F&F
RF sponsored study in India
RIAS CELEBRATES ITS 20™ ANNIVERSARY
ASIA
AUSTRALIA
NEW ZEALAND
NORTH AMERICA
SOUTH AMERICA
NETHERLANDS
EUROPE
Asia
Global
RI IN THE NEWS
Just the facts &figures
Rabobank has a clear goal: to be the
leading F&A bank globally. The infor-
mation below shows the biggest F&A
sectors across the different RI regions:
1 Processed foods
2 Food retail
3 Grains oilseeds
1 Grain
2 Beef
3 Sheep
1 Dairy
2 Beef/sheep
3 Wine/horticulture
1 Protein
2 Dairy
3 Grains oilseeds
1 Grains oilseeds
2 Sugar
3 Poultry
1 Dairy
2 Animal nutrition
3 Animal protein
1 Beverages
2 Grains oilseeds
3 Processed foods
6 ISSUE 22 JANUARY 2010 THE WORD
A specially commissioned study by the Rabobank
Foundation, released at the 2009 Microfinance
India Summit, has revealed the critical factors
behind successful Community Owned Micro
finance Institutions (COMFI) in India. Entitled
'Community-Owned Microfinance Institutions:
Enabling doublé bottom-line impact', the study
profiled six community-owned microfinance
institutions and the challenges they faced.
Some of the issues raised in the course of the
study were related to corporate governance,
leadership practices, legal structures and sus-
tainability of the community-owned structure.
Through a series of insightful observations,
the study offers a holistic understanding of
the community ownership models in India.
Serving as a platform for best practice sharing, it
seeks to reach out to the budding community-
based microfinance organisations and farmers'
cooperatives in India's microfinance sector.
The report also provides recommendations
for institutions that are looking to enter the
community ownership space.
Fier Royal Highness, Princess Maxima of the
Netherlands, presented results of the study
during the 2009 Microfinance India Summit.
In October 2009, Rabo International Advisory
Services (RIAS) celebrated its 20th anniversary
of providing consulting services and manage
ment support to banks in the fields of retail and
rural banking, cooperative development, and
agricultural chain development in developing
countries and emerging markets.
RIAS director, Gerard van Empel, explains that
when RIAS began it was a small company.
"Now, following the creation of Rabo Develop
ment five years ago, through which we can
make investments in selected banks, we are
right at the centre of the organisation. This
year we've sent over 150 mainly Rabobank
colleagues abroad on short term contracts,
and we have 27 people that are working in
the field on long term contracts."
In the next 20 years, Gerard expects RIAS and
Rabo Development to continue growing. "In
countries where change was previously very
slow, things will move faster in the coming
years. People everywhere are gaining access to
knowledge that was previously limited to those
in more prosperous countries. As countries
become less isolated, a more level playing field
is created, which leads to increased dependency
and interaction with each other. I see our
growth in the next 20 years coming primarily
from increased involvement in Africa, while in
other markets I see us growing in tandem with
our cooperation with RI. I see our partner banks
as independent satellites linked to Rabobank,
which in the long term creates many business
opportunities for Rabobank."
"More importantly, based on the roots of
Rabobank, I expect that we will be able to
provide financial services to tens of millions of
households, including farmers, through our
partner banks, which positively influences their
well being and the economy of these countries.
We can achieve this with less than 5 percent of
the capital allocation of RI, and although not a
direct objective, with a similar return on invest-
ment as RI makes."
