Theagarajah elected ABA Chairman

The Asian Bankers' Association (ABA) elected Rajendra Theagarajah, HNB Managing Director and CEO as the new ABA Chairman at the 27th ABA General Meeting held in Taipei, Taiwan.

This appointment is for the next two years (2011 - 2012).

Along with this, the ABA also appointed a new Board of Directors comprising of 25 members from 20 countries.

The ABA is the foremost Commercial Banks' Association with a current membership of over 100 leading banks from 23 countries in the Asia Pacific Region.

The Taipei ABA General Meeting and Conference was attended by 200 leading bankers and bank regulators from 20 countries around the region.

This year's ABA gathering took place under the theme" Asian Banking: Sustaining Business Recovery Amidst a Changing Financial Landscape".

The main topics discussed included "Regional Economic Integration and Financial Inclusion in Asia" Green Banking: "Challenges and Opportunities Ahead" and "The Emergence of China's Banks as Global Players": Implications for Asian Banks. The conference also featured a "CEO Forum of Thought Leadership".

The ABA also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP), and another one with the Association for Sustainable and Responsible Investment in Asia (ASRIA).

The MOUs outlined possible areas of cooperation between the organizations that would redound to the benefit of their respective members.

The ABA agreed to hold its 28th General Meeting and Conference in Colombo, in 2011 to be hosted by Hatton National Bank.