Exim opened the first branch of its provincial network in the centre of Győr on Tuesday. In the coming weeks eight more branches will be opened. The task of the network will be to provide help, support and education free of charge to exporting companies and their suppliers, as well as to the branch networks of commercial banks.
At the opening ceremony of the Győr branch, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade László Szabó said that over the past few months Hungarian foreign and economic policy has undergone a major transformation and readjustment. Within this, he said, Exim’s support service has been given an important role as the third pillar for increasing exports, in addition to the Hungarian National Trading House and the agency promoting foreign investment.
He underscored the fact that the Government is determined to put Hungarian small and medium-sized enterprises in a win-win situation, because at present these companies account for only fifteen per cent of exports – despite employing three-quarters of Hungary’s workforce.
Mr. Szabó expressed the view that if companies receive all the help necessary there is every chance of Hungary becoming proportionately the most active trading country in the region – or perhaps even in Europe.
He said that the bank’s figures show that the aggressive business policy announced in 2012 for the next four years is working: there are more and more “smart loan relocations” and the bank has good risk-bearing capacity.
He added that, with its credit insurer’s assistance, the bank can also support companies in markets where commercial banks are not necessarily willing to back their clients; this is an especially beneficial service.
András Puskás, Exim’s Deputy CEO, said that two or three people would be employed in each provincial branch (the next of which is opening in Nagykanizsa on Thursday), adding that the bank’s main task is to contribute to increasing GDP by using funding, insurance and guarantees to boost exports.
He pointed out that the bank’s interest rate on euro loans for small and medium-sized enterprises is currently two per cent, and Exim’s export share – which barely exceeded one per cent two years ago – is now above three per cent. Exim’s goal is to reach the EU average within a few years, which would mean financing ten per cent of exports.
At the event Dávid Fekete (Fidesz-KDNP), Deputy Mayor of Győr, said that the bank’s choice of Győr as the location of its first provincial branch is a recognition of the city’s economic potential. He said he believes that the reason for this is that government and municipal policies go hand in hand in the field of supporting small and medium-sized enterprises.