Venue: Jan Smuts House
As the global financial crisis evinced, financial services play a fundamental role in the economies of both developed and developing countries. Whilst in SACU only South Africa has the capacity to export financial services, the substantial regional liberalization of the sector in the past decade has created potential for greater intra-regional trade. Botswana in particular has positioned itself as a regional financial centre. Nevertheless, the financial regulatory changes being discussed in the G20 Leaders’ Forum may be transmitted to the region via South Africa with uncertain consequences for regional access to and trade in finance. These issues form the focus for the workshop, with particular reference to findings from interviews conducted in Botswana.
Download the Workshop Report [.pdf]
PROGRAMME
09h30-10h00: Registration
Welcome and Introduction:
Peter Draper, Programme Head, Development through Trade Programme, SAIIA
Session 1: SACU Trade in Financial Services: The current state of affairs and the potential effects of G20 and Governmental Finance Reform
Moderator: Neil Cole, Chief Director, National Treasury
10h10-10h45: Presentation
Dr. Rosalind H. Thomas, Director of Investment Banking, Nova Capital Africa
Donwload Presentation [.pdf]
As the global financial crisis evinced, financial services play a fundamental role in the economies of both developed and developing countries. Whilst in SACU only South Africa has the capacity to export financial services, the substantial regional liberalization of the sector in the past decade has created potential for greater intra-regional trade. Botswana in particular has positioned itself as a regional financial centre. Nevertheless, the financial regulatory changes being discussed in the G20 Leaders’ Forum may be transmitted to the region via South Africa with uncertain consequences for regional access to and trade in finance. These issues form the focus for the workshop, with particular reference to findings from interviews conducted in Botswana.
10h45-11h30: Panel Discussion
Professor Daniel Bradlow, Professor of International Development Law and African Economic Relations, University of Pretoria
Dr. Keith Jeffries, Managing Director, Econsult, Botswana
Pieter van der Merwe, Absa Capital
11h30-12h00: Tea break
12h00-13h00: Open discussion
13h00 Closure and lunch
