Alumni Forums

The GLOPAC Alumni Forum was held in Johannesburg, South Africa on January 28. The conference opened with greetings and updates from the Financial Service Agency, followed by presentations by GLOPAC alumni from Angola, Botswana, South Arica and Zimbabwe. Alumni reported their progress across multiple fields, including banking, securities and insurance. The Financial Attaché also joined part of the forum to get to know the former Visiting Fellows, which will help build a closer relationship in the future. The GLOPAC Secretariat visited the Reserve Bank of South Africa and the Financial Services Conduct Authority together with the Financial Attaché and exchanged information to better understand each other and discussed certain topics.

The Tokyo GLOPAC Alumni Forum was held on October 2 at the Financial Services Agency in Tokyo. Six GLOPAC attended, coming from Brazil, Cambodia, India, Thailand, Vietnam and Zimbabwe. The former Visiting Fellows presented on their progress since their successful completion of the Program. The next day, former Visiting Fellows attended a special event called “Technology and Capital Market Regulation” delivered by international executives, professors, and experts.

The GLOPAC Alumni Forum in Indonesia was held on September 18. The conference opened with greetings and updates from the Financial Service Agency, followed by presentations by five GLOPAC former Visiting Fellows on their progress since graduation. The conference ended with a particularly lively group discussion that extended well past the planned half hour. The GLOPAC Secretariat visited the Financial Services Agency of Indonesia and talked about how we can further reinforce cooperation between the two authorities.

The GLOPAC Alumni Forum in Kazakhstan was held on July 4 at the Astana International Financial Center (AIFC) in connection with the Astana Financial Days event. Two former Visiting Fellows who work at AIFC presented on their progress since finishing the GLOPAC Fellowship Program and on developments in FinTech in Asia. The event itself was held in the AIFC office and it was a great opportunity to hear from the former Visiting Fellows about how they had applied what they learned and experienced during the GLOPAC Fellowship Program. We are also glad to hear that one of them is acting as a bridge between AIFC and the Embassy of Japan in Kazakhstan.

The first GLOPAC Alumni Forum in Latin America was held on November 2 at Japan House São Paulo. Greetings and updates from the Financial Service Agency were followed by presentations from former Visiting Fellows from Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Peru. They described their progress and experiences after completing the Program. The Financial Attaché at the Embassy of Japan in Brazil also participated in the forum and made a presentation about the Embassy as well as his current work. Conference attendees also had the chance to experience Japanese traditional culture with a short tour of Japan House, a massively popular cultural and fine arts exhibition facility designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. The GLOPAC Secretariat also visited the Central Bank of Brazil, Securities and Exchange Commission of Brazil and Superintendency of Private Insurance to exchange views and also for further strengthening mutual understanding and cooperation.

The GLOPAC Alumni Forum in Thailand took place on March 13 and 14 at the Embassy of Japan. Greetings and updates from the Financial Services Agency were followed by presentation by the Financial Attaché at the Embassy of Japan in Thailand. Then former Visiting Fellows representing three different organizations gave presentations on their progress in the fields of banking, insurance, and securities, respectively. These presentations are evidence of the way the GLOPAC network transcends organizational barriers. After the presentations, GLOPAC Secretariat as well as the Financial Attaché visited the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Central Bank of Thailand, and the Office of Insurance Commission to further reinforce their relationship with officials of these authorities.

The GLOPAC Alumni Forum in Mongolia was held on February 6 and 7 in Mongolia’s capital of Ulaanbaatar. On the first day, conference participants gathered at the Central Bank of Mongolia. After meeting with bank officials, GLOPAC alumni from the Central Bank and Financial Regulatory Commission of Mongolia discussed their post-GLOPAC Fellowship Program progress. Day two of the forum was held at the Financial Regulatory Commission, where guests met with officials from the Commission and former Visiting Fellows.

The GLOPAC Alumni Forum in Cambodia took place on May 9 at the National Bank of Cambodia. GLOPAC former Visiting Fellows presented on topics concerning deposit protection systems and deposit insurance, and Dean Yoshino from the Asian Development Bank Institute gave a lecture on deposit insurance and bank resolution in Japan. Former Visiting Fellows shared how they have been able to incorporate their knowledge and experiences from the GLOPAC Program into their current careers.

The GLOPAC Alumni Forum for twelve Vietnamese GLOPAC former Visiting Fellows was held at the Embassy of Japan from February 13 to 15. The first day, four participants met with a Deputy Head from the Insurance Supervisory Authority for individual assessments. On day two of the conference, former Visiting Fellows presented their progress in the fields of banking, securities, and insurance, and FSA’s JICA expert lectured on the status of national banking reform in Vietnam. The final day, two participants met with the Deputy Head of the State Securities Commission.