The PFS program is one of the first significant post-presence activities in USAID graduated countries in Central and Eastern Europe (“CEE”). These countries are the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. The purpose of the program is to fill the gaps in the institutional development of the financial sectors of the graduated CEE countries through regional integration and the practical application of lessons learned in neighbouring countries. EWMI jointly funds this program with USAID on a 50-50 cost sharing basis and seeks to leverage the funds available for PFS activities with parallel and co-financing arrangements with other donors, governments in the region, and matching contributions from sub-grantees.

PFS covers the following areas:

• Social problems of aging
• Pension reform
• Accounting
• Auditing
• Banking
• Capital markets
• Insurance

Project Management services, research, and education:

Organising regional training seminars and workshops for CEE financial experts in the following areas:

• Good corporate governance practices
• Registered pledges and other secured lending transactions
• SME financing
• Prevention of money-laundering
• Bond financing of municipal and corporate activities
• Bank restructuring
• Consolidated financial supervision
• Studies and conferences to evaluate the policy changes in the countries or give a quick impact assessment of existing regulatory frameworks
• Aging and pension reform
• Governance.