Dear Member,
This forum presents me an opportunity of sharing with you the important developments
of the Institute which have happened in the recent past. Before I do so, let me
again start with a quote.
There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination,
and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the
moment you die, is a process of learning.
Jiddu Krishnamurti.
Foundation Day
Your Institute celebrated its 91st year on 25th April 2019.
At this occasion, Dr. D Udaya Kumar, Associate Professor & Head of Department
of Design, IIT, Guwahati, who created the Indian Rupee Symbol, spoke eloquently
on the process followed by him for designing this symbol. His session was truly
enriching. Besides this, the convocation of the VII batch of the Advanced Management
Program (AMP) also took place.
Advanced Management Program - VIII batch
Your Institute, as a part of its varied offerings, also conducts an Advanced Management
Programme (AMP). The AMP, which is meant for developing and nurturing future leaders
of the industry, is an eight-month program having classes on Sundays and bank holidays.
One of the USPs of this course is an in-built immersion programme on General Management
by IIM Calcutta. While the concepts underpinning general management are taught by
professors of IIM(C), the intricacies involved in the banking and finance domains
are covered by IIBF. Hence, the candidates taking up this course gain an in-depth
subject knowledge from two institutions well known and respected in their respective
fields.
The lectures for the AMP are conducted at IIBF's Leadership Centre at Kurla, Mumbai
and are held on weekends / Bank Holidays.
The VIII batch of the Advanced Management Program is scheduled to commence from
July 2019. As the seats for the AMP are limited, I would urge upon the members
to avail of this opportunity and enrol for the course at your earliest convenience.
Ethics in Banking
Today, ethics and corporate governance are the cornerstones, as they epitomise the
values of an organisation. Most of the renowned institutions both nationally and
internationally have ethics as a part of their curriculum. Recognising the importance,
I am happy to share with you, IIBF has introduced a separate course on “Ethics
in Banking.”
The principles of Ethics in Banking are envisioned to be applied by bankers for
ensuring sustainability of the existing reputation and reliability of the banking
profession to the public and to protect and maintain stability, consistency and
confidence in the banking sector.
As ethical principles need to be followed by all the staff in an organisation, it
was felt imperative by the Institute that knowledge on certain fundamental aspects
of “Ethics in Banking” is disseminated to a larger population of bankers
at different levels. It has therefore been decided, that apart from a separate certificate
course on “Ethics in Banking”, certain units from the courseware on
the subject, are made part of the first paper of JAIIB namely “Principles
and Practices of Banking.” The examination on this subject held in May 2019
had some questions on “Ethics in Banking.”
Self-paced e-learning courses
Presently, all the examinations conducted by the Institute are proctored. Recognizing
the emerging requirements of Gen Y/Z, IIBF has now taken the initiative of developing
self-paced e-learning courses. Two courses namely “Ethics in Banking”
and “Digital Banking” have been taken up in the first phase.
Development of self-paced e-learning is an attempt by IIBF to provide a more conducive
learning environment to professionals employed in the banking and finance sectors.
Under this approach, which harnesses technology to an optimal extent, a candidate
will have the flexibility to register for the exam, learn at his / her own pace,
and finally take an examination from his / her own place.
In the short time since its launch, the responses to the two courses have been heartening.
Case Study Writing Competition
A case study is an important pedagogical tool for enhancing learning and comprehension
of complex and multi-fold situations. IIBF has taken the initiative of organising
a case study writing competition to encourage bankers/finance professionals to share
their knowledge and experience through developing cases, accompanied by Teaching
Notes. The aim of this competition is to encourage bankers to simulate an academic
environment and develop case studies relevant to the banking & finance domains.
I would request members to participate in the competition, share their rich experiences
and also win attractive prizes. Details of the scheme are placed on the website
Collaboration with Chartered Banker Institute
The Chartered Banker Institute, UK and The Indian Institute of Banking & Finance
(IIBF) have signed a Mutual Recognition Agreement.
Under this agreement, “Certified Associates of the Indian Institute of Bankers”
(CAIIB) from India will have their qualifications recognised by the Chartered Banker
Institute, UK and will be able to become Chartered Bankers by studying the Institute’s
Professionalism, Ethics & Regulation module (PER), and successfully completing
a reflective assignment.
Apart from the above development, the JAIIB holders, once they complete the PER
module, will be called as Associate Chartered Banker and after they acquire the
CAIIB qualification, will become a Chartered Banker. For the PER module, the courseware
published by IIBF on “Ethics in Banking” will be the study / reference
material with the reflective assessment being done by the Chartered Banker Institute.
The modalities in this regard are being worked out and the details will be placed
on our website shortly.
Enrolments for different exams
More than 5 lakh candidates enrolled for the various exams of the Institute in 2018-19
presumably due to the value additions offered. The exams are normally conducted
at half yearly intervals, although some of the courses are now available at increased
frequencies.
Meeting of the Heads of HR/Training of Banks
The meeting of the Heads of HR/Training of Banks was held at the Corporate office
of IIBF on 13th February 2019. The participants were briefed by IIBF
about its various activities. This meet helps the Institute in understanding the
requirements of the bankers which culminate in developing new courses.
As a part of this meet, an interactive integrity session was also organised by the
Institute in association with CISI, London. Mr. Kevin Moore, Director, CISI, London
took the session and walked the participants through case studies involving ethical
behaviour.
Examination for Business Correspondents
I am happy to announce that the RBI has mandated the examination for the BCs offered
by IIBF to be taken by all the BCs. The course offered by the Institute will
be the basic certificate course for the BCs.
Virtual Classroom Solution
The Institute has acquired a software for conducting training through the Virtual
Classroom mode. This enables the Institute to disseminate the training inputs to
a larger audience without diluting quality. The trainings for Certified Credit Professionals,
Certificate in Risk in Financial Services, Certified Treasury Professional and Certified
Accounting & Audit Professional are currently being offered in this mode. Kindly
visit our website for more details.
Capacity Building
IIBF is the only Institute which has courses identified by RBI under the capacity
building efforts of the banks, namely Credit Management, Risk Management, Treasury
Management, Accounting & Audit and Foreign Exchange Operations. For the
courses on Credit, Treasury, Risk and Accounting & Audit, the Institute is also
imparting training through its virtual classroom mode (VCRT) apart from the physical
class room mode. The VCRT mode of training, which simulates the physical mode of
training, has enabled the Institute to improve its outreach without diluting its
quality. The training under VCRT mode for the capacity building courses are
offered free of charge and the Institute absorbs the entire cost of training.
I am happy to note that the Institute has witnessed good enrolments for all the
above courses.
Mock Test facility for Examinations
The Institute is offering mock test facility for three of the capacity building
courses, namely, Certified Treasury Professional, Certified Credit Professional
and Risk in Financial Services, in addition to its flagship courses viz. JAIIB &
CAIIB. Any candidate can now take the mock test to familiarize with the examinations.
E- learning
The Institute is providing e-learning for JAIIB, CAIIB, DB&F, Diploma in Treasury,
Investment & Risk Management, Customer Service & Banking Codes & Standards,
Anti-Money Laundering/Know Your Customer and Risk in Financial Services Examinations.
The e-learning for the above subjects are activated within three working days after
registration for the above-mentioned examinations.
Video Lectures now available on YouTube
The Institute is providing the facility of video lectures for all the 3 papers of
JAIIB and 2 compulsory papers of CAIIB, which are now available on the Institute's
official YouTube Channel. For the convenience of the candidates, new video lectures
containing the updates for the JAIIB & CAIIB (two compulsory subjects only)
have also been made available on the Institute’s official YouTube page in
a separate Playlist.
Video lectures, in English and Hindi, covering the BC certification have been recorded
and have been placed on the You Tube page of the Institute.
Training
The Institute, apart from conducting training under the capacity building courses,
also conducts training programmes in other niche areas. Trainings on “Insolvency
and Bankruptcy Code 2016”, "IT & Cyber Security” were conducted
recently in addition to other programmes.
Considering the requirements of the industry, the Institute also introduced new
training programmes during the year. A three-day programme for Internal Auditors
of the Banks and a programme for Law officers of banks and Financial Institutions
were also launched for specialised group of officials,
Bank Quest
The Institute publishes a quarterly journal called “Bank Quest”.
The themes for next issues of “Bank Quest” are identified as:
- Ethics & Corporate Governance in Banks: April - June, 2019
- Emerging technological changes in Banking: July - September, 2019
I request members to contribute articles on the above themes for publication in
“Bank Quest”.
Updation of course wares
Institute has updated all the CAIIB compulsory and elective subjects and also revised/updated
the courseware on Inclusive Banking through BCs in 9 languages.
Social Media
The Institute is on Facebook and You Tube. The page has since got over 1,00,000
likes on various types of posts viz. IIBF / RBI notifications, Quote of the day,
Opinion Poll, Greetings, Photos and videos of various events / seminars / conferences
conducted by the Institute. Besides, there were over 200,000 views on the Institute’s
YouTube page.
Green Initiative
As part of green initiative, the Institute has discontinued sending hard copies
of its monthly publication “IIBF Vision” with effect from October-2015
to its members. In case, you have not registered your e-mail id with the Institute,
I request you to do so to enable the Institute to send copies of IIBF Vision by
e-mail to you in future. You can also download issues of “IIBF Vision”
and “Bank Quest” from the Institute’s website.
We, at the Institute are thankful to all of you for your continued support. I am
also sure your unstinted cooperation will continue in the years to come.
I welcome suggestions and guidance from the members on various academic and training
activities of the Institute.
Dr. J. N. Misra
9th May 2019
