A negotiation can break down for many reasons, but the financing of payments must not be allowed to prevent your company from securing large orders abroad.

Therefore, The Trade Council works closely with the Investment Fund for Developing Countries (IFU) and Denmark’s Export Credit Agency (EKF) in order to enable your company to offer an attractive Danish financial solution to its customers.

IFU offers your company advisory services and risk capital for investment in developing countries, while EKF can help provide your customers financing for purchasing Danish equipment and technology by issuing bank guarantees.

“The Trade Council’s cooperation with EKF and IFU offers Danish companies more options to choose from when financing export activities and projects. It is often a crucial moment when Danish companies assess their business potential against the risk associated with engaging in new markets,” says Lauritz Stræde Hansen, Senior Financial Adviser at the Royal Danish Consulate General in São Paulo.

He emphasises that Denmark is well-positioned internationally through its ability to offer a comprehensive package of innovative Danish companies, competitive financing solutions and risk capital combined with The Trade Council’s large networks and specialised counsellors.

"With IFU as its financing partner, Aerial & Maritime has not just acquired an experienced and competent stakeholder, but also obtained a seal of approval in relation to local authorities and companies, as there is great respect for IFU and its longstanding activities in Ghana."

Karsten Ingemann Pedersen,

CEO, Aerial & Maritime

Providing help worldwide

The monitoring company Aerial & Maritime has benefited greatly from The Trade Council’s partnership with IFU in connection with the company’s battle to establish itself on the Ghanaian market.

”With IFA as its financing partner, Aerial & Maritime has not just acquired an experienced and competent stakeholder, but also obtained a seal of approval in relation to local authorities and companies, as there is great respect for IFU and its longstanding activities in Ghana. A partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can make a long drawn-out process shorter and much more efficient,” says Karsten Ingemann Pedersen, CEO at Aerial & Maritime.

Lauritz Stræde Hansen recommends that Danish companies which are considering establishing subsidiary companies in distant markets should use IFU as a co-investor so as to access the enormous volume of knowledge that the organisation has built up over 51 years as an investor in so-called high-risk markets.

Besides securing risk capital and a seasoned co-investor that is actively involved and shares the risk, the particular company also gains access to a number of specialists who look over the shoulder and help guide the project in the right direction,” he says.

A company that has benefited directly from The Trade Council’s cooperation with EKF is Dybvad Steel Industry, which has been helped to transform its dialogue with the Brazilian food sector into concrete orders for plate freezers.

“We have opened up to large private companies. We have been given the opportunity to establish contact at executive level, where previously we normally only had contact at project level. This access to executive management has enabled us to present our products and messages to the real decision-makers, offering a greater chance to close sales,” says Magnus Fosshim, Area Export Manager for Dybvad Steel Industry.

Besides the close cooperation with IFU and EKF, The Trade Council also has contact with numerous local finance providers throughout the world. We maintain these contacts to ensure financing solutions that precisely match the needs of your company and your customers.