Centennial Group Principals

Biography: V. Sundararajan, Director and Head of Financial Practice

Mr. V.Sundararajan is widely regarded as one of the leading financial economists in the world, with global experience in advising central banks, supervisory agencies, and governments on financial sector policy and operations as well as macroeconomic policy issues. He has extensive experience -and a strong analytical background, evidenced by the distinguished record of his publications-in central banking , monetary and exchange policy, public debt management, Islamic Banking and Finance, financial sector supervision and restructuring, and financial system stability and development assessments, including assessments of observance of key international standards in financial sector policy.

During a career in the International Monetary Fund (Fund) spanning about 30 years in high level policy formulation at the national and international levels, he has provided advice and operational support to senior policy makers on central banking and financial sector policy issues in some fifty countries, including Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal , Thailand ; Hungary, Poland, Kazaksthan, Russian Federation; Canada, Italy, United Kingdom; Egypt, Iran, and Sudan.

During the past two years, Mr. V.Sundararajan has been involved in the following projects.

• Currently leading a Bank-Fund team to develop a Financial Sector Assessment Program(FSAP)- Hand Book , as an authoritative source on the scope, content, tools and methodology, and procedures of the FSAP.
• Managed the Bank-Fund FSAP work in the Fund, and led the development of the analytical and assessment framework of the FSAP.
• Co-Chaired the Bank-Fund Financial Sector Liaison Committee, which coordinates and facilitates Bank-Fund collaboration in Financial sector issues
• Led the FSAP missions to United Kingdom and Canada, and mission to assess Banking Supervision and Payment systems in Italy; supervised FSAP work on over 60 countries.
• Coordinated the work on establishing Islamic Financial Services Board, which will set prudential supervision standards for Islamic Financial Institutions.
• Guided staff technical assistance work on many crisis cases (eg. Argentina, Uruguay, Indonesia,) and several transition and post-conflict situations(Poland, Kazaksthan, Bosnia, East Timor);
• Oversaw and participated in the work on various international standards, codes, and Guidelines, in the financial sector.

For over a dozen years until his retirement in November 2003, he was Deputy director of the Fund's Monetary and Financial Systems Department, and he is considered to have been the primary architect in developing the Fund's policy and operational role in financial sector surveillance. He also led the Fund-Coordinated Technical Assistance Program in central banking and financial market development for transition economies in Central and Eastern Europe, and Former Soviet Union, and oversaw the Department's policy development and research work on financial sector matters.