Kavran: There is not a single office related to exports in state institutions

At the continuation of Lider’s 5th Export Conference Smart Know What Export Is For, a round table was held on the possibility of financing and securing export transactions. The discussion, moderated by Tin Bašić, a journalist from Lider, included: Damir Grbavac, UMFO, Vedran Jakšić, HBOR, Vedrana Jelušić Kašić, EBRD, Zvonimir Samodol, HKO, Marijana Oreb, HAMAG BICRO, Antonija Zorić, HPB, and Anton Kovačev, EIB.

Building on the topic of protectionism, Kovačev stated that protectionism and the trade war between the USA and the European Union will have less impact on Croatian exporters thanks to Croatia’s EU membership. The EIB invests in long-term projects in Croatia, valued at over 25 million euros, which indirectly supports exports, but also provides exporters with smaller loans at lower interest rates through Croatian commercial banks.

>>>Lider’s Conference – Drakulić: Exports exceeded 20% of total revenue in the economy

Encouraging export-oriented companies aligns with the EBRD’s strategy, and more than 70 percent of that bank’s investments have been made in the private sector, Jelušić Kašić stated, highlighting Orbico, Aluflexpack… Zorić from HPB spoke about how risky exporters are as clients and emphasized that this state bank strongly supports entrepreneurs with special credit lines, and regarding risk, it does not only consider exports but also the export niche. Jakšić pointed out that HBOR, as a state bank, encourages exports and that the total share of export financing in the balance sheet of that bank over the past 25 years amounts to 160 billion kuna.

>>>Lider’s Export Conference Has Begun – Exports Deserve to Be News!

According to Oreb from HAMAG BICRO, more than 1100 small and micro entrepreneurs have received a total of 750 million kuna in loans. Most of these are startup entrepreneurs who are already working on export agreements or intend to do so. According to Grbavac, pension funds are not interested in short-term investments but are open to quality companies. The assets of pension funds currently amount to 94 billion kuna, a large part of which is in government bonds, but they also invest in large companies such as Končar, AD Plastik, and Ericsson Nikola Tesla.

Croatian Credit Insurance, according to Samodol, paid out five and a half million kuna in compensation last year to companies that had insured accounts in business with Agrokor, and this year they expect a domino effect from the Agrokor case and payouts exceeding one million euros. The message to exporters is that business should be insured.

>>>Today in Croatia – Lider’s Export Conference

Miodrag Šajatović, the editor-in-chief of Lider, also joined the discussion by asking how strong the demand for loans is among exporters? Jelušić Kašić replied that it was weaker, especially last year, influenced by the Agrokor case, but this year a higher demand is expected. She also emphasized that some sectors should be allowed alternative financing, not just through banks, for example, the ICT sector.

According to Jakšić, there are 30 billion kuna in the capital market aimed at further stimulating market activities, but it does not necessarily mean that all this money should be used to finance direct exports but also to improve production in Croatia. Đuro Njavro, ZŠEM, warned that no one is providing long-term loans for education, which is very bad, and Marijan Kavran, director of the Croatian Wood Cluster, stated that it is also bad that there is not a single office related to exports in state institutions, which shows that the Croatian government does not care about exports, earning a big round of applause from those present.