The focus of this paper is to highlight the necessity and importance of NBFIs to strengthen the financial system for rapid economic development of the country. 1. Introduction...
Words: 6441 - Pages: 26
...INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS ROLE OF GLOBAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS International financial institutions (IFIs) are financial institutions that have been established by more than one country, and hence are subjects of international laws. Their owners or shareholders are generally national governments, although other international institutions and other organizations occasionally figure as shareholders. The most prominent IFIs are creations of multiple nations, although some bilateral financial institutions exist and are technically IFIs. Many of these are multilateral development banks (MDB). WHAT ARE INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS (IFI’S)? World Bank Group (WBG): * International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) * International Development Association (IDA) * International Finance Corporation (IFC) * Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) * International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) International Monetary Fund (IMF) Regional development banks, such as: * African Development Bank (AFDB) * Asian Development Bank (ADB) * Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) * Bank of the South * European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Other regional financial institutions e.g. European Investment Bank (EIB) Export Credit Agencies of individual country governments, such as: 1. US Export Import Bank (EXIM) 2. Japan External Trade Organization Hermes Kreditversicherungs...
Words: 2751 - Pages: 12
...Paper No. 2006/54 Central Banks as Agents of Economic Development Gerald Epstein* May 2006 Abstract In the last two decades, there has been a global sea change in the theory and practice of central banking. The currently dominant ‘best practice’ approach to central banking consists of the following: (1) central bank independence (2) a focus on inflation fighting (including adopting formal ‘inflation targeting’) and (3) the use of indirect methods of monetary policy (that is, short-term interest rates as opposed to direct methods such as credit ceilings). This paper argues that this neo-liberal approach to central banking is highly idiosyncratic in that, as a package, it is dramatically different from the historically dominant theory and practice of central banking, not only in the developing world, but, notably, in the now developed countries themselves. Throughout the early and recent history of central banking in the US, England, Europe, and elsewhere, financing governments, managing exchange rates, and supporting economic sectors by using ‘direct methods’ of intervention have been among the most important tasks of central banking and, indeed, in many cases, were among the reasons for their existence. The neo-liberal central bank policy package, then, is drastically out of step with the history and dominant practice of central banking throughout most of its history. Keywords: financing, institutions, central banks, history, development JEL classification: E5, N2, O2 Copyright...
Words: 10416 - Pages: 42
...An Overview of the Malaysian Banking Sector FINA0501 ASIAN FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS TERM PAPER LEE JUNHONG, JEREMY 2010540826 I. Introduction Malaysia has been an important player in the Asian economy since the early days of independence, and even before that, as a British protectorate. It is currently the third largest economy in Southeast Asia, and is the 28th largest economy in the world in terms of purchasing power parity according to the World Bank. Malaysia has also successfully diversified its role by focusing her economy on both the traditional sphere of primary agricultural produce as well as being a hub for light manufacturing in consumer durables and electronics. Strong economic planning and farsighted vision by both the government and central bank has been instrumental in maintaining a strong growth rate of her economy; her combined year on year growth since independence in 1957 has averaged 6.6%, which is no doubt a stellar record and one of the highest in Asia. The financial institutions and their functions have been instrumental in this success, and this paper will strive to highlight the strengths and weaknesses, as well as a general overview of the Malaysian banking sector. I. Historical background The earliest beginnings of the banking sector in Malaysia dates back to the early 19th Century under British influence and the expatriate (mainly British) merchant communities. The Straits Settlements comprising of Singapore, Malacca and Penang were administered...
Words: 2999 - Pages: 12
...Impact of Microfinance Institution on Nigeria Economy Ghana Christian University College SDM 201222101014 Introduction to Microfinance Mr. Sam Quinn Word Count: 2241 Dec. 2, 2014 Table of Content Pg Introduction 3 Definition of Terms 3 Concept of Microfinance 3 The Goals of Microfinance Institutions 5 Impact of Microfinance on the Economy of Nigeria 6 Negative Impact of MFIs on the country (Nigeria) 10 Conclusion Introduction Since the advent of microfinance institution in Bangladesh in the mid 1970’s, several countries have copied this financing model. The Nigerian governments over the years have had to grapple with poverty and unemployment. The realization that many of these poor and/or unemployed persons are not without skills, ideas and willingness to work, must have propelled the government to make finance accessible to them. The seeming popularity of this model among developing countries is predicated on poverty reduction prospect it offers. The Nigerian government cued into this popular thinking in 2005 when it inaugurated the microfinance institution scheme. This was founded to provide finance to economically active poor excluded from financing by conventional banks, provide employment, engender rural development and reduce poverty. The introduction of microfinance institutions in Nigeria is the inability of Nigerian Deposit Money Banks to provide sufficient financial service to the rural...
Words: 2614 - Pages: 11
