Member Benefits

Access to influential policy makers, expertise, information and a wide range of industry related stakeholders.

WSBI focuses on the following activities to strengthen its position as an international voice for savings and retail banking.

International advocacy: stronger voice, more visibility

WSBI provides its members with the opportunity to get their messages heard with international policy and standard setting bodies and to contribute to the achievements and solutions of the savings and retail banking industry. This takes place through the publication of position papers and regular high-level and/or working-level meetings with international bodies such as:

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) with the purpose of raising awareness concerning the role and contribution of savings and retail banks to financial stability and economic development.
The Financial Stability Board (FSB) on a wide range of policy issues impacting the savings and retail banking business model, such as prudential standards.
The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) and the Basel Committee on Banking Super- vision (BCBS) on all regulatory and supervisory issues.
The BIS Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures (CPMI), the FSB and the G20 on issues related to cross-border payments such as FX settlement risks.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on taxation, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) concerning anti-money laundering and terrorist financing issues as well as the International Network on Financial Education (INFE).
The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) concerning international financial reporting standards.
WSBI and its members are monitoring CBDC developments globally and participate in the debates where possible.

Knowledge sharing, access to expertise, information, and peer-to-peer exchanges

WSBI has developed exchange platforms to provide members access to a global network of retail banking experts sharing similar business values, visions, and ambitions to enable sharing of experience and best practices, to reflect their expectations and needs and to support their efforts in addressing critical challenges.
These platforms also provide the opportunity to disseminate and promote the leading-edge knowledge of WSBI in such areas as agent banking, digitalization, mobile channels and remittances and provide members with opportunities for business development within the WSBI network or through partnerships with external stakeholders.

The current focus of knowledge sharing at WSBI is on innovation and peer-to-peer exchanges of information and best practices on improving the customer experience and reducing time to market. Examples
Statutory meetings and Annual Regional Meetings in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Central-Asia, and the Americas: these meetings serve as a platform for exchanges of experience among members and also provide potential members or other interested (international or regional) organizations to appreciate what savings and retail banks and the WSBI stand for.
Regular Conferences on topics related to Retail Banking that provide a platform open to professionals in the field of financial regulations, e.g., policy makers, regulators, bankers, academics, etc.

Market Intelligence and business development

Regular and timely information and analysis on the impact of new developments in international regulation and other issues that concern the activities of the savings and retail banking organizations that make up the WSBI membership. These include regular publications in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish, working papers, position papers, analyses of legislative initiatives, and reports on specific issues that are relevant to members.
Identification of funding opportunities offered by international/regional institutions and provision of support to members in their applications. WSBI has associations with international programs, e.g. International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the World Bank, the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), FSD Africa as well as some international foundations.
Access to potential business partners.
Facilitate ‘members help members’ to capitalize on their combined strengths. This may include the organization of study visits and south/south technical assistance.
Capacity building through WSBI’s first class Training and Consulting services in such areas as change management, agent banking, mobile banking and mobile money, data management and analytics, retail payments, interoperability and G2P, credit activities development, distribution policies, risk management and sustainable financial inclusion, strategic HR development, regional or tailored training and cross-country research.

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