|
Tuesday, April 24, 2007 - Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Regional Workshop on Information Technology (IT) Audit in Central Banks: Best Practice and International Standards
Ljubljana, Slovenia
On Tuesday, April 24 and Wednesday, April 25, 2007 the Center of Excellence in Finance (CEF) and the PFS Program held an inaugural Regional Workshop on Information Technology (IT) Audit of Central Banks at the CEF in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
This Regional Workshop is part of an ongoing PFS Program initiative to improve internal audit capacity in central banks, financial sector regulatory authorities and other public sector institutions.
IT auditors from the following institutions presented their respective IT audit operations, policies and practices during the Workshop: National Bank of Poland; Bank of Slovenia; and Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. In addition, the General Secretary of XBRL Polska delivered a presentation entitled, “Impact of XBRL Implementation on Internal Processes.”
A total of 14 IT auditors and specialist from the following 11 institutions participated in the Regional Workshop: Bank of Albania; Bulgarian National Bank; Croatian National Bank; Ministry of Economy and Finance of Kosovo; Office of Auditor General of Kosovo; Bank of Latvia; Bank of Lithuania; National Bank of Moldova; Central Bank of Montenegro; National Bank of Romania and National Bank of Serbia.
Both the CEF and the PFS Program emphasize peer based learning in their respective training programs. During the Workshop participants and speakers analyzed case studies based on real audits conducted; debated strategies for developing audit plans and policies; and exchanged experiences related to the implementation of international standards and best practices in their respective institutions.
To download the Workshop agenda, presentations, speaker biographies, the questionnaire sent to participants prior to the Workshop and the list of participants, please click on the links below:
Wednesday, April 5, 2006 - Thursday, April 6, 2006
Workshop on Internal Audit in Central Banks
Ljubljana, Slovenia
On Wednesday, April 5 and Thursday, April 6, 2006 the Center of Excellence in Finance (CEF) and the PFS Program held a second annual Workshop on Internal Audit of Central Banks at the CEF in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Internal auditors from the following institutions presented their respective internal audit operations, policies and practices: Bank of Slovenia; Estonian Financial Supervision Authority; Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia; Financial Services Authority of the United Kingdom; and National Bank of Poland. In addition, a sixth speaker spoke on broader issues related to accounting standards, audit standards and the change in paradigm for internal audit and financial sector supervision due to Basle II, Solvency 2 and other elements of risk-based supervision.
11 internal auditors representing the following seven institutions participated in the seminar: Bank of Albania; Bank of Slovenia; Ministry of Labor and Social Solidarity of Romania; National Bank of Macedonia; National Bank of Romania; National Bank of Serbia; and the Office of the Auditor General of Kosovo .
The workshop provided an excellent opportunity for internal auditors from the above-mentioned countries/institutions to: analyze case studies based on real situations; identify international standards in public sector audit; exchange/share experiences with colleagues and discuss strategies for implementing best practices. Both the CEF and the PFS Program emphasize peer based learning in their respective training programs.
This workshop is part of an ongoing PFS Program initiative to improve internal audit capacity in central banks, financial sector regulatory authorities and other public sector institutions.
To download the workshop agenda, presentations, speaker CVs the questionnaire sent to participants prior to the seminar and the list of participants, please click on the links below:
Thursday, February 2, 2006 - Friday, February 3, 2006
Seminar on Internal Audit of Unified Financial Sector Supervisory and Regulatory Authorities
London, UK
The Business Review and Audit Department of the Financial Services Authority (FSA) of the United Kingdom (UK) held an International Seminar on Internal Audit of Unified Financial Sector Supervisory and Regulatory Authorities on February 2-3, 2006. The seminar took place at the UK FSA in London.
The seminar brought together internal auditors and related staff from regulatory authorities in Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Estonia, Ireland, Jersey, Kosovo, the Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, the UK and Ukraine.
The seminar provided an excellent opportunity for internal auditors from the above-mentioned countries/institutions to discuss strategies for implementing best practices, exchange/share experiences, identify international standards and network with colleagues in similar positions at regulatory institutions in other countries.
Speakers from the UK FSA and the private sector covered issues including: information system (IS) security; risk-based supervision; and a variety of topics related to internal audit practice, standards and strategy. On the second day of the seminar, the Business Review and Audit Department of the UK FSA facilitated a roundtable discussion regarding effective internal audit.
The PFS Program co-sponsored the participation of internal audit and related staff of unified financial sector regulators in Bulgaria, Kosovo and Ukraine in the seminar. The PFS Program also sponsored the participation of two private-sector speakers: the Chief Financial Officer of Bank BPH (Warsaw, Poland) spoke about implementation of Basle II; and a UK barrister presented a case study about cross-border financial crime/prevention of money laundering.
This seminar is part of an ongoing PFS Program regional initiative. Academics, donors, multilateral financial institutions and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are increasingly focusing on the relationship between governance and development. Since 2003, the PFS Program has contributed towards the strengthening of internal audit capacity in central banks and financial sector regulatory authorities.
In February 2003, the PFS Program organized a study tour to the US for internal audit specialists from CEE unified financial sector regulatory authorities. The study tour was designed and implemented in response to a request from the internal auditor of the Estonian Financial Supervisory Authority. In June 2004, the Estonian Financial Supervisory Authority and the PFS Program held a Workshop on Internal Audit of Financial Sector Supervisory and Regulatory Authorities in Tallinn, Estonia. As follow-up to the inaugural seminar in Tallinn, the Business Review and Audit Department of the UK FSA decided to host an international seminar at its premises in London.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005 - Thursday, May 19, 2005
Seminar on Internal Audit of Central Banks
Ljubljana, Slovenia
On Wednesday, May 18 and Thursday, May 19, 2005 the Center of Excellence in Finance (CEF) and the PFS Program held a Seminar on Internal Audit of Central Banks at the CEF in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Internal auditors from the following institutions presented their respective internal audit operations, policies and practices: Bank of Slovenia; National Bank of Poland; Office of the City Controller - City of Philadelphia; and Office of the Inspector General of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
Seven internal auditors representing the following institutions participated in the seminar: Banking and Payments Authority of Kosovo, Bulgarian National Bank, Central Bank of Montenegro, Croatian National Bank and National Bank of Serbia.
The seminar provided an excellent opportunity for internal auditors from the above-mentioned countries/institutions to identify international standards, exchange/share experiences and discuss strategies for implementing best practices.
To download the seminar agenda, presentations and speaker CVs, please click on the links below:
Tuesday, June 29, 2004 - Wednesday, June 30, 2004
Workshop on Internal Audit of Financial Sector Supervisory and Regulatory Authorities
Tallinn, Estonia
On June 29-30, 2004 the Estonian Financial Supervision Authority (EFSA) and the PFS Program held a Workshop on Internal Audit of Financial Sector Regulatory Authorities (FSRAs) in Tallinn, Estonia. The workshop was organized as a follow-up to the Study Tour to the United States (US) organized by the PFS Program in February 2003 (See entry below dated February 22 – March 1, 2003.)
This workshop represented the first meeting of internal auditors of FSRAs from nine countries: Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovak Republic, Spain, the United Kingdom and the US. The primary focus group was the internal auditors of unified FSRAs. In addition, a senior auditor of the State Audit Office of Estonia, the internal auditor of the Bank of Spain and an auditor from the Office of the Inspector General of the US Federal Reserve Board also participated in the workshop.
This initiative was conceived and proposed by the internal auditor of the EFSA, a relatively new institution, established in early 2002 through the merger of previously separate regulatory authorities for banking, capital markets and insurance. (See a related article entitled, “Trend towards Consolidated Financial Supervisory Authorities,” dated October 9, 2002 on the Capital Markets Research page of this website.)
The EFSA identified a number of issues of mutual interest to internal auditors of unified FSRAs, including (from the general to the specific): globalization of financial markets; growing complexity and sophistication of financial products offered to consumers; increased regulatory and supervisory requirements related to European Union (EU) accession; increased regulatory focus on issues such as conflict of interest, corporate governance, ethics, and enterprise-wide risk management; harmonization of regulatory and supervisory functions in one institution; and identification of best practices and discussion of international standards for internal audit.
The EFSA sent an invitation to the workshop and a questionnaire about the internal audit function to more than 30 FSRAs in Europe and the US. The questionnaire results were presented and discussed at the workshop.
The workshop provided an opportunity for internal auditors of FSRAs to share practical experiences, compare audit methodologies and review actual audits conducted.
The questionnaire results and the conclusions of a roundtable discussion at the end of the workshop resulted in a proposal that this pilot workshop serve as a starting point for future annual meetings of internal auditors of FSRAs. A letter summarizing the workshop proceedings will be distributed to the above-mentioned 30 FSRAs, with the goal of organizing a second annual workshop in 2005.
To download the agenda, presentations and a list of participants, please click on the links below:
Saturday, February 22, 2003 - Saturday, March 1, 2003
Study Tour to the United States for Internal Auditors of CEE Consolidated Financial Supervisory Authorities
Washington, DC and Philadelphia, PA
The PFS Program organized a study tour on internal audit for staff of the following institutions (in alphabetical order by country): Estonian Financial Supervisory Authority; Hungarian Financial Supervisory Authority; Latvian Financial and Capital Markets Commission; Supervisory Commission for Insurance and Pension Funds (Poland); Slovak Financial Market Authority.
The study tour visited the following institutions (in alphabetical order) in Philadelphia, PA and Washington, DC: City of Philadelphia – Office of the City Controller; Department of Insurance and Securities Regulation (DISR) of the District of
Columbia; Ignet - Website of the Federal Inspectors General; International Insurance Foundation; National Association of Insurance Commissioners; National Association of Securities Dealers; United States Agency for International Development; United States Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; United States Federal Reserve Board; United States Department of the Treasury; United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
Monday, June 10, 2002 - Tuesday, June 11, 2002
International Audit Conference: The Theory and Practice of Auditing in Central Europe
Tatranska Lomnica, Slovak Republic
On June 10-11, 2002 the Chamber of Auditors of the Slovak Republic and the Economic University in Bratislava held a two-day International Audit Seminar: The Theory and Practice of Auditing in Central Europe.
To download the conference agenda and related materials (in Slovak and English), please visit the website of the Chamber of Auditors of the Slovak Republic.
Over 100 participants from the Czech and Slovak Republics attended the seminar. Representatives of the Chamber of Auditors of the Czech Republic, the Chamber of Hungarian Auditors; the National Chamber of Statutory Auditors of Poland; the international professional organization FEE; the French National Organization of Statutory Auditors; and International Business and Technical Consultants, Inc. gave presentations on a variety of issues related to the audit profession.
Geoffrey Mazullo, Director, PFS Program, also gave a presentation at the conference.
To download the presentation, please click on the link below:
Thursday, October 18, 2001 - Friday, October 19, 2001
International Audit Seminar: The Role of the Auditor in Mergers and Acquisitions
Prague, Czech Republic
On October 18-19, 2001 the Chamber of Auditors of the Czech Republic held a two-day seminar entitled, "The Role of the Auditor in Mergers and Acquisitions." A PFS Program grant to the Chamber provided co-financing for the event.
Over 95 participants from the Czech Republic, 11 from the Slovak Republic, five from Hungary and three from Poland attended the seminar. Representatives of the Chamber of Auditors of the Czech Republic, Chamber of Hungarian Auditors, National Chamber of Statutory Auditors of Poland and the Chamber of Auditors of the Slovak Republic; representatives of the international professional organizations FEE and IFAC; and an official from the European Commission Internal Market Directorate General attended and spoke at the seminar.
Geoffrey Mazullo, Director, PFS Program, also gave a presentation at the seminar.
To download the presentation, please click on the link below:
|
