A commentary by Rastislav Podhorc, CEO of Eximbanka, for Hospodárske noviny on the export behavior of Slovak companies.

Yesterday, another in a series of bilateral meetings organized by Eximbanka with the management of the leading commercial banks operating in Slovakia took place. This time, we met with representatives of Slovenská sporiteľňa.

Every entry into a new market offers a producer not only the opportunity to increase exports and profits, but also risks that depend on the specific destination. Exporters can minimize these risks through thorough preparation and by eliminating potential pitfalls. This is the topic we’re covering in the August installment of the series “I Want to Be an Exporter,” which HN is producing in collaboration with Eximbanka.

The Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, SARIO, and Eximbanka play different roles in supporting Slovak companies abroad. However, for the entire system to function effectively, their activities must be coordinated. That is why Eximbanka initiated a coordination meeting focused on planned activities and opportunities for cooperation over the next six months.

Eximbanka and the Italian export credit agency SACE signed a Memorandum of Understanding today in Rome, aimed at establishing a framework for more systematic cooperation in promoting exports, investments, and joint projects between Slovak and Italian companies.

Eximbanka CEO Rastislav Podhorec and Director of the International Relations Department Matúš Šársky participated in a working visit to Azerbaijan as part of the delegation accompanying the President of the Slovak Republic. During the visit, they held talks with key institutional partners and, at the Azerbaijan-Slovakia Business Forum, presented opportunities to support Slovak exporters through Eximbanka’s financial, insurance, and guarantee instruments.

An interview with Igor Lichnovský, former CEO and current external member of the Eximbanka Board.

Eximbanka and the Slovak–ASEAN Chamber of Commerce signed a Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation aimed at developing mutually beneficial cooperation in supporting Slovak exports and in activities focused on helping Slovak companies enter foreign markets.

At the June meeting of the Country Risk Expert Group (CREG), which focused on assessing countries in Asia, Southern Africa, and East Africa, the member countries of the OECD Consensus decided to upgrade the classification of two countries. Namibia and Vietnam each moved up one level in the country risk ranking.

In today’s international markets, it is not just the quality of a product or service that matters. Foreign partners are increasingly taking into account a supplier’s reliability, the project’s readiness, and the certainty that the entire transaction will be successfully completed.