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A new PSDI publication examines the use, challenges and potential of mobile phone-based banking services in the Pacific region. Digital Financial Services in the Pacific: Experiences and Regulatory Issues identifies mobile banking and the use of technology as a particularly effective way to enhance access to financial services in a region beset by challenging geography and poor infrastructure. The uptake of mobile banking has been held back, however, by issues such as...
The leadership workshops attracted participants from major Tongan businesses and government departments. The Women’s Business Leadership Program took place in Nuku’alofa, Tonga, over three, two-day sessions that aimed to provide attendees with the skills, knowledge, mentoring, and networking opportunities they require to advance their careers. All attendees selected to take part in the workshops currently work in mid-level roles in the public or private sectors. The workshops covered a range of topics,...
The 4th Pacific Business Registries Workshop, a two-day event co-hosted by PSDI and the New Zealand Companies Office (NZCO), was held earlier this week in Sydney and over the course of discussions among experts and officials from 10 Pacific island nations, eight key issues emerged that will occupy the Pacific's registry developers, in the short to medium term (ranked in order of importance): *E-payments/Online Payments *– in an age of booming e-commerce many registries...
Following the presentations, PSDI’s representatives took a number of questions from the audience. PSDI presented two papers at the 2016 Australasian Aid Conference in February, which generated lively discussion and debate. The conference, held by the Australian National University in Canberra, is a key forum for the discussion of international development policy in Asia and the Pacific. The first paper challenged the current push for credit guarantees as a means to promote access...
When shopping for fresh produce at Apia’s fish or fruit markets, the new competition act will help consumers get quality produce at a fair price. Samoa is set to become a fairer and safer place to do business and to purchase goods and services after the government passed the Competition and Consumer Act 2016 in January. “An effective competition framework with appropriate protections for consumers sets the stage for sustainable growth and...
PSDI has published its first private sector assessment for the Cook Islands. Cook Islands: Stronger Investment Climate for Sustainable Growth[http://www.adb.org/news/private-sector-reforms-will-spur-cook-islands-investment-adb?preview=VxOWFd6mL9OSsbgLFuUzT69cwLhWFnvN5sIw2ZOlChM], was launched at Rarotonga at the Pacific region's Forum Economic and Trade Ministers Meeting. It was launched by Cook Islands Minister of Finance Mark Brown and Regional Director of ADB's Pacific Liaison and Coordination Office Andrea Iffland. The report examines challenges the country faces in realizing its economic potential and offers recommendations that...