Gergely Jákli, Chairman of the Board and CEO of EXIM, gave an interview on the new challenges and strategic priorities of EXIM in the Berne Union Yearbook for 2021.

„As an export credit agency of a small country with a large export exposure, the main focus of our five-year strategy launched in 2017 was business growth and increasing the share of SMEs in the portfolio. We can see that the integrated profile of banking and insurance under one management and governance board, the one-stop shop customer management, the wide range of products within the financing options are a great advantage in an economy where, by comparison, the volume of exports is close to 80% of total GDP volume. We have almost doubled our total asset portfolio, increased the number of clients by nearly two and a half times in the last 5 years and 90% of our customers are from the SME segment”-highlighted the CEO.

The quality and skills of the firms’ organisation and human resources are important factors in their export readiness. In the future, the EXIM will play a role not only in enabling companies to turn to them as a centre of excellence for export finance, but also in creating their professionals, the next generation of foreign trade professionals. They are currently running a university course, but in the future, they will not only further develop this course, but they will also expand the number of their higher education partners, provide internships for students so that later, the client, as an exporter shall employ someone responsible for the financial planning of the company who knows when and where to turn to obtain support for their operation with the provision of the most appropriate scheme.

„Our mission is to act as a financial engine supporting Hungarian enterprises that participate in world trade, global FDI projects and sustainable development. No one knows better than our industry the global market, the shifts caused by COVID-19, the structured nature of the world's major projects, the complexity and diversity of supply chains since we play a role in a significant part by providing both financing and insurance facilities. An important part of our strategy is to use this network and experience to create a market for our customers in the future. We've been in the foreign market for 27 years, we currently have clients in 62 countries, and as a result we are able to act as a facilitator to open doors so that as many projects as possible incorporate Hungarian products and services.”

The full text of the interview is available on page 187 of the 2021 yearbook here:  Berne Union - Berne Union Yearbook