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International initiatives

Since 2005, ABI has played a proactive role in promoting the image of Italy on international markets in partnership with the Confederation of Italian Industry (Confindustria) and the Foreign Trade Institute (ICE).
As part of this, ABI launched a special project aimed at organising business missions in emerging markets and promotional events. The main objectives that the banking sector intends to achieve through this project are:
• To team up with other players of the national economic system in order to present a united and credible front at the international level
• To enhance cooperation with other players, including the Foreign Trade Institute (ICE), the Confederation of Italian Industry (Confindustria), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) and the Ministry for Economic Development
• To support Italian enterprises by offering financial means to carry out their business
• To begin or enhance cooperation with foreign institutions and trade unions to boost business opportunities for Italian banks at the international level. 

Memorandum ABI - UAB

On September 25, 2007 ABI signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Union of Arab Banks (UAB) with the aim to strengthen relations between Italian and Arab banks.
In particular, the MoU is aimed at: a) improving mutual understanding and integration between Italian and Arab banking and financial sectors, including Islamic finance; b) strengthening banking relations in support of trade and investments from and to the Arab region; c) paving the way for the development of new strategic alliances and partnerships between Italian and Arab banks. 

ABI Country risk forum

In accordance with previous supervisory regulations, the Italian Banking Association has traditionally carried out country risk analysis in cooperation with the Bank of Italy aimed at classifying non-OECD countries into country risk categories, which correspond to minimum adjustment levels on non-guaranteed exposure. With the introduction of the new supervisory regulations implementing the Basel II Capital Accord and the elimination of the banks’ obligation to carry out adjustments on country risk, a new initiative– ABI Country Risk Forum – was launched with the aim to: carry out more sophisticated analysis on the vulnerabilities of emerging economies; pool together experiences and background information among banks and other parties operating on foreign markets, in order to better predict potential crisis in areas presenting risks. In support of the Forum’s activities, ABI finalised an innovative early warning model, the ABI Country Risk Compass, which enables predictions of potential banking and liquidity crisis in emerging countries.