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."

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