Lider’s Financial Forum: Rising Risks and Uncertainty

Lider’s Financial Forum has commenced. As the economy faces high business risks, it is crucial to understand how the financial sector will adapt and what opportunities exist for entrepreneurs and investors. Therefore, Lider has organized the Financial Forum again this year, a conference that provides insight into current strategies and facilitates dialogue between regulators, financial institutions, and the business community.

– My generation has survived several such shocks; it’s nothing terrible, just a bit of nerves and heartache. Joking aside, I welcome the guests, Minister of Finance Marko Primorac, Governor of the Croatian National Bank Boris Vujčić, Chairman of the Management Board of Hanfa Ante Žigman, and Tamara Perko, Director of HUB, with whom we are organizing this conference. It is a good time for us to meet and see what we all think about these events in the world. The repercussions for Croatia should not be overlooked; we know that when it was said it wouldn’t affect us, it hit the hardest – said the Editor-in-Chief of Lider Miodrag Šajatović, opening the conference.

Governor of the Croatian National Bank Boris Vujčić warned that due to the trade war between the USA and the rest of the world, uncertainty has become the main characteristic of the market. And there is no sign that it will calm down anytime soon. Therefore, all previously favorable projections of the Croatian National Bank are subject to change when they work on new ones in June.

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Financial Forum.
Boris Vujčić

photo Boris Ščitar

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– Economic uncertainty is the main determinant in the market; it is not calming down, and it does not positively affect the markets and economic stability. This morning, the markets were down again, and we are all waiting to see what the results of this apparent trade war will be. Until this morning, I would say it wasn’t that bad, but I saw the news this morning that an increase in tariffs on pharmaceutical products has been announced – said Governor Boris Vujčić, briefly assessing that tariffs negatively affect GDP growth, positively in the short term on inflation, but negatively in the long term.

Vujčić also warned of the danger of further declines in oil prices. The drop in oil prices is caused by expectations of a decrease in global trade, and if they fall below $60, some producers will start to drop out of the market due to excessive costs.

– Shell is practically out at these levels. This reduces inflationary pressures, but the outlook is poor for economic growth – said Vujčić.

The conference is intended for entrepreneurs, project and company owners, investors, foreign investors, bankers, consultants, creators of financial and monetary policy, funds, and representatives of the financial sector, as well as international financial institutions.

Therefore, the Financial Forum will cover topics such as trends in interest rates and access to capital, inflation, risks in the financial sector, and risk management in the global and financial environment throughout the day.

Presentations will be held by the Governor of the Croatian National Bank Boris Vujčić, who will speak about macroeconomic stability and monetary policy, and Minister of Finance Marko Primorac, who will cover the topic of capital markets, specifically the challenges and development perspectives.

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Financial Forum.
Marko Primorac

photo Boris Ščitar

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Tamara Perko from the Croatian Banking Association will speak at the beginning of the conference about financing conditions and competitiveness, followed by the first panel on green financing after her presentation.

In the second part of the conference, we will address never more relevant topics about global shocks and simpler and safer financial flows, and we have dedicated one panel to investment funds and strategies for financing company growth.