SESRIC and the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF) held a follow-up meeting, following the signing of their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 14 June 2024 in Istanbul, Türkiye. The meeting aimed to explore potential areas of collaboration in banking, finance, and related areas.

During the meeting, directors of SESRIC’s technical departments provided an overview of the Centre’s mandate and activities related to banking and finance. They highlighted SESRIC’s research, including the OIC Economic Outlook Report and the Report on Financing for Development: Alternative Perspectives on Challenges and Opportunities of Financing Development. In addition, they shared information about SESRIC’s capacity building programmes relevant to banking and finance, such as the Statistical Capacity Building Programme (StatCaB) and the Central Banks Capacity Building Programme (CB-CaB).

BIBF representatives expressed their willingness to collaborate with SESRIC in the areas of statistics, research, and training, highlighting the mutual benefits of such partnership and the potential to support the OIC countries through the exchange of knowledge and expertise. They highlighted the potential benefits of utilizing BIBF’s services and expertise, and emphasized the importance of providing joint training courses.

The meeting concluded with both parties acknowledging the importance of joint efforts to advance capacities in banking, finance, and related areas, and to establish a structured framework for collaboration.