The delegation of the Export-Import Bank of the Slovak Republic (Eximbank) concluded its working tour in Southeast Asia with a professional programme in Singapore. It included a Slovenian-Singaporean seminar on business opportunities on the local market, as well as a series of meetings with Singaporean partners and the Central European business community operating in the country. The events were held in cooperation with the Singapore Business Federation and the Central and Eastern European Chamber of Commerce in Singapore.
Singapore’s economy achieved GDP growth of around 4.8% in 2025, driven mainly by the performance of the industrial and technology sectors, including the production of components for artificial intelligence and biomedicine, as well as strong exports. According to the International Monetary Fund, GDP per capita is around USD 95 thousand. Singapore has long maintained its position as one of the major financial centres of the ASEAN and South-East Asia region, with a well-developed infrastructure for banking, investment and fintech. Both the Singapore Exchange (SGX) and the banking sector are among the most important in the region, and the country is one of the largest foreign exchange markets in Asia. Investors are attracted by its stable legal environment, effective regulation and well-developed capital markets.
“Even in this high-income and technologically advanced economy there is a demand for Slovak exports – especially in the field of high technologies, software and solutions with high added value. Several Slovak companies are already successfully operating on the Singaporean market, others have projects in the pipeline for which we are ready to assess the possibilities of our support. Success in such a highly competitive market is also a strong reference that opens the door for Slovak companies not only to the entire Southeast Asian region, but also to other global markets,” said Rastislav Podhorec, CEO of Eximbanka.
To increase the success of Slovak exporters in tenders and projects in the region, local presence is also important – through a partner, joint venture or investment. Eximbanka also offers support tools for such forms of market entry. Attractive options include lending to foreign buyers of Slovak exports, usually in cooperation with commercial banks, in combination with insurance by Eximbanka. This allows exporters to offer foreign partners not only the product or service itself, but also a financing solution.
“The successful journey in Southeast Asia is further evidence of a very well set up and functioning cooperation of actors operating within the framework of state export promotion. We would like to thank our colleagues from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic, SARIO and the Representative Office of the Slovak Republic in Jakarta for the excellent preparation and organisation of the mission and we look forward to further cooperation. We have many joint projects ahead of us this year,” said Matúš Šársky, Director of the International Relations Department, at the end of the working visit.