Meet the New Global Tax Collector: World Bank

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Jim Yong Kim, the new head and 12th President of the World Bank, proposed that the Bank advise troubled developed nations like Greece and advise rich countries.

“While Jim Yong Kim emphasized that his top priority would be to protect developing nations at a “pivotal moment” for a world economy that is losing steam rapidly, he said the bank could also deploy its technical know-how to help richer nations with structural problems. “We only go into countries when asked, but I feel the kind of expertise we have could be relevant in many, many countries in the world, including high-income countries,” the Korean-born American told reporters on his first day on the job. “My staff feel they have the relevant experience that could add value …”

Read the entire article here.


Photo courtesy: Wikipedia

Doing Business 2009

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Doing Business 2009 is available. The sixth in the World Bank Group's annual series on business regulations, Doing Business 2009 provides a look at five years of reforms since 2004.

Browse for it here or download report overview here (PDF, 339KB).

World Bank's Doing Business 2008

The World Bank's annual "Doing Business 2008" has just been released. It provides ojbective measures of business regulations and their enforcement across 178 countries. The team works closely with thousands of professionals around the world.

Highlights from Doing Business 2008: As countries reform their business regulation, more businesses are starting up. Eastern Europe has witnessed a boom in new business entry that rivals the rapid growth in East Asia in the past. Large emerging markets such as India, China, Egypt, Turkey, and Indonesia, are reforming fast and investors are taking notice. This year Egypt is the top reforming country worldwide, while Singapore is #1 on the ease of doing business for the second consecutive year.

Download report here.

P.S. Separately, just returned moments ago from the 2007 Detroit Regional Chamber Small Business Conference (where at the VIP breakfast, I sat next to Joe Dumars, famed Detroit Pistons player, businessman and current president of the Detroit Pistons' Basketball Operations (I did not even know this!) and will report on all of it soon! Amazing conference.

SME Toolkit: International Business Section

The SME Toolkit is a project of the International Finance Corporation. Since its inception in 2002, the SME Toolkit program has deployed more than 25 regional and sector-specific Web sites in collaboration with strategic partners in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. SME Toolkit content has been translated into 12 languages. The program has seen dramatic growth in recent months and SME Toolkit sites now collectively receive more than 2.4 million visits per year from users around the world. The Toolkit aims to address the three main impediments that SMEs face in utilizing technology for their business: access, lack of awareness/skills, and lack of locally applicable business applications/information.

IBM has dedicated more than $1.6 million to transform the Toolkit and rebuild it on an innovative open source platform using top talent in IBM research. The Toolkit now includes new Web 2.0 features such as live chat, online forums, business directories and survey capabilities to create a community where small and medium sized business can collaborate - anywhere around the world. For example, a group of small businesses could gather in an online forum to devise a strategy to bid on a large supply contract rather than as separate bids. The community tools also create an opportunity for peer learning.

The SME Toolkit is a free program. It's an amazing resource.

I was honored to be a part of this project by partnering with the Women Presidents' Organization (where I serve as a facilitator for WPO in the Chicago market) and providing global small business content. Check out the International Business Overview here. You can also jump to it on the home page under Go Global: Begin Exporting Now.

Press Release Headline: IBM and International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank, launch a small business toolkit to create jobs and fuel growth in the underserved and emerging markets.