Projects

Piet Biemans was involved in a large number of international assignments. These projects were mainly focused on advising postal and (post) bank institutions on market, strategic and tactical business aspects and execution approaches, often based on an extensive feasibility study including detailed business plans.

In more than 20 countries he was contracted by international multilateral institutions (e.g. Worldbank) and private advisory companies (such as advisory units within ING and TPG Netherlands). On theLinks site the web site of most of the advised companies is available to get an impressio of the present status of the advised company.

Overview of the assignments in which Piet Biemans -often in co-operation with members of his network of postal and post bank experts- was involved as senior postal banking and postal financial services advisor during the last fifteen years:

•  Associate consultant for the WSBI Programme “Working with Savings Banks in order to double the number of savings accounts - Grant agreement #51375”;

  project ‘Product mapping for pro-poor service delivery by WSBI partner bank’ under the sharing lessons learned initiative:

  as product engineer ‘mass retail financial services’ contribute to composing a thematic paper by executing  an extensive survey of existing product ranges and features, especially those being put forward as appropriate for the poor, benchmark the products and features against the basic needs of the poor, make an analysis of customer tariffs also in relation to an indication of supply costs and propose the product engineering strategy to increase usability.

  Main lesson learned is that most elements of a pro-poor service are probably embedded in existing product ranges and it looks possible to make them affordable but they need to be offered in ways relevant to the needs of the poor. Allowing the poor to transfer money and make payments via electronic means, particularly mobile phones, is the single most important quick win open to members ; April- December 2011.

   

  South African Post/Postbank  : assignment: from point of view of ‘Intensified and New services for pro-poor mass market approach’ ; Diagnostic review of the current Postbank Operations organization, (primary, secondary and support) business processes and ICT solutions and (intended) development plans; Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threads analysis (SWOT analysis); Recommended (Short-Term) OPS & IT Actions; Set of Postbank business requirements for medium term vision Postbank 2015; 2010

   

  Tanzania Postal Bank (TPB) project ‘Increasing Rural Savings using PoS terminal network’ : Assist on revising the transfer pricing framework and procedures and training manuals for post office staff by reporting on the analysis of present agreement(s) and advised Way Forward and assist on TPB negotiations with Tanzania Post; 2010

   

  Vietnam Postal savings Company (VPSC) project ‘Piloting micro banking service relevant to the un-banked mass middle market’: Determine and propose, based on best practices and market information and customer needs , revitalized VPSC product offer for unbanked middle market and ‘repacking of features’ for the pilot based on the conditions that it fits around VPSC’s existing business model and can be rolled out over to the new Lien Viet Postbank environment after the merger has been completed; 2010 

   Workshop ‘Maximising the role of postal banks in financial inclusion’ at Aitec Conference ‘Banking and Mobile money Comesa’ at Nairobi 3 march 2011:  main subjects handled are recent developments in post bank business models, including the main conclusions of the World Bank research of 2006 and especially related to financial inclusion initiatives. The postal (savings) bank concept focused on the Bottom of the Pyramid and a few cases in developed and developing countries. Developing an appropriate business model as the „integrated approach‟. Translating this model into business planning (and business cases) for all stakeholders, including new players like mobile money transfer operators and agent networks (including post offices and agencies); March 2011

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• Presentation 'Postioning Postbanks in a changing retail financial sector;Mobile Money-improving access and creating synergy' at the International Postbank Council of Lafferty Group LTD (Dublin);October 2009

• Workshop and training  for (postal and post bank) members of the International Committee for Postal Financial Services and Business (ICPFSB/ Universal Postal Union) to support CEEC countries in developing Postal Financial Services; 2009/2008

• Management advise of Haypost CJSC Management Board  (Armenia) on improving and modernising postal financial service; 2007/2008

• Feasibility study  for expanding access to financial services through the Kyrgyz Post postal network including a short and medium term activity programme as part of the modernisation program of Kyrgyz Post (within the Worldbank Financial Services Development Program);  2007/2008

• Business Plan for development of Postal Financial services in AzerPost (Azerbaijan) within Worldbank Financial Services Development Program; 2007

• Business plan for creating a Postbank in Armenia for Trust manager Haypost  Armenia; 2006/2007/2008

• Strategic advise for the Chairman of the Board of Latvijas Pasts to develop postal financial services into a Postbank in the context of reform and (institutional) restructuring of Post in Latvia; 2006

• Management Training  for Management Board of Nigeria Post; 2005

• Strategy advise by presenting and discussing  the strategy for a renewed International Committee for Postal Financial Services and Business (ICPFSB/ Universal Postal Union), to support CEEC countries in developing Postal Financial Services/Postal Banking; 2005

• Business plan, implementation support and Management training for the development and  implementation of the Postbank in Lesotho (LPB); 2002, 2004, 2005

• Strategy advise for an Austrian bank, integrated with Postbank Hungary, to develop strategic co-operation with Magyar Post, especially through the post office network; 2004

• Strategy advise for a Commercial Bank in Thailand regarding their intended investment in Thai Post, especially the development a business case for Postal Financial services; 2003

• Business plan for the development of a private (mass) retail bank in Kosovo;  2003

• Strategic advise of a Slovenian Commercial bank to acquire the local Postbank; 2003

• Preparation of the bidding phase and executing a due diligence for a Dutch financial group of the Operations & IT aspects of Postova Banka Slovakia; 2002

• Strategy advise of a Brazilian bank in developing a strategy to bid on a tender to develop and deliver Banco Postal products through Post offices; 2000

• Strategy advise to the Ministry of Communication of Russian Federation, Svyaz bank and Postal Company in defining a strategic plan for developing Postal Banking activities; 2000

• Presentation in Tashkent on Strategic Conference of Postal Financial services in Central East European Countries (15 country delegations present) on the subject "Product development and It support Postal Financial services"; 2000

• Analysis and Design of Giro Target System and implementation approach for (7) Central and Eastern European Countries to be used in developing postal financial services and Postbanks  in the European Union  Phare program; 1999, 2000

• Strategy advise on governmental and company level to upgrade the existing governmental Postbank of Iran on institutional, legal and business level and the migration strategy; 1999

• Presentation in Johannesburg on Strategic Conference of Postal Financial services in the south African Countries (15 country delegations present) on the subject "The development of Postal Financial Services from point of view product development and It support ";1998

• Feasibility study for Correios Brazil regarding Business Processes and IT and cost consequences of improving Postal Financial Services included the possible extension with a Giro System within a possible future Postbank solution; 1998

• Strategy advise for the Board of Directors of the General Postal Authority of the United Arab Emirates in negotiations with a private bank in developing a Giro system and delivery of financial products through postal counters;1996.