AMRO provided students with an opportunity to receive advice on their policy papers from a finance professional

On December 6, 2021, students enrolled in the course “Sovereign Debt” presented their policy paper outlines and received advice from Mr. Aziz Durrani, a capacity development expert of ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO).

Strengthening IDR-Denominated Financial Market in Indonesia to Reduce Reliance over Foreign Currency Financing

“Having an international finance expert in class is very helpful because it allows me to get suggestions directly from the industry perspective. Well-aware of the topics as well as the latest issues that I am working on, Mr. Durrani provided very useful input on the topic and also advice about good practical writing techniques.” Hadid Windoro

Implications of Malaysia’s Rising Debt Level

“I find the guest adviser’s session very beneficial for me. It helped me frame my policy paper direction clearly. It was terrifying at first, but preparing and presenting the research outline helped a lot to crystallize my thought. It improved my understanding tremendously after receiving advice from a current professional practitioner working in the field closely related to my research. Altogether, it gives me a sense of practicality and reality and will be beneficial for my policy paper.” Noor Hafizah Abu Bakar

Causes and Consequences of Sovereign Defaults and Possible Lessons for Thailand

“At first, I was terrified knowing that I would have to present my policy research in front of a professional. But I realized soon after that it wasn’t so bad. Mr. Durrani’s comments were all very helpful, broadened my understanding, and inspired me to look at the issue from different angles. The session was a really enriching experience for me.” Vorralak Dheeranantakul

‘Soft Landing’ of Chinese Local Government Debt: Incentives and Policy Solutions

“It has been a great honor for me to present my own research work with Mr. Aziz Durrani and to receive precious comments from him. Not only I got able to improve my work in a more concise and logical way, but also hearing from a professional in the field has broaden my horizons in thinking about the current issue.” Yijin Wang

“At the end of the session, Mr. Aziz Durrani provided the students with valuable advice based on his wealth of experience working in consulting as well as international banking and finance fields. Firstly, he provided some tips about writing good policy papers. He emphasized the importance of writing a good abstract that clearly summarizes the key points and the conclusion of the paper. This would help readers, who may be short of time, to understand the gist of the paper easily. Secondly, he shared his thoughts about career planning. He encouraged students to have an idea about where they would like to be in the long run, but also stressed the importance of remaining open to change. He cautioned students against being too focused on a single goal because plans may go awry and new opportunities may present themselves. All in all, the students learnt valuable lessons from Mr. Aziz Durrani.” Jia Jun Norman Tan, Teaching Assistant

About the adviser: Mr. Aziz Durrani has over 19 years of experience in international banking and finance, and in setting, enforcing and providing training on regulatory policies and standards, including climate risk and sustainable finance policies. At the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research office (AMRO), Aziz is responsible for the provision of capacity development and technical assistance to ASEAN countries and China; Hong Kong, China; Japan; and Korea. He previously worked for 5 years at The SEACEN Centre, providing technical assistance and delivering training programmes to SEACEN’s 35 Central Banks and Regulatory Authority stakeholders across Asia on issues related to Supervision, Financial Stability, Risk Management, Climate Risk and Financial Market Infrastructures. Before joining SEACEN, Aziz spent 7 years working as a Senior Technical Specialist at the Bank of England/Prudential Regulation Authority, undertaking asset quality and Non-Performing Loan reviews globally and managing the wholesale Concurrent Stress Testing programme. Aziz began his career in the Strategy, Finance and Economics practice of Andersen Business Consulting in London, and later worked at Standard Chartered Bank UK, covering the Origination, Structuring and Syndication of loan products. He also worked at Lloyds Banking Group in Leveraged Finance Loan Restructuring and Workout. Aziz is a graduate in Economics and Philosophy from The University of Nottingham, UK, and also studied for an M.Sc. in Computing for Industry at Imperial College London.

About AMRO: ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO) is a regional macroeconomic surveillance organization that aims to contribute to securing the macroeconomic and financial stability in the ASEAN+3 region. AMRO’s vision is to be an independent, credible and professional regional organization acting as a trusted policy advisor to members in the ASEAN+3 region, which includes 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and China; Hong Kong, China; Japan; and Korea. To fulfill its mandate, AMRO focuses on three core functions: conducting macroeconomic surveillance, supporting the implementation of the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralisation (CMIM), and providing technical assistance to members.

About the MOU with AMRO: On November 8, 2018, GraSPP signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with AMRO. Under the MOU, GraSPP and AMRO pursue opportunities for cooperative research on issues of mutual interest, including such topics as cooperation on macroeconomic and financial stability of the region and macroeconomic surveillance to support the implementation of the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralization (CMIM). Both parties will also seek to cooperate by jointly organizing events, promoting academic exchanges among experts and researchers from both sides, and publication of relevant academic work.