Knowledge Sharing
Harnessing a vast stock of expertise, experience and best practice exchange
>> WSBI regional groups
>> WSBI-ESBG Charter for Responsible Business
>> WSBI-ESBG Innovation & Digitalisation Hub
Our focus.
WSBI-ESBG holds a vast stock of
savings and retail banking knowledge. When that knowledge is exchanged among WSBI-ESBG members, it helps strategic focus areas of 21st century banking: innovation, sustainable finance, financial inclusion and a
proportionate approach to banking rules.
Enabling financial inclusion around the world
Banks engage in building innovative, secure and reliable services to enable the customer financial journey
and build long-lasting relationships with them.
Banks invest heavily in
innovation, taking a digital path, keeping a human touch.
They reap opportunities from FinTech while meeting client needs, security and expectations.
WSBI-ESBG enables idea creation and inspiration between savings and retail banks as well as innovation frontrunners.
Its experts work on several digital workstreams, supporting policy that fuels innovation through a level-playing field
and keeps in view customer protection.
>> Learn more
Moving towards sustainable finance
Sustainable finance supports economic growth while reducing pressures on the environment.
It tackles pollution and focuses on green-house gas emissions by minimising waste and improving efficiency in the use of natural resources.
It is the provision of finance to investments taking into account environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations.
The savings and retail banking model creates growth and jobs as it finances SMEs, which are the
EU engine of growth .
They also play a role in opening their network to everyone, and help to educate citizens in the region in which they operate.
>> Learn more
Banking legislation: striking the right balance
WSBI-ESBG is a propoponent of the proportionality principle, an instrument that aims to achieve the right balance
between the objectives pursued by legislation and the methods used to achieve them.
It is needed balance to prevent the financial system and its regulatory framework
from creating disproportionate obligations to banks that do not adjust to the standards
of size, complexity, business model, and cross-border activity.
When proportionality is applied properly, it creates an evironment for further innovation,
sustainable finance as well as finanical inclusion by savings and retail banks.
>> Learn more
How we exchange.
Advocacy
WSBI-ESBG actively advocates with leaders and key decision makers across relevant international organisations.
The associations have relationships built up with international bodies such as:
the World Bank Group, International Monetary Fund, United Nations, OECD,
EU institutions, Basel Committee, African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the InterAmerican Development Bank, among many others.
It arranges meetings with them with focused agendas that support members’ business models.
When appropriate, members may also be able to participate directly in these meetings together with WSBI-ESBG.
WSBI-ESBG members participate in a range of closed groups that address major regulatory or technical topics
and create forums for best practice exchange with peers. These may be committees, task forces, networks or regional groups.
>> WSBI-ESBG policy positions
Communications, Events, Regional Groups
A dedicated in-house team plan and execute on communications and events-related work.
Their work reaches an international audience of policymakers and stakeholders through
the association website, newsletters, publications and social media platforms such as
LinkedIn and
Twitter.
Events are hosted and organized by WSBI-ESBG and a WSBI member.
Statutory events and conferences and events normally take place either in Brussels, Belgium, or are organised
in other countries where WSBI-ESBG has a member present.
WSBI-ESBG harnesses the latest technology such as conference apps, live streaming and videos, social media
and electronic voting where appropriate.
Knowledge sharing occurs within regional groups to boost members' business development efforts.
>> WSBI Regional Groups |>> Events |>> Publications
Consultancy and Training
Consultancy and Training services from WSBI-ESBG help better transfer knowledge and experience to retail banks and banking sectors worldwide.
Special focus is placed on financial inclusion.
For more than two decades, WSBI has developed into a leading provider in financial sector development project work in more than 70 countries with industry leading consultants from close to 50 countries.
Capacity building is an important part of WSBI training and consultancy.
We help banks impove product design, strategy as well as skills development. Services are provided in various areas of expertise to savings and retail banking sectors, regulated microfinance institutions, central banks and regulatory authorities, and multilateral institutions.
>> WSBI Making Small Scale Savings Work programme | >> WSBI training programmes
>> WSBI Doubling Savings Account programme | Final report in English | French | Spanish
Intelligence
Members access documentation produced by WSBI-ESBG, including white papers, positions and roadmaps. These are delivered to them via the WSBI-ESBG website, an Extranet, an on-line community, regular distribution of ‘Infoflashes’ and newsletters. Expert input is also available via discussions that take place at regional group meetings, conferences and workshops Examples of topics covered include:
Digitization and innovation
Business model change
Corporate social responsibility and sustainable banking
Financial inclusion
Real economy financing
Anti-money laundering / counter terrorist financing
WSBI-ESBG systematically monitors reports, studies and blogs of a range of policy makers, industry players and experts.
It maps members’ concerns via regional group meetings and working groups. It employs various knowledge mapping tools and analytics.
WSBI Advisory Services
Consultancy and training services are offered for an extra fee to WSBI and ESBG members and other retail banking institutions
via
WSBI Advisory Services, a company established in 2016 by WSBI and partners CaixaBank of Spain and Germany’s Savings Banks Foundation for International Cooperation with the aim of improving retail banking worldwide.
>> Find out more