| Summary of TABF’s Annual Report |
| The global financial crisis that erupted in the fall
of 2008 brought severely testing conditions that prevailed for over
a year. But during 2009, Taiwan’s economy emerged step by step from
the trough of recession. Meanwhile, cross-strait relations remained
on a course of sound and steady progress. And in November 2009, the
two sides of the Taiwan Strait signed a memorandum of understanding
on cross-strait financial supervision, laying the main foundations for
the opening of cross-strait operations in the realm of banking and finance. |
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| Looking ahead, we can expect extension in the breadth
and depth of dealings between people on either side of the Taiwan Strait,
based on the needs of economic interaction. |
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| In face of these main trends of economic recovery and cross-strait
development, TABF continued striving to fulfill its missions. In 2009,
amid the turbulence whipped up by the financial crisis, TABF not only
worked vigorously to enhance the efficiency of all parts of its existing
business, but also continued to consider and implement innovations in
business, with the aim of grasping the new opportunities of the changing
times. |
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| In the sphere of financial research, our Financial Research Institute
continued to expand its research teams, and to supplement and improve
its research space and facilities, with the aim of deepening its research
fields and integrating its research capabilities, so as to optimize
TABF’s function as a banking and finance policy think tank. During the
year, the Institute conducted numerous research projects, and held many
large-scale symposiums. These undertakings amply reflected the substantial
levels of enhancement in the Institute’s grasp of emerging issues and
its capacity to furnish policy research. |
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| In addition, October brought the launch of The Taiwan Banker Magazine,
which will serve as a medium for sharing and exchanging financial knowledge
within the greater China region, and will complement the Academy’s Taiwan
Banking and Finance Quarterly in raising knowledge in banking and finance
among Taiwan’s people. Also, the Institute held a regular monthly series
of Taiwan Financial Forums, to gather views and opinions from the leading
experts, scholars and government officials of contemporary banking and
finance. |
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| In 2009, besides designing courses to provide a balance of innovative
and practical training for financial industry personnel, to flesh out
their professional expertise, the Academy’s Training and Development
Institute also organized a broadened range of symposiums and workshops
on international finance and banking issues. In addition, the Institute
joined forces with the Taiwan Insurance Institute, local governments,
and universities, to deliver a nationwide Touring Series of Everyman
A+ Lectures on Banking and Finance Knowledge. These lectures were aimed
at clearing public mystification concerning financial products and instilling
the concepts of financial planning and risk management in the general
population. |
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| Furthermore, to fulfill its social responsibilities at a time of
rising unemployment under the raging effects of the financial crisis,
the Academy specially allocated a budget for a “Battery-Charging Study
Program” that offered job-seekers and new graduates free instruction
in the operational practices and professional knowledge of banking and
finance, to help prepare them for entry or re-entry into the workplace.
At the same time, the Academy also actively applied for all available
government subsidies and supports to arrange a “University and College
Graduate Manpower Value- Adding Program,” a “Banking Industry Core Talent
Training Program,” and an “Industrial Talent Investment Program.” |
| On the cross-strait front, the Academy actively embarked on crossstrait
financial training, organized study trips to mainland China for highlevel
executives of Taiwan’s financial industry, and organized forums in the
mainland on cross-strait financial issues. These were aiming at helping
prepare Taiwan’s financial institutions for entry to the mainland market,
to respond to the competitive environment of globalization and the government’s
cross-strait opening policy. |
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| And to facilitate cross-strait banking and finance e-study channels,
to more effectively utilize technology for upgrading the quality of
financial industry personnel, the Academy in 2009 specially set up the
Online Taiwan Finance E-University, with e-schools for finance professionals,
management, banking and finance for the general public, and simplified
instruction, to provide study access to everyone everywhere. |
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| In 2009, besides conducting its regular professional competency
tests, the Academy’s Proficiency Testing Institute undertook commissioned
recruitment selection or internal promotion testing for various government
agencies, public enterprises, and private financial institutions. With
the range of test candidates having gradually expanded from professional
banking personnel (including those working in community financial institutions)
to employees in finance-related and peripheral entities, business people,
and students, the Academy’s proficiency testing has provided tremendous
assistance to the wide distribution of finance-related knowledge and
the selection of various types of top-grade talent. |
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| In view of the adverse state of the economy and to reduce the economic
burden on disadvantaged groups, the Proficiency Testing Institute halved
the registration fee for certification tests for members of indigenous
tribes, the physically and mentally disabled, members of low-income
households, and recipients of unemployment benefits, as a means of encouraging
the most disadvantaged members of the population to obtain certifications
that could bolster their competitiveness in the job market, and for
the purpose of achieving the Academy’s goal of giving back benefit to
society. |
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| In 2009, the Academy’s Publication and Communication Institute issued
34 new titles in traditional or e-book form, including specialist works
on banking and finance, test preparation books, and books for the general
readership, issuing 60,000 copies of these works over the course of
the year. There were 3 new test preparation books, including 2 volumes
on SME Financial Management Practice; 21 specialist works, including
Practice in Trust Taxation; 3 books for the general readership, including
Self-Recourse or the Hand of God; and 7 e-books, including How to Read
Financial Statements. |
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| In April 2009, a new version of the Internet bookstore went online,
with richer content and a wider variety of titles for sale. With these
improvements, we are confident that it will become a popular online
retailers of books on banking and finance. The Academy’s IT Department
has the goal of enabling top-grade integrated service. In 2009, it set
to work on developing a new-generation website for TABF, with the aim
of providing users with personalized, friendly and integrated service.
The Administration Department was active during the year in overhauling
the Academy’s rules and regulations related to personnel affairs, so
as to optimize the Academy’s human resources management. |
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| The Customer Service Center continued to ensured that visitors always
received a most friendly and attentive welcome. Additionally, the Center
arranged regular visits to the Academy by groups of schoolchildren from
remote schools. The customer service staff showed the children around
and designed enjoyable games for them, to increase their interest in
learning more about banking and finance. |
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| We firmly believe that, through the unceasing endeavors of all Academy
staff members during the past year, we are well prepared to meet challenges
and grasp opportunities of new circumstances. In the year ahead, we
will work hard toward our goals of achieving the highest quality of
financial policy research; deepening our specialist training as a pillar
for fostering industry development; maintaining the rigor and enhancing
the quality of our proficiency testing; and expanding our publication
and communication, to universally spread banking and finance education.
Under our guiding principles of emphasizing People, Passion, Professionalism
and Precision in all aspects of our business operation, we will continue
to strive to establish the Academy as an Asia-Pacific regional stronghold
of research and training in banking and finance. |