a minimum regulatory ratio ; it is an ongoing process to help banks implement new technologies and risk - management techniques, to align capital with risks, to foster a level playing field internationally especially given the increasing integration of banking and financial markets worldwide - and to ensure a capital cushion that is adequate and promotes financial stability. the basel ii framework and the relationships among supervisors and bankers that have helped to advance capital reform should provide a process to encourage bankers and supervisors to adapt their procedures and techniques over time. the u. s. banking agencies are working diligently on basel ii implementation. the qis4 results, however, have given us reason to pause before releasing our next round of proposals. the agencies will continue to provide as much information as possible to help institutions make their decisions about implementation - both those institutions that are required to adopt basel ii and those that may opt in. throughout the process, our supervisory teams stand ready to discuss basel ii issues with all institutions and answer any questions that arise.

to open a bank account. regulatory authorities in respective countries could be of help in this respect. also, albanian banks may receive albanian workers ’ remittances via “ banking correspondent institutions ” in the resident country and microcredit and microfinance albanian organizations which could serve as local agencies to handle this process. third : directing workers ’ remittances toward country ’ s development needs. usually, emigrants are out of the main focus of banking services, since this category of clients is considered to have unstable jobs. nonetheless, there exists opportunities to offer financial services to emigrants too. among others i could mention here : linking of workers ’ remittances with investments for example by channelling remittances flows toward micro - credit loans or projects ; also supporting of migrants ’ contribution and migrants societies in the development of the country. remittances could also help approaching rural areas population to the banks. if the recipient families also decide to keep remittances in their bank accounts this could assist economic development as more funds are available to be lent to private sector. microcredit programs and qualitative improvements of banking infrastructure, in concert with introduction of new financial instruments that would attract more remittances, are also important. finally, i would like to express my sincere appreciation to those involved in this conference which provides us a valuable support in our efforts to improve effectiveness of remittances utilization in our economies. i am confident that the distinguished speakers from various institutions, who are present at this conference, would share further helpful ideas and suggestions ( we already heard some very interesting ones in the previous discussions ), thus ensuring the formulation of sound measures to be incorporated in our policies on remittances. and i strongly hope this exchange of experiences and expertise will continue in the future and contribute producing adequate human, infrastructure, and institutional capacities to transform remittances from potential into real driving forces for the development of our countries. again, my highest consideration for this activity and thank you for your attention! 5 / 5