Frequently Asked Questions

"PFS" stands for Partners for Financial Stability.  We are a USAID-funded program dedicated to promoting financial stability in Southeast Europe and Eurasia by bringing regional players together to address regional challenges in the financial sector, promote the adoption and implementation of international best practice, and to share experience and lessons learned.  

For more information, please visit our About PFS page.

The PFS program was launched in 1999 to support the economic transition of eight Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries.  In 2005, PFS moved its activities to Southeast Europe (SEE) and expanded into Ukraine and Kazakhstan and then to other parts of the former Soviet Union in 2007.  The current regional scope of PFS came into effect in 2010. 

 The PFS home office is based just outside of Washington, DC, while our field team is based in Zagreb, Croatia.

Our priority areas include banking, capital markets, financial system inclusion, insurance and financial safety nets, auditing and accounting, and the financial sector enabling environment.  

For more details, please see the Priority Areas section of the About PFS page.

The PFS Program works through collaboration with a variety of local, regional and international partner organizations. These partnerships leave a lasting impact and have a 'multiplier effect' on program successes. Financial sector stakeholders, donor organizations, trade groups, etc., are considered PFS Partners when they participate in the organization of a PFS activity or share costs (including their own travel costs) to attend a PFS activity.

Through participation in PFS events, finnancial sector stakeholders from the PFS target and mentor countries build informal networks and formal relationships. These bonds then lead to even deeper regional cooperation and sharing of experiences regarding regional and international best practices in sound financial sector development. Over 200 partner institutions have contributed to the PFS program by sharing costs for PFS activities.

Visit our Partners Page to browse our list of partner organizations. Interested in becoming a PFS Partner? Please contact us at web.admin@pfsprogram.org.

All PFS activities involve cost-sharing.  Participants/beneficiaries are expected to pay a portion of their own costs for attending PFS workshops, study tours, or other knowledge-sharing events.  Partner organizations typically also share in the costs.