More Specifically, What We Do...
	Banking Sector Assessments Private Sector Assessments Structural Adjustment Operations Lines of Credit Housing and Mortgage Finance Rural Finance and Cooperative Development SME and Micro Finance Postal Banking Financial Analysis and Projections Business Plans Market Assessments Performance Evaluations and Assessments Workouts Publications Newsletters Market Research Database Construction Public-Private Sector Partnerships Financial Sector Supervisory Institutions Pre- and Post-Privatization Management Assistance Infrastructure Support for Private Sector Development Local Capacity for Housing Market Development Market Structure Business Environment Assessments Feasibility Studies Survey Design and Management Financing Instruments Macro-prudential Assessments Banking Diagnostics Market Structure Reviews Non-Bank Financial Institutions Design and Management of Lines of Credit Performance Assessments   Michael Borish and Company, Inc. is engaged in several areas of business activity that include public and private sector work around the globe. Functional activities broadly include: Financial and Business Sector Analysis: These evaluations are conducted by sector, country and/or region, and are measured against peer and global performance benchmarks. They can also be done on a firm-specific basis and by environmental factor. Strategic Planning for Businesses and Organizations: These efforts are based on market assessments, product/service offerings, financial scenarios based on sensitivity analyses, and recommendations. Recommendations are subject to SWOT analyses, while market assessments generally focus on risks, gaps and vulnerabilities. These can also focus on and link to environmental risks and challenges. Research and Dissemination: These outputs are generally through publications in internationally recognized journals and/or in conjunction with the World Bank and bilateral donors. More specifically, these activities involve: Banking Sector Diagnostics.These evaluations take account of banking sector indicators according to risk management-oriented CAMELS considerations, banking sector structure and systems profiles, financial sector infrastructure, and economic indicators. Diagnostics have been carried out in more than twenty countries, in some cases on multiple occasions to monitor for progress on a time series basis. Includes… 28 sub-categories. More than 200 data sets. Rating system to provide quantitative and qualitative evaluations. Time series. Performance monitoring. Comparative assessment by peer group on a regional and global scale. Structural Adjustment Operations. Most consulting in this arena has focused on banking and financial sector reforms and private sector development. These activities have primarily focused on the transition countries of Europe and Central Asia. Includes… Policy reform at the bank and enterprise level. Restructuring and privatization in the enterprise sector. Banking sector restructuring and consolidation. Improvements in the business environment to stimulate investment and sustainable growth. Emergency Lines of Credit. Michael Borish and Company, Inc. has been involved in several post-conflict scenarios in which the design and implementation of lines of credit were essential for early reconstruction efforts. Such lines of credit have been designed and successfully implemented in Bosnia-Herzegovina (both Entities) and Kosovo. Includes... Design to provide needed lending to small- and medium-sized enterprises on a commercial basis. Financing vehicle consistent with sound, prudent commercial bank underwriting criteria. Bank incentives are consistent with market-based prudential norms, terms are serviceable for enterprises, and advisory services are available to assist businesses. Housing and Mortgage Finance. Consulting in the housing and mortgage finance sector has involved assessments of institutional development, policy, and market depth. In addition to several global assessments for USAID and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, specific reviews and strategies have been conducted in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine , Serbia and FYR Macedonia. Includes... . Housing and commercial property development trends. Extent of financing from the banking sector and capital markets (including issuance of mortgage bonds and degrees of securitization). Tax policy and incentives. Local government capacity for infrastructure and property assessments. Mortgage insurance. General requirements for medium- and long-term development. Comparative developments across countries to identify performance targets and benchmarks. Mr. Borish has served as Director of International Housing Finance at the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation since 2007. Rural Finance. Consulting has involved working with farmers' associations, NGOs/PVOs and bankers to develop credit framework agreements, export financing mechanisms, and project development... Capacity comes from two years of on-site rural finance work and continuous consulting assignments in Africa and transition Europe. Specific investments and project design have occurred in Ghana, Romania and Bosnia-Herzegovina. SME Finance and Micro-Finance. Significant work has been done in the design and implementation of lines of credit and guarantee funds in support of SME development. Work in these fields has been carried out in Africa, the Caribbean, Central Europe and the Caucasus Includes... . Development of lines of credit in countries where banking systems have failed to function properly. Assessments of MFIs, cooperative banks and credit unions. Role and magnitude of micro-finance as part of the overall financial sector. Potential links between MFIs and larger financial institutions. Postal Banking. While not a major portion of the company's business to date, the firm has worked under contract to direct a postal banking study in Afghanistan to assess the feasibility of that network for the rendering of financial services. The assessment included a comprehensive review of postal financial services around the globe. Financial Analysis, Business Management and Strategic Planning. This service is available for new and established companies. Involves... Originating business plans for start-up enterprises. Developing workout plans for troubled companies. Designing growth strategies for expanding companies. Customizing performance indicators to monitor company results relative to peers and sector norms. Combining Activity Based Costing techniques with financial analysis tools to develop customized outputs for improved management, from near-term recommendations all the way to comprehensive strategic plans. Environmental services. Environmental services include... Environmental capacity building and training of financial institutions and companies for environmental risk management and compliance with international and national environmental regulations. Development of environmental policies, procedures and reporting capacity for financial institutions, and Environmental Management Systems for individual companies. Environmental impact assessments of/for small, medium and large enterprises. Strategic planning, including sector-based approaches to managing environmental risks. Training in Cleaner Production and Environmental-specific trade standards such as ISO 14001, eco-labelling and Fair Trade. Development of economic sector-specific impact assessment guidelines for small-scale enterprises. Urban planning and enterprise development, including the issue of home-based entrepreneurship. Research and publication on a variety of enterprise and environmental issues. Project evaluation. Publications. Michael Borish and Company, Inc. has been involved in numerous research activities, with more than twenty publications for the World Bank and in prestigious journals in North America and Europe on private sector development, financial sector reform, environmental performance and the integration of ex-socialist economies with the European Union. For more information, please visit our Articles page.
Relevence to Global Finance and Reform...
	Michael Borish and Company, Inc. provides significant depth in a range of financial sector activities that can contribute to improved financial sector policy, strengthened institutions, and enhanced financial intermediation in support of savings, investment and private sector-led growth. We... Provide experienced specialists in financial sector policy, banking regulation and supervision, stock exchange development, securities markets commissions and (self-) regulation, financial instruments to increase resource mobilization through formal banking and financial institutions, and informal-formal financial links based on confidence-building mechanisms to increase savings and investment. Have developed a banking sector rating system that has proved to be particularly effective in assessing financial infrastructure, banking sectors, and financial risks in countries and regions around the globe. Possess significant on-site experience from more than 10 years of work in structural financial sector reform in transition Europe, Asia, Africa and the Caribbean
Relevance to Private Sector Development and Reform...
	The expertise of Michael Borish and Company, Inc. in banking and financial sector development is backed by an additional six years of direct experience in rural finance, agricultural cooperative development, and private sector development work in Africa and transition Europe. Work has involved... Assessments of competitive strengths and weaknesses of national economies and the role to be played by more dynamic private sectors. Feasibility studies for new investments. Proposed new financing instruments for revitalized strategic sectors. On-site surveys to reconcile perceptions of the institutional environment with secondary studies. Debt-equity mobilization for cooperative organizations and small- and medium-sized enterprises. Movement to a knowledge-based economy. Design and implementation of lines of credit in emergency post-conflict scenarios.
Relevance to Public Sector Development and Reform...
	The expertise of Michael Borish and Company, Inc. in financial and private sector development complements efforts to build sustainable budgetary financing foundations and viable civil institutions for broader economic development and social stability. Key activities have included... The role of prudent and appropriate regulations in banking. Transparency and disclosure requirements by banks and enterprises for public review. Development of a viable fiscal base. Central-local government capacity issues. Governance standards. Legal and institutional framework. Public sector cost structure analyses. Movement to a knowledge-based economy. Recommended restructuring options for enhanced service delivery and efficiency.
Relevance to Environmental Services...
	MBC has seen firsthand the emergence of environmental impact management as a critical factor in business investment, ongoing operations and planning. Observing sound environmental procedures and building environmental capacity for effective implementation are critical components to ensure that enterprises operate in a transparent, efficient and environmentally responsible manner. To support this, MBC is pleased to announce that Mr. Dean Pallen has been recruited to serve as the leader of MBC’s recently created Environmental Services unit. MBC has committed to providing environmental expertise to enterprises and financial institutions in the same manner that other services are now being provided by MBC. Key activities will include: Environmental impact assessments that can affect risk-related aspects of credit worthiness. Business and financial plans for enterprises. Defensive measures to protect against contingent liabilities that might result from environmental hazards and risks.