SKILLS & EXPERIENCE
Robert H. Carpenter, Jr., in his consulting practice, has provided advisory services that assist national governments in emerging markets to establish financial services industry conditions that enable and promote a thriving private sector market-based economy. Mr. Carpenter has advised central banks and deposit guarantee schemes on the elements of a failed bank resolution framework and best practices in failed bank receiverships and resolutions. His services have also included regulatory consultancy in financial services regulation and private sector development as well as resource mobilization and allocation and coordination and harmonization of donor assistance in support of consultancy objectives.
In his assignments Mr. Carpenter has collaborated with governmental and non-governmental organizations including The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Catholic Relief Services, CARE and World Vision. Specific projects on which Mr. Carpenter has provided assistance include financial industry supervision, deposit insurance reform, microcredit initiatives, women in business programs and financial industry restructuring.
International Consultancies
Most recently, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) seconded Mr. Carpenter as FDIC’s representative member to the Financial Services Volunteer Corps’ Albanian Deposit Insurance Agency mission that focused on building agency capacity, policies and procedures for the payment of deposit insurance at bank failure. Mr. Carpenter developed working relationships with the agency’s General Director who is a senior Albanian government official and with U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Albania Mission Director. Mr. Carpenter made presentations to both and to their staff regarding the complex matter of a deposit insurance payout and, specifically, about contracting for payout services by a commercial agent bank. Anticipating a nonobvious barrier for payout services in rural areas where there are no commercial banks, Mr. Carpenter proposed an MOU with Albania Post as an alternative paying agent.
Mr. Carpenter was FDIC Legal Division host to two delegations from the Ukraine Deposit Guarantee_Fund and National Bank of Ukraine for a weeklong receiverships and resolutions workshop. Mr. Carpenter used his specialty area knowledge of international bank regulation to work side-by-side with senior FDIC Division of Resolutions and Receiverships executives and Legal Division staff to develop and deliver a comprehensive curriculum that fully met Ukraine’s request for in-depth training. The program is an FDIC model for multi-national training.
Mr. Carpenter led an FDIC mission to Kyiv, Ukraine, that laid groundwork for these workshops. Mr. Carpenter’s FDIC mission included a 3-day workshop for key officials and staff of the Ukraine central bank, deposit guarantee fund and treasury ministry. Mr. Carpenter designed and delivered during the workshop content on the evolution and application of FDIC policies and procedures for failed bank resolutions, including pre-failure risk analysis and prompt corrective action, and highlighted legislative and regulatory gaps between U.S. and Ukraine schemes. After this on-site workshop, Mr. Carpenter participated in 2 days of in-depth, small group discussions on problems encountered in and practical solutions for transforming Ukraine’s deposit insurance function into a more effective scheme.
Mr. Carpenter’s efforts have resulted in parliamentary adoption of a revised Ukraine deposit insurance law that incorporates the principles espoused by the proposed European Union Directive to strengthen deposit guarantee schemes. The U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine gave official support to Ukraine’s participation in an FDIC partnership to strengthen its deposit insurance function. Mr. Carpenter demonstrated, by promoting this support through contacts with embassy and USAID staff, that he develops and maintains effective working relationships and lines of communication with senior foreign financial regulators and with U.S. Government officials in region that contribute to mission accomplishment.
In Jakarta, Indonesia, Mr. Carpenter participated as a team member of KPMG Siddharta Siddharta & Harsono’s audit of Bank Indonesia, requested by the Audit Board of the Republic of Indonesia (BPK). Mr. Carpenter evaluated the central bank’s regulation and supervision rulemaking process for statutory authority and transparency, benchmarked rules against international “best practices” and tested for effective enforcement; he presented findings and recommendations to the Audit Board. Mr. Carpenter identified Bank Indonesia’s risk of loss in 20 “liquidity credit” programs focused on improving access to credit by selected business segments and by small and micro businesses; and he benchmarked these programs against similar programs in other countries. He also examined, as part of the financial audit team, over 16 credits to which Bank Indonesia was party and determined Bank Indonesia’s role and financial obligation under each.
As an in-country consultant for KPMG’s Barents Group (now part of Deloitte LLP), Mr. Carpenter advised the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina on re-establishment of its financial services industry and bank regulatory apparatus, including establishment of a deposit insurance scheme. He drafted, in cooperation with USAID, The World Bank and IMF, new banking legislation and presented the proposal to the Federation government that has now been enacted. Mr. Carpenter developed the action plan for establishment of a new bank regulatory agency, including a proactive role for new agency legal counsel.
First working with USAID, and then The World Bank, Mr. Carpenter reviewed microfinance systems in under-developed and developing economies and the business and legal frameworks for financial intermediaries, including microcredit organizations, in Bosnia-Herzegovina. He authored and distributed A Proposed Parallel Regulatory Structure for Microfinance Institutions in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the Republika Srpska as the basis for expert team discussions relating to establishing legal clarity for microcredit organizations. Mr. Carpenter chaired expert team meetings that included government officials, donor representatives and microfinance executives to complete information gathering and build consensus. He drafted proposed statutes to provide a clear legal and regulatory environment to foster development of microcredit organizations; and his draft laws served as the basis for final negotiations and parliamentary action.
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