Spółdzielczy Partner Programu NZB

– Chcieliśmy pokazać, że banki spółdzielcze są jednostkami mobilnymi i na wskroś nowoczesnymi. Placówki te, od wielu lat związane z lokalnymi środowiskami, oferują atrakcyjne miejsca pracy dla młodych mieszkańców małych miejscowości – powiedział Waldemar Zbytek, Wiceprezes Zarządu Centrum Prawa Bankowego i Informacji oraz pomysłodawca Programu NZB. – Ma to szczególne znaczenie w obecnej sytuacji naszego kraju, kiedy ucieczka do dużych aglomeracji miejskich nie daje  gwarancji uzyskania zatrudnienia, tymczasem bankowość spółdzielcza umożliwia budowanie ścieżki kariery w miejscu zamieszkania, w branży, która od wielu lat cieszy się niezmiennym zaufaniem i prestiżem.

– Współpraca Banku Polskiej Spółdzielczości z Centrum Prawa Bankowego i Informacji ZBP w ramach Programu Nowoczesne Zarządzanie Biznesem obejmie przede wszystkim cykl wykładów na wyższych uczelniach o profilu ekonomicznym lub rolniczym. Udział Banków Spółdzielczych Grupy BPS w Programie ma przede wszystkim na celu zwiększenie wiedzy nt. bankowości spółdzielczej wśród młodych ludzi, promocję misji i wartości banków spółdzielczych i wskazanie na ich szczególną rolę w społecznościach lokalnych – dodał Zdzisław Kupczyk, Prezes Zarządu Banku BPS S.A.

Wykłady będą prowadzili głównie wyznaczeni przez NZB koordynatorzy mający doświadczenie akademickie, ale również prezesi banków spółdzielczych. Wykłady będą więc wzbogacone o wiedzę praktyczną zdobytą podczas pracy w banku spółdzielczym.

Więcej w numerze 01/2017 „Banku Wspólnych Sił” Grupy BPS, dostępnym pod tym linkiem.

Sektor finansowy edukuje razem z samorządami – podpisano kolejne porozumienie!

Jak przekonują przedstawiciele stron porozumienia edukacja ekonomiczna jest niezbędnym elementem przygotowania młodego człowieka do życia we współczesnym świecie, zaś skuteczna realizacja tego zadania wymaga szerokich działań wspieranych przez instytucje rynku finansowego oraz inne odpowiedzialne za edukację w tym zakresie.

 

Bezpośrednim celem Porozumienia jest współpraca przy realizacji działań edukacyjnych w dziedzinie ekonomii i finansów, skierowanych do dzieci i młodzieży, realizowanych
w ramach Programu Edukacji Ekonomicznej Sektora Finansowego, prowadzonego  przez Warszawski Instytut Bankowości.

 

 

Sygnatariuszami Porozumienia są:

  • Burmistrz Miasta Brzeg – Jerzy Wrębiak
  • Prezes Związku Banków Polskich – Krzysztof Pietraszkiewicz
  • Wiceprezes Warszawskiego Instytutu Bankowości – Waldemar Zbytek

 

 

Uroczystość podpisania porozumienia odbyła się w Ratuszu Miejskim w obecności wielu przedstawicieli wojewódzkich i lokalnych instytucji zajmujących się działalnością edukacyjną m.in.: szef RZWPE Lesław Tomczak, Opolski Kurator Oświaty Michał Siek, Dyrektor Powiatowego Urzędu Pracy Zbigniew Kłaczek, Elżbieta Szaran trener z Fundacji Młodzieżowej Przedsiębiorczości oraz dyrektorzy brzeskich placówek edukacyjnych.

Współpracę zainaugurował Konkurs Wiedzy Finansowej BAKCYL. W dniu podpisania porozumienia w czterech brzeskich gimnazjach blisko 500 uczniów przystąpiło do I etapu konkursu i rozwiązało test wiedzy. Wiceprezes WIB Waldemar Zbytek oraz Dyrektor Projektu BAKCYL Urszula Szulc spotkali się z uczniami w każdej ze szkół i w ramach odbywających się tam Dni Kariery przedstawili zawód bankowca, a także omówili zasady konkursu i wyniki testu wiedzy. W drugim etapie uczniowie przystąpią do gry symulacyjnej „Pierwszy milion”. Finał Konkursu Wiedzy Finansowej BAKCYL w Brzegu nastąpi w połowie marca.

 

 

 

Naszym wspólnym celem  jest wprowadzić młodzież w świat codziennych finansów, tak aby potrafili wykorzystać dla siebie odpowiednie usługi finansowe na starcie w dorosłość oraz zabezpieczyć swoje potrzeby na przyszłość.

Smile :)

It was removed 6 months later for lack of customer approval. John Shepher-Barron, a Scottish inventor, reportedly was in the bathtub when he had his “eureka!” moment, coming up with the idea of a vending machine that dispenses money, not chocolate bars.  He pitched the idea to the British bank Barclays and they adopted it by 1967.  The machine used PIN codes but not magnetic stripes – it relied on a radioactive isotope carbon to initiate a withdrawal!

Source: http://activerain.com/blogsview/4428147/43-fun-facts-about-atm-machines-

 

ATMs have different names in different countries. In Australia and Canada they’re called “bank machines” or “money machines”, in New Zealand they’re called “Cash Points”, “Hole-in-the-walls” in the United Kingdom, and “Bancomats” in Europe.

Source: http://activerain.com/blogsview/4428147/43-fun-facts-about-atm-machines-

 

 

The banking conglomerate Wells Fargo installed two automatic teller machines at McMurdo Station, the largest science hub in Antarctica

Source: www.mentalfloss.com/article/63741/worlds-loneliest-atm-antarctica

 

 

 

 

Former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan has a poorly veiled tic in his right eyebrow. Investors measured how high he raised it while talking, saying it was a better indicator of whether interest rates were going up.

Source: www.bankrate.com/finance/federal-reserve/fun-federal-reserve-facts-4.aspx

 

 

 

The Knights Templar in the XII century began generating letters of credit for pilgrims journeying to the Holy Land: pilgrims deposited their valuables with a local Templar preceptory before embarking, received a document indicating the value of their deposit, then used that document upon arrival in the Holy Land to retrieve their funds. This innovative arrangement was an early form of travellers cheques.

Source: http://www.crystalinks.com/templars1.html

 

 

A scientific study conducted in 2009 concluded that somewhere between 90-94% of all U.S. bills in circulation carry traces of cocaine on them. This is largely due to the practices of drug traffickers who move large amounts of cash with the drug all over their hands, and the fact that the bills are often rolled up into straws and used to snort the drug.

Source: www.supermoney.com/2014/08/20-absurd-facts-about-money

Leveraging SME Capabilities to Serve Women – Turkish bank case study

With the help of Global Banking Alliance for Women experts, the bank has prepared holistic customer value proposition (CVP) for women, which was launched as TEB Women Banking Program. It is based on four pillars, which meet financial and non-financial business needs of women owners: access to finance, access to information, access to markets, access to mentorship and couching. 

In order to increase the access to finance, TEB in cooperation with European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, launched a loan for start-ups owned by women, which does not require any collateral. Moreover, because gold is a very popular investment among Turkish women, TEB accepts it as collateral in other forms of credit.

In order to satisfy the non-financial needs of women-owned SME’s, many additional services have been launched, i.e. TEB Women Academy, where women can improve their management skills, SME TV Women and free one-on-one business advisory. Providing their women-oriented services, TEB cooperates also with other institutions from Turkish business ecosystem (i.e. the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, WEConnect International, ActionCoach). 

In 2016, the program was prized with BAI Global Banking Innovation Award in “Innovation in Societal and Community Impact” category.

Summary by Beata Lewicka

 

Sources:

http://www.gbaforwomen.org/download/gba-case-study-teb/

https://www.teb.com.tr/upload/PDF/press_releases/2016%202Q-BasinBulteni%20ENG%20040816.pdf

https://www.bai.org/globalinnovations/awards/2016-winners

 

Student Banking in Russia

At first glance, it is just a debit card, which can be used to make cashless payments. But it has many additional non-financial functions such as: a student identity card, an access key to digital resources of university or entry-pass to university buildings. Moreover, via information stands that are situated in the campus, students can easily order books from the library, check timetables and request documents from the dean’s office. The campus card can also serve as a ticket in Moscow’s public transport system, a mandatory medical insurance policy, and a discount card in shops and service points which take part in the partnership programme.

Similar programs were launched by B&N Bank, Credit Ural Bank and Gazprom Bank. The latter, offers campus cards in the form of ISIC (International Student Identity Card), which gives its owners additional benefits, such as: free admissions to museums, theatres, cultural centres, discounts on flight tickets, hotels, restaurants etc. 

Summary by Beata Lewicka

 

Sources:

Link 1

Link 2

Link 3

Link 4

Link 5

 

A Project with ZUS – Social insurance important in everybody’s life

The objective of “A Project with ZUS” for lower-secondary schools is to develop awareness in young people regarding social insurance and the significance of being covered with such insurance, which will prove useful to them in the future. During the project implementation, they will learn about the basics of the current social insurance system, the responsibilities of its participants and the benefits available to insured parties.

An educationalist participated in the preparation of didactic materials for “A Project with ZUS”. The materials were tested initially in small groups of students. The project pilot took place in the 2015/2016 school year in 11 lower-secondary schools in Olsztyn, Warsaw and locations near Warsaw. 16 teachers and 272 students took part in it. The feedback from students and teachers helped polish the educational materials. At present “A Project with ZUS” is conducted all over Poland – in schools which volunteered for the scheme. 

“A Project with ZUS” is a single lesson carried out with multimedia presentations and a film. The following educational materials were developed for its purposes:

  • an introductory lesson plan (project's objectives and scope of subject matter),
  • a presentation for the lesson with a survey-film lasting several minutes: What does Polish society know about social insurance?

plus content-related supervision and training for teachers – project heads. 

The lessons emphasise the principle of social solidarity, need for individual assurance of one's retirement in the future and possibility to use social insurance during the period of social activity. The project's goal is to raise the social-insurance awareness in the young generation of Poles on a systematic basis.

“A Project with ZUS” is planned as a yearlong project conducted in all the lower-secondary schools which have volunteered. The communication with schools is the responsibility of branch heads of the Social Insurance Institution as well as those in charge of social communications and education in ZUS branches. Education and communication positions have didactic materials and provide content-related advice for teachers concerned. Should a school report such a need, each ZUS branch is obliged to train the teachers who will conduct the classes for students and to present and carry out instruction lessons.

The handbooks intended for the students of lower-secondary school miss information concerning social insurance. 

They include issues relating to the human being in the society, nation and state, civil activity, the system of the Republic of Poland and local governments but no knowledge essential for people entering the labour market who are to secure the future for themselves and their families in case of illness, incapacity for work or death. 

As ZUS performs the general social security scheme tasks in Poland, it decided to engage lower-secondary schools (teachers and students) in insurance issues. Social insurance applies to the vast majority of Poles. As shown by studies commissioned by ZUS and conducted in 2016, barely 7% of Poles have sufficient knowledge while 60% of people are ill-acquainted or totally ignorant. 33% of people have medium-level knowledge (40-60% of correct answers). 

Following “Classes with ZUS” (for upper-secondary schools), “A Project with ZUS” is another project addressed to secondary-school students. The Social Insurance Institution has also developed lectures for university/academy students and introduces them gradually as an educational offer in Polish universities and academies.


What is ZUS?

The Social Insurance Institution (Pol.: Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych – ZUS) is a state-owned organisational entity with legal personality, which handles the collection of citizens' social and health insurance premiums and the distribution of benefits (e.g. retirement pensions and disability, sickness or maternity benefits) according to the amounts and rules set out in generally applicable laws.

ZUS has gathered experiences in insurance operations for over 80 years. It was established on 24 October 1934 with a decision of President Ignacy Mościcki to integrate the five state insurance chambers which had operated till then. Since its establishment it has counted among the most modern and best organised institutions of this type all over the world.

At present, ZUS provides services for approximately 24 million customers, which places it among top financial institutions in Poland. ZUS is the administrator for the means of the Social Security Fund which account for nearly 50% of the state's monetary resources. However, the Institution does not pursue its own financial policy and cannot decide on its own about rates or benefits – the relevant policy is shaped by the Parliament through statutory arrangements. 

Source: www.zus.pl

Link: http://www.zus.pl/default.asp?p=2&id=2


Source: Social Insurance Institution (Pol.: Zakład Ubezpieczeń Społecznych, ZUS)

 

 

The polish financial sector together for the development of professional competence and the improvement of service quality

It was initiated by the partnership of the Warsaw Banking Institute with the Polish Bank Association, among others. The Council represents a total of 25 entities, including commercial and cooperative banks, industry organisations, higher education establishments and training companies.

– For the financial sector, the Council's establishment and activity will allow the entire sector to adapt to and integrate further with the changing landscape of financial services and needs of banks' customers. Financial institutions will thus be able to prepare more effectively for new market trends and regulations and banks will improve the quality of their services and customer assistance on an ongoing basis, said the President of the Polish Bank Association and Chairperson of the Council, Krzysztof Pietraszkiewicz.

As a sector representation, the Council wants to engage in the comprehensible qualification scheme being created in the European Union, which aids in implementing the lifelong learning idea, among other things. As indicated by the Council initiators, the process participation rate among adults in Poland is disturbingly low. At present, the rate is at 10.7% on average in EU countries while it was barely 3.5% in Poland last year (figures by Eurostat).


Michał Polak

 

Source:

https://zbp.pl/eng/news

Get Wise! – developing financial literacy among young Kiwi

ASB GetWise provides workshops at three primary school levels and at intermediate level. With the help of a qualified facilitator, kids, through games, stories and fun activities, obtain knowledge about money value, credit and debit cards, how money is earned, how to manage a household budget or even how to run their own business.  In order to make it more entertaining, in the early age groups, the facilitator plays a role of the Superhero ‘Captain Cashtastic’ and trains students to become „Cashtastic Superheroes”.  In older groups, students interactively earn interest, help their classmates reach their savings goals and take part in „cash-clever” quest.

ASB GetWise has facilitators based in bigger cities, but they are also ready to visit other school communities across New Zealand.

ASB has also introduced interesting educational toy „Clever Cash”, which is a form of a cashless „piggy bank”.  Parents use ASB Mobile app to send virtual notes and coins to Clever Kash, and it will display the child's updated ASB account balance. Thanks to that, kids learn how virtual money works and are more motivated to save their pocket money.

Summary by Beata Lewicka


Sources:
https://www.nzba.org.nz/banking-information/financial-literacy/
http://www.getwise.co.nz
https://www.asb.co.nz/banking-with-asb/clever-kash.html

Is Deutsche Bank out of the woods?

The bank's bad situation resulted from a number of events and dates back to 2013, when Deutsche Bank had to pay the EUR 725 million penalty imposed by the European Union for manipulating the LIBOR rate. However, the greatest drivers behind the bank's problems were events in 2015 and 2016. For instance, Deutsche Bank failed US stress tests both in 2015 and 2016; therefore, FED demanded that Deutsche Bank improves significantly its risk control system; otherwise it would fail the stress tests again and would be forced to limit its operations in the USA. Further, the bank had to pay another LIBOR-rigging fine, this time imposed by the USA and Great Britain. The bank's difficult situation enforced a restructuring plan which cut costs by reducing the markets in which Deutsche Bank operated and firing employees both in the country and abroad. Moreover, the lowered rating of Deutsche Bank damages its credibility in the global market.

The information about Brexit escalated the losing streak of Deutsche Bank. The UK market had accounted for 19% of the bank's income till then. On top of that, the International Monetary Fund officially considered Deutsche Bank to be the largest risk for the stability of the global banking system. Besides those events, the European Central Bank's policy based on low interest rates does not help banks' incomes rise. Since banks aim at maximum profit, they become involved in large-scale investment banking operations. One should emphasise though that Deutsche Bank's problems result from its flawed strategy of involvement in the securities trading in the global market.

The report for the third quarter Deutsche Bank published on 27 October 2016 came as a surprise to everybody with the profit of EUR 278 million, mostly from investment banking operations. Further, the bank's management board assures it is prepared for claims up to EUR 5.5 billion. In its press releases, it also admits USD 14 billion is just a starting point for negotiations with the US Department of Justice and it does not intend to pay the fine in such an amount. At the beginning of January 2017 Deutsche Bank reached a settlement with the US Department of Justice – ultimately, it shall pay USD 7.2 billion “only”; Deutsche Bank will pay a fine of USD 3.1 billion for the sale of toxic assets related to the mortgage market and put USD 4.1 billion as coverage affected consumers compensations.

Does the information allow us to claim Deutsche Bank is out of the woods? Hard to say. Firstly, the bank still has other unsettled claims besides the penalty imposed by the USA; approximately 7.8 thousand lawsuits against the bank are pending e.g. for manipulating the price of gold or for money laundering. According to the latest information, Deutsche Bank has agreed to pay a fine for its participation in money laundering in Russia. The bank has to assign USD 425 million for a fine in the USA and USD 204.46 million in the UK. The unknown is how much additional capital Deutsche Bank will need and the fact where it would come from. The citizens of Germany voice their unwillingness to save the bank with public money, especially as Deutsche Bank's operations are governed by the bank and its managers' interest only.

Secondly, the bank has got a strategic problem. Deutsche Bank needs to reduce its operations in the investment banking segment or, in line with the German act called Trennbankengesetz, transfer it to a separate entity. Further, according to the restructuring plan, the bank's major area of operations is supposed to be operations in the segments of corporate clients, payment transactions, retail banking and fixed asset management. Meanwhile the withdrawal of EUR 20 billion (including EUR 17 billion from the fixed asset management area) proclaims the loss of clients' trust in the bank. Moreover, the huge IT modernisation expenditure may be another burden for the bank.

Deutche Bank is systemically important and its fall would cause a crash on the global financial market with much more severe implications than the fall of Lehman Brothers. On that account, the German government will probably not allow for the fall of the German financial giant, especially that Deutsche Bank is a crucial financial institution providing services for the concerns of Germany in foreign commerce. In addition, the fall of a systemically important bank would bring about the domino effect.

We should remember, however, that Deutsche Bank did not use public aid in the financial crisis. It coped with the difficulties by itself – let us hope it will do so in this case as well. The acceptance of financial penalties may also be indicative of its willingness to provide a remedy and struggle to regain consumer confidence.

Anna Dąbkowska

http://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/unternehmen/deutsche-bank-was-steckt-hinter-dem-ueberraschenden-gewinn-a-1118536.html

http://www.dw.com/pl/niemiecka-prasa-o-problemach-deutsche-bank-pocz%C4%85tek-ko%C5%84ca/a-35937386

https://deutsche-wirtschafts-nachrichten.de/2016/12/23/deutsche-bank-stimmt-milliarden-strafe-in-den-usa-zu/

http://www.zeit.de/wirtschaft/2017-01/vergleich-deutsche-bank-strafe-geldwaesche-russland

Dear Readers

Yet, not to sound so somber (the text, as the whole newsletter, is very optimistic indeed) I encourage you to read how a Turkish bank assists women in their entrepreneurial endeavours or how a few Russian banks contributed to the development of a multifunctional campus card for students. Student issues, but not only university students, and economic and financial education is predominating in this issue of the Review. You are presented with a few educational projects that are run with success and add to the financial literacy among young people. And finally, the part that you probably like the most – funny facts from the global web. This time we devote a lot of time to the history of ATM and… Better read it yourself 😉

Happy reading and have fun!
 

Agnieszka Krawczyk
Executive Editor