As annual plan, in the framework of the cooperation programme of the AEBF, the Export-Import Bank of Korea hosted the 25th Technical Working Group (TWG) meeting from 27-29/May, 2019 in Seoul, Korea with attendance of 28 participants from 11 AEBF members including VDB as an official member and ADB as its Permanent Observer.

At the meeting, the member’s representatives have discussed and concluded the theme of the 2019 annual CEO meeting as “Revisiting Asian EACs’ role in the Shifting Global Landscape, rising needs for preemptive, flexible and sustainable ECAs”. This theme is selected based on the global economic trend, national economies and each of AEBF members expectations. AEBF member’s CEO will exchange their point of view on other issues such as changing financial environment and challenges for ECA, each ECA’s policy changes and future business model for next decade; new ways to strengthen cooperation among ECAs and that between ECA to multilateral finance development institutions in order to enhance efficiency, sustainability of ECAs.
The TWG participants have also agreed on the technical cooperation programme for 2019-2020. In the framework of the AEBF cooperation and the ADB sponsorship, short-term training and knowledge exchange have been held successfully within members. VDB has sent many staff to attend these programme in recent years. For 2019-2020, AEBF plan to held 2 staff training sessions on export credit.
Taking this occasion, the ADB representative presented the initiative of a multilateral trade credit and investment (re-) guarantee agency (TCIGA). The first TCIGA concept was presented at Trade Policy Coordinating Committee Meeting of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program in Tbilisi, Georgia in June, 2017. According to the ADB’s initiative, the charter capital of multilateral agency are to be contributed by the state budget of the AEBF members as well as multilateral entities, regional finance institutions or development banks, credit agencies, insurance companies. The expected products of TCIGA would be short-term credit insurance, medium-to-long term supplier and buyer credits, long-term political risks insurance fostering intra- and inter-regional FDI and other related products. This TICIGA model is advanced from that of Africa Trade Insurance Agency (ATI) established in 2000 on the proposal of World Bank. ATI now has 14 members and non-state entities. After having supportive opinions from Central and West Asia nations, ADB expects to call for AEBF member participation./.