I found my participation in this virtual course very valuable as it provided relevant and applicable information about solvency and liquidity stress tests and other topics that improve analysts’ toolbox. I am looking forward to my next JVI course, as I know that our enriched knowledge will translate into future development and resilience of our countries’ financial system. 

Ms. Irina Zloteanu, National Bank of Romania, Virtual Training on Financial Stability and Supervisory Stress Testing, April 12-15, 2021

I was very glad to participate in the virtual course on “NPL Management and Resolution” at the JVI. It was very useful for my current work and future career. I learned about many different NPL resolution approaches and different country experiences. The lecturers were very knowledgeable and the course material very helpful. I recommend this course to all my colleagues. 

Mr. Emrah ÖZDOĞAN 

Bank Auditor at Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency, Istanbul-TURKEY

I am of the opinion that the most efficient way of contributing positively to policy-making decisions is to have practical knowledge of a society combined with scientific data on governance, economics, and politics. Every policymaker periodically should participate in such theoretical courses to refresh their mindset in order to come up with effective policies backed up with scientific data and theories. This is exactly what I think about the course on Inclusive Growth organized by JVI and IMF Institute for Capacity Development. Despite being held in a virtual environment, the course has helped me look at problems such as poverty, inequality, financial instability and climate change from various perspectives, and I am very grateful to organizers and lecturers for this opportunity.

Nijat Rahmanli

Advisor, Employment Policy and Demography

Ministry of Labour and Social Security

Azerbaijan

This course draws upon many different active learning activities, including quizzes, polls, discussion forum, and others. Online lectures and workshops covered theoretical and practical issues on compilation of the sectoral accumulation accounts and the balance sheets, examined potential data sources for their compilation. I am definitely going to apply the knowledge acquired in the course to cope with the job tasks.

Ms. Hanna Yatsenko, Economist, National Bank of Ukraine, Virtual Course on Balance Sheets and Accumulation Accounts - September 28 - Ocvober 9, 2020

The Virtual Course on Inclusive Growth is a very comprehensive and useful training that provides its participants with both theoretical and practical knowledge on fairly distributed economic growth. It covers a wide array of topics from different kinds of measurement of poverty and inequality to various macroeconomic policies that can affect growth. I highly appreciated a great ambiance during the whole course that encouraged an active participation, and the extensive knowledge and hands-on experience of lecturers. 

Ms. Iwona Janczyk

Narodowy Bank Polski/National Bank of Poland

Virtual Course on Inclusive Growth, August 31- September , 2020. 

As someone who is at the beginning of the professional path, Financial Sector Surveillance course has helped me a lot in a better overall understanding of the financial sector. Theoretical concepts were perfectly demonstrated through exercises and real-life examples. In my opinion, the advantage of this and other JVI courses is that they are conducted by true experts in that field. Another aspect worth mentioning is the interchange of best practices among participants who are coming from all around the world. I look forward using the knowledge I acquired on this course, as well as participating in other courses. Many thanks to the administration and everyone who helped make this course happen!

Looking foward to another interesting courses!

Aleksandra Bogdan

Analyst, Systemic Risk Department

Financial Services Supervisory Agency, Croatia

Financial Sector Surveillance – Virtual Training, October 26-30, 2020

“The FPP course, presented virtually, has helped me to improve my understanding of how to diagnose macroeconomic imbalances and correct them through a coordinated set of adjustment policies. It was a hands-on and team approach and we have considered on a specific example of the country case and special scenarios (Covid-19 pandemic), with the help of well-trained և knowledgeable lecturers. I recommend this course to all my colleagues.”

Ms. Gayane Barikyan, Central Bank of Armenia, virtual Financial Programming and Policies Course, February 08 –19, 2021

I am very glad that I had the opportunity to take part at the virtual course on Monetary Policy, as it was very interesting, informative and well organized. I believe that it was very useful for my current and future professional ambitions. Although it was organized in a virtual way, the course was exciting to follow and it had the right balance between the theoretical and practical parts. In addition, the lecturers were great, put a lot of effort to help us expand our knowledge, and triggered some very nice discussions and active participation by the participants, which is very important in order to understand the course material.

Mr. Marko Josimovski, National Bank of North Macedonia
Virtual Course on Monetary Policy, June 22 – July 03, 2020

Fostering growth and handling tumultuous periods are the primary obligations of an economist. "Competitiveness" is the umbrella of concepts, tools, and policies that can serve to catalyze growth and buffer crisis. Integrating the environmental and social aspects of life into the discussions about competitiveness and disrupting the traditional economic models related to it was what I liked the most from the "Competitiveness, Growth and Crisis" course. Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the insights conveyed were distinctly beneficial. 

Olsi Pajo - Bank of Albania

Austrian Authorities Virtual Course on Competitiveness, Growth and Crisis, March 01 - 12, 2021

The Inclusive Growth virtual course deepened my understanding of inclusive growth, expanding my knowledge in using the appropriate analytical tools to examine measures and policies that might have an impact on issues that are central, especially in times of high uncertainty, as inequality and job prospects. Through discussions of country experiences, the course offered responses related to the difficulties in implementing policies that target inclusive growth, as well as the strategies to be followed. 

Ms. Iris Metani, 

Economist, Monetary Policy Department, Bank of Albania, 

Virtual Course on Inclusive Growth, August 31 – September 04, 2020.

I attended the JVI "Financial Inclusion" virtual training on January 2021.

The course provided knowledge on the main indices for financial inclusion, why they matter, presented growing areas of interest in the field, and what are the basic actions needed to facilitate financial inclusion. 

The lecturers where excellent, providing knowledge at the highest degree, as well as stirring an active conversation on each topic, allowing to thoroughly explore these topics in a pleasant and friendly environment. 

The course surpassed my expectations and I would recommend it to anyone who is working in these fields, whether she wants to build her knowledge or widen it.

Maya Haran Rosen, Bank of Israel

Virtual course on Financial Inclusion, 25-29 January 2021

Crisis Course: Past and Current Crises and Future Challenges presents a holistic approach to understanding of crises and their implications. Since the global financial crisis, it has become apparent that no countries, even the most advanced, are immune to crises. The course is well structured and covers various aspects of crises along with financial stability and crisis management challenges. From a general understanding of crisis history and involvement of fiscal and monetary authorities, we gradually fill in the details of political, humanitarian and social policies, even global climate change aspects of the crises.  I really appreciate the way the course was organized – it included highly interactive panel discussions, lectures and participant presentations. 

Ms. Karine HAMBARYAN, Central Bank of Armenia

Austrian Authorities Virtual Crisis Course: Past and Current Crises and Future Challenges

November 9-20, 2020

Course harmony combines complex lectures with practical cases from different countries, trends, changes in policies and programs caused by Covid-19 with well-moderated discussions. It motivates to think broader, to see and analyze combination of tax policy and interlinkages between labor policy and social insurance, moral hazards, unintended consequences. It also focuses on re-building trust to institutions and policies. I highly recommend this course.

Yuliia Sokolovska, minister of Social Policy of Ukraine, virtual course on Social Insurance, Taxation and Employment (April 26-30, 2021)

I thoroughly enjoyed the JVI virtual course and gained considerable insight on various core concepts. A more systematic approach for the options to decrease the deficit in pension spending, implementation of special schemes for taxpayers and introduction of different ways to digitalize the system have equipped me with in-depth knowledge. The suggestions and assessments about noncontributory schemes in the field of pensions and social insurance were very vital. Especially the case study gave a great opportunity to provide substantial ideas and creative solutions made it possible to learn detailed and essential international experience by sharing best practices. This course gave an opportunity to generate ideas for more effective strategies and techniques for the development of the field of social insurance, taxation and employment. I highly recommend this course and would encourage anyone working in this field to enroll. 

Fidan Mamedova, Ministry of Labor and Social Security of Azerbaijan, virtual course on Social Insurance, Taxation and Employment (April 26-30, 2021).

Through a nice balance of lectures and training sessions, the course covered very complex issues and allowed me to deepen my understanding of competitiveness. The theoretical concepts were nicely linked with the data to support it. Participants’ engagement in training sessions and group work was particularly useful. The top-quality lecturers enriched my knowledge related to competiveness, growth and crisis. 

Vladimir Simic - University of Split, Croatia

Austrian Authorities Virtual Course on Competitiveness, Growth and Crisis, March 01-12, 2021

I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who was involved in preparation and execution of the Virtual Course on “Public Governance and Structural Reforms” for high-quality organization and selection of very interesting and relevant topics. We were pleased with professionals who not only made presentations, but also interacted with participants via discussions, polls, and provided a lot of information on international ratings and indices, which is my direct specialty. I can definitely recommend this course to policy makers and look forward to future JVI courses given the opportunity.

Sevara Atabaeva, Ministry of Finance, Uzbekistan, Virtual Course on Public Governance and Structural Reforms, May 3-14, 2021

Online training was innovative and flexible format of engaging in active discussions and exchange of country-specific experiences with lecturers and participants.

I benefited greatly from the Public Governance and Structural Reforms course because I gained practical guidance on macroeconomic and social policies, which not only shaped my analytical and leadership skills, but will also help me in my professional engagement in policy coordination.

Gresa Baftiu -Senior Officer for Policy Coordination
Ministry of European Integration, Kosovo

The virtual course on Social Insurance Taxation and Employment proved very helpful in strengthening my understanding of the functioning of labor markets in the context of the different organizational frameworks of social insurance and taxation regimes. The well-structured presentations and vivid discussions accompanying them, allowed for in-depth analysis of the challenges faced by the labor markets not only in the aftermath of the shock caused by the COVID-19 pandemic but also due to long-term demographic changes. The participants were effectively encouraged to express their opinions on the matters discussed, while the case study, administered towards the end of the course, allowed to synthesize the technical knowledge, presented throughout the entire week, in the framework of the policy debate.

Jacek Białek, Ministry of Finance, Funds and Regional Policy of Poland, virtual course on Social Insurance, Taxation and Employment (April 26-30, 2021)

„The course was well-structured and clearly delivered.

The practical aspect of the topics was particularly helpful.

All participants had a chance and were encouraged to reflect their views on current issues and contribute to the discussion with top-notch lecturers.

The course definitely gave me a foundation to dive deeper into EU legislation and further develop my knowledge.

Altogether, worthy experience and highly recommended course.

Thumbs up to JVI stuff for excellent organisation and remarkable technical support.“

Mr. Admir Dzaferovic

Banking Agency of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Virtual course on Banking Supervision within the Basel Framework, 

January 18-22, 2021 

The virtual Crisis Course has significantly expanded my understanding of the causes and consequences of economic crises, while also offering a comprehensive perspective on the various policy approaches aimed at dealing with crisis-related challenges.  I am more than convinced that the knowledge I gained in the two weeks of this course will greatly benefit my performance on professional assignments.  

Mr. Jacek BIALEK, Ministry of Finance, Funds and Regional Policy, Poland

Austrian Authorities Virtual Crisis Course: Past and Current Crises and Future Challenges

November 9-20, 2020

The course has allowed me to look at the currently pressing crisis phenomena from fiscal as well as monetary policy perspectives. The course has also offered deeper dive-ins into the economic crises of the past, not forgetting to outline key trends that will shape the future. 

Mr. Vytenis ČIPINYS, Bank of Lithuania

Austrian Authorities Virtual Crisis Course: Past and Current Crises and Future Challenges

November 9-20, 2020

I attended the virtual course Financial Education on  February 22-26. This topic is very important especially in a time of crisis. It was a great opportunity for me to learn more about best practices and key financial education tools. I will definitely apply the insights gained from this course.

I warmly thank the organizers for the excellent organization of this online training and the speakers for the quality of the presentations.

Ms. Fatima-Zahra Aziz, Moroccan Foundation for Financial Education (FMEF), February 22-26, 2021

During the period of coronavirus pandemic, when face-to-face training is limited, online training about "Public Governance and Structural Reforms" organized by JVI was an excellent opportunity to get theoretical and practical knowledge about structural reforms in the public sector.

The course covered almost all critical issues of public governance, including privatization, competitiveness, regulatory impact assessment, macroeconomic policy, digitalization and social security. It offered participants a unique opportunity to learn about all the policy instruments necessary to make an effective and transparent decision in the public sector, particularly during the emergency like this pandemic.

Knowledge gained in this course will be useful at my work, especially to analyze the regulatory framework and structural reforms and assess their impact on business and society. 

Sergo Sanikidze
The Office of the Business Ombudsman
Georgia

The training ensured better insight into how to describe a country’s fiscal framework as the set of institutions to enhance fiscal policy effectiveness by being able to assess the quality of available data and country-specific characteristics. It contributed to formulating practical guidance on designing fiscal rules for specific national problems, applying macrofiscal tools to monitor fiscal performance, and building a medium-term budget framework The JVI offers opportunity to exchange experiences among countries that would eventually lead to valuable implementation of them. 

Sara Guliyeva, Ministry of Finance, Azerbaijan, Virtual Course on Fiscal Frameworks, March 29 – April 9, 2021

Edlira Drishti

This online seminar gave a “roadmap” to identify resolution options for NPLs. I learned a lot about debt resolution systems and their implementation which will help me a lot during bank examinations. Another interesting topic was how to design effective Asset Management Companies. The seminar also gave me a great opportunity to exchange and share experiences with other colleagues on how to manage and mitigate the economic effects of COVID -19. 

Ms. Edlira Drishti – Bank of Albania, 

Course on Non-performing Loans (Management and Resolution)

Online course 13-17 July 2020

The JVI virtual training on Structural Reforms exceeded all my expectations. The hands-on sessions were also extremely helpful, in terms of both scope and style of presentation. I am very glad that I used this unique opportunity to replenish my knowledge in step with the spirit of the times. Thank you for your huge contribution to the accumulation of knowledge.” 

Greta Adamyan, Ministry of Finance of Armenia, Virtual Course on Structural Reforms, August 24 – September 04, 2020

JVI virtual training on "Public Financial Management and Administrative Reforms" was very interesting and helpful. It provided me an opportunity to get acquainted with the PFAR measures in Austria. I really enjoyed all the topics and obtained a lot of practical knowledge. I appreciate all the effort put into the programme and would like to express my sincere gratitude to all organizers of JVI course and the lecturers for the great experience. 

Tatevik Manushakyan, Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Armenia

The virtual online PFAR course, November 23-27, 2020

Attending the virtual course on Selected Issues in Financial Sector Surveillance was a great opportunity to improve my knowledge regarding the assessment of the main risks that the financial institutions face, including the macrofinancial linkages. I highly recommend the course, as it optimally combines both practical and theoretical aspects, while the lecturers ask stimulating questions and encourage an active participation. Looking forward to attend new courses organized by the JVI. 

Anaida Iosif, National Bank of Romania

Financial Sector Surveillance – Virtual Training, October 26-30, 2020

It is challenging to offer a course on competitiveness - a very elusive and ambiguously defined concept, especially on the macro level. That is why I highly appreciate the issues discussed during the course and the practical approach to all topics. The idea of "competitiveness", competitiveness indicators, and a policy related to competitiveness were fully unpacked during the course.  

Magdalena Olczyk – Gdansk University of Technology, Poland

Austrian Authorities Virtual Course on Competitiveness, Growth and Crisis, March 01 - 12, 2021

The JVI Virtual Course on Monetary and Financial Statistics Collected and Compiled by the ESCB, provided a very good overview of most activities going on at the statistical business unit of a central bank. Presentations were very informative and absolutely up-to-date. Every topic touched briefly on the relevant legal set-up, but mostly addressed the practical applications and solutions, and best practices deployed at the Austrian National Bank.

Bistra Stoykova 

Bulgarian National Bank 

Virtual Course on Monetary and Financial Statistics Collected and Compiled by the ESCB

November 23 – December 1, 2020 

This very well-structured virtual course helped me tidy up and improve my knowledge of key concepts and tools used in the identification and assessment of financial sector vulnerabilities. I am always looking for a new challenge. This course had everything I expected – important macro-financial linkages, renowned IMF Financial Soundness Indicators, noted financial sector risks, and distinguished stress testing. The convenient and effective combination of lectures and hands-on workshops allowed me to better understand essential risk assessment techniques. What gratified me the most was the enthusiasm of lecturers and participants to interact productively, which undoubtedly brought great credit to both. I appreciated the excellent organization of this virtual training! 

Lilia Kadyrberdieva

Economist, IMF Resident Representative Office in the Kyrgyz Republic 

Financial Sector Surveillance – Virtual Training, October 26-30, 2020 

This is a very interesting subject that was covered in a well-structured course, giving significant background information to understand these types of crises (from past and current events) and providing the lessons to be learned. Professors and experts combined the knowledge and teaching skills that really made the difference. I also got a lot of value from the interactions with the other participants. The wide range of topics covered in this course was really helpful to see the big picture, from different perspectives, based on experience, sharing with and learning from other countries. This course not only provides basic theories of economics of crises, but it also gave me many practical examples that I can apply in my future lectures at the University of Tirana and also in my research work. Thanking the administration for the excellent organization of this virtual training, I highly recommend this course to future participants. 

Ms. Soana JAUPLLARI, University of Tirana, Albania 

Austrian Authorities Virtual Crisis Course: Past and Current Crises and Future Challenges

November 9-20, 2020

I attended the virtual course on Financial Education (FE) in February, 2021. During this tough times of COVID-19, when face-to-face meetings are limited, online training organized by JVI with the help of The Oesterreichische Nationalbank (OeNB), was an excellent opportunity for me to get theoretical and practical knowledge on Financial education and Financial literacy (FL). Professionals from different universities and practitioners from The World Bank and other organizations shared their knowledge and experience about key stakeholders’ engagement in promoting FE and FL, targeting groups and products, designing programs and channels, and how FE and FL activities can be best coordinated across institutions and countries to ensure sustainability. The course presented examples of different FE tools and gave the opportunity for the participants to introduce best practices in their countries and to effectively discuss and exchange their experience on these topics. I would highly recommend this online training to everyone who is interesting in this field.

Alexander Memov, Bulgarian National Bank, Virtual course on Financial Education, February 22-26, 2021

This virtual course was well structured and very interactive. It helped me to better understand the monetary policy terms and the close links between liquidity management and the design of the monetary policy instruments that a central banks use. Learning about the implementation of some specific instruments by the ECB gave me a more clear perspective about the COVID-19 crisis. The lecturers were great and they answered many questions. 

Ms. Tamara Cristina Nicolae, National Bank of Romania, Virtual Course on Monetary Policy Implementation, March 8-12, 2021

"I attended the virtual training called Banking Supervision within the Basel Framework in January 2021.

The course was designed to include all the key aspects of the Basel Framework.

It was very useful to explain the Basel Framework in a way that reflects on-site supervisors' perspectives.

The course content was also supported with case studies and real life examples. Although the online course had its drawbacks, it was very efficient and well organized.

I highly recommend this course to all on-site supervisors."

Mr. Fatih Kılıç

Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency of Turkey

Virtual course on Banking Supervision within the Basel Framework, 

January 18-22, 2021

“The JVI virtual course “Financial Programming and Policies” allowed me to deepen my understanding of the interlinkages between macroeconomic sectors and provided an extensive overview of the IMF’s financial programming framework. The case study, which entailed conducting a realistic financial programming exercise in groups, helped me not only to consolidate my knowledge, but also to understand the trade-offs between different policy choices, pre- and post-COVID-19. I also benefited from hearing about the lecturers’ and participants’ experience with various practical issues and challenges. Many thanks to the JVI team for organizing such an excellent course!”

Ms. Raluca Enache, National Bank of Romania, virtual Financial Programming and Policies Course, February 08 –19, 2021

Attending the JVI virtual course on the Financial Inclusion was a great opportunity to improve my knowledge regarding development of financial technology payment, financial inclusion and peer-to-peer lending, microfinance and SME financing, financial education and capability etc. In addition, the lectures and hands-on workshops were very enlightening, because they covered both theoretical and practical aspects of financial inclusion. I avail myself of this opportunity to appreciate all JVI team for organizing such an informative and fruitful course for the participants.

Orman Abdinov

Ministry of Economy 

Azerbaijan

Virtual course on Financial Inclusion25-29 January, 2021

Attending the virtual course on Macroeconomic Management in Resource Rich Countries was a unique opportunity to expand my knowledge of macro-fiscal policy and its role in macroeconomic stabilization, better understanding of how the economy responds to commodity price shocks. In addition, the lectures and hands-on workshops were great, because they covered both theoretical and practical aspects of macroeconomic policy issues. I am very grateful to all JVI team for organization of this virtual course!  

Elmir Eyvaz-Zada, Advisor, Ministry of Finance of Azerbaijan, virtual course on Macroeconomic Management in Resource Rich Countries, November 30 - December 11, 2020

The Virtual Course on Monetary policy gave me a unique opportunity to expand my knowledge of monetary policy and its role in macroeconomic stabilization, better understanding how the economy responds to shocks and policy decisions under different monetary policy regimes. The knowledge and practical experience gained during this course will be useful at my work. I appreciate very much the support of our great lecturers  - Mr.Tibor Hlédik and Mr. Alexei Miksjuk, as this was the first virtual course that I attended.  

Ms. Viktoriia Plachynda, National Bank of Ukraine,
Virtual Course on Monetary Policy, June 22 – July 03, 2020 

The course was designed to include all the key aspects of the fiscal policy methodologies and tools. The theoretical concepts were nicely linked with the real examples and data to support it. Participants’ engagement in training sessions and group work was particularly useful. I highly recommend this course.

Lazar Radivojevic, National Bank Serbia, Virtual course Fiscal Frameworks, March 29 - April 09, 2021

Attending this virtual course was a great opportunity to expand my knowledge on the operational framework on monetary policy in a more structured manner. I was also able to compare its transfer mechanisms under different policy regimes. The combination of lectures and workshops is a great way to have a better understanding of the topics and also allowed me to identify different scenarios.

Ms. Andrea Gonzalez, Banco de Mexico, Virtual Course on Monetary Policy Implementation, March 8-21, 2021

The monetary policy course, presented virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic, was delivered at the same quality as the pre-pandemic period courses. We have actively participated in lectures and workshops throughout the course. The course has helped me to improve my understanding of monetary policy frameworks and transfer mechanisms under various monetary regimes, and the role of monetary policy in providing macroeconomic stability.

Mr. Mehmet Ali KOSE, Ministry of Treasury and Finance of Turkey
Virtual Course on Monetary Policy, June 22 – July 03, 2020  

Structural reforms course taught us how to identify reform gaps, find most vulnerable sectors and argument our reform decisions. Without any doubt, I can say that this knowledge will helo me in solving economic issues in Ukraine. I would like to thank all JVI team profoundly for organization of this online course. 

Mr. Oleg Pavlovskyi, National Bank of Ukraine, Virtual Course on Structural Reforms, August 24  - September 4, 2020  

We definitely recommend this seminar - these were the words of my colleagues who participated in the virtual course on Bank Restructuring and Resolution last year. I applied for this year’s seminar and had the privilege to be a part of it. This course had everything I expected – nice balance of lectures and exercises; regulatory and practical aspects of effective resolution regime; various aspects of problem bank supervision and resolution along with crisis management challenges. 

I found my participation in this virtual course valuable as I am directly involved in the ongoing central bank activities for further strengthening of the financial sector safety net and enhancements of the existing bank resolution framework. I warmly thank the hosts for the excellent organization of this online training and the speakers for the clearly delivered and up-to-date presentations. Milica Arnaudova Stojanovska, National bank of the Republic of North Macedonia, Virtual Course on Bank Restructuring and Resolution.

Milica Arnaudova Stojanovska 

National Bank of North Macedonia

Virtual Course on Bank Restructuring and Resolution (May 10-14, 2021)