Natasha Tupai, FMIS Project Manager and Norma Ngatamariki, Senior Crown Accountant represented the Cook Islands at the 2025 IFMIS Capacity Building Program in Seoul, Korea.

 

We are grateful for the opportunity and proud to share that the programme was a success.  ​The program was comprehensive and provided deep insights into Korea’s fiscal reforms and the dBrain+ FMIS platform. Key sessions included:

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• Introduction to Korea’s Fiscal Reform and dBrain+ – how Korea’s system evolved after its financial crises to become a global benchmark.

• National Funds Management – lessons on Treasury Single Account management, EBPP, and EFT integration.

• Fiscal Data Systems – data-driven policy management, AI forecasting, and fiscal dashboards for decision-making.

• dBrain+ Expenditure Process – practical insights into expenditure workflows and internal controls.

• Transferring FMIS Expertise – critical success factors for FMIS reform in developing countries, viewed from both provider and consumer perspectives.

• Wrap-up & Proposal Development – guidance on project preparation, roadmap design, and feasibility studies.

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Alongside the lectures, we delivered the Cook Islands Country Presentation on our FMIS reforms and were honoured to be invited to give the appreciation speech on behalf of all delegations at the closing.

 

This was an invaluable learning and networking opportunity, and we will be preparing a debrief for MFEM and key stakeholders on how Korea’s reform journey and lessons from other countries can support our next steps.