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It has just been announced that this year the Annual FDA Conference will be held on November 26th-27th at the Hotel Okura in Amsterdam.
Situated on one of Amsterdam's famous canals, Hotel Okura is next to the RAI Congress & Exhibition Centre and close to some of the city's cultural attractions including the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh museum.
19/05/2003
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Due to the continuing economic slowdown, corporate bankruptcies rose to their highest level in 27 months in April, the Bank of Korea reported yesterday.
The central bank said there were 507 corporate bankruptcies in April, up 111 from March, with bankruptcies reaching 202 and 305 in Seoul and provincial areas, respectively.
The figure was the highest level since hitting 512 in January 2001.
After reaching 418 in December, bankruptcies declined to 411 in January and 384 in February, increasing to 396 in March.
19/05/2003
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The Philippine Exporters Confederation (Philexport) will sign agreements this week with three separate entities aimed at helping develop small- and medium-size enterprises (SMEs).
Philexport President Sergio Ortiz-Luis said the agreements are with the Foundation for Filipino Entrepreneurship Inc. (FFEI), the Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Department of Labour and Employment (DOLE).
19/05/2003
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A unified law for the small-scale industry sector (SSI) that will help enhance the sector's efficiency is being drafted, according to Dr C.S. Prasad, development commissioner of the Union Ministry for Small Scale Industries, addressing a national convention of small-scale industries.
The proposed legislation would offer an opportunity for the industry to introduce purchase preference as a mandatory measure - if it was not already incorporated in the draft, Dr Prasad said. Other major concerns include cost of credit, delay in payment and the need to promote a factoring service.
19/05/2003
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The Thai government has pledged the full weight of its support to the small- and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) to enable them to compete on the global stage.
Speaking at the Bank for the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises seminar, Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak said that over the next couple of years, the government would give full backing to SMEs, ensuring their growth and ability to compete globally.
19/05/2003
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Businesses that want to invest in Iraq will once again be able to avail themselves of SACE (Export Credit Insurance Agency) insurance cover, the Fifth Inter-ministerial Committee on Economic Programming (CIPE) Committee (the body that deals specifically with internationalisation issues), has ruled. The meeting, chaired by Business Minister Antonio Marzano, was held on 15 May. The decision, which has been approved, will now go before the CIPE for finalising, a mere formality that is unlikely to amend its content.
19/05/2003
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As reported on Friday, Japan will today resume its export credit insurance programme for Iraq, paving the way for Japanese companies to make bids for contracts to rebuild the country.
Nippon Export and Investment Insurance, a government-affiliated credit agency, will provide insurance for exports linked to humanitarian aid and to reconstruction work, the trade and industry ministry announced on 16 May (see factorscan news item, “Japan to resume export credit insurance toward Iraq”).
19/05/2003
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The Italian bank Banca Popolare di Sondrio (Pop Sondrio) has concluded an agreement with Promos, the international operations division of the Milan chamber of commerce, to foster the development of Lombardy's small- and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) abroad.
The venture, which will run for three years, is focused on 13 cities, including Budapest, Moscow, New York, Beijing and Sao Paolo.
19/05/2003
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A three-day trade visit to highlight growing business opportunities for UK exporters in Iran was today announced by the Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD).
The trade visit by Business Group Director John Weiss is a further sign of ECGD's willingness to develop trade opportunities with Iran and comes after a ten-day fact finding visit to Iran by ECGD's Oil, Gas & Petrochemical team earlier this year.
16/05/2003
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Corporate bankruptcies fell 7.7 per cent in April from a year earlier to 1,514, down for the fourth consecutive month, reported Teikoku Databank Ltd..
Debts left by the failed firms fell 29.3 per cent to 903.06 billion yen, falling below the 1 trillion yen mark for the first time in four months, the private credit-research agency said.
But despite the declines, the number of bankruptcies was the ninth largest for April since World War II, and the amount of debts was the sixth largest for the month in the post-war period, the agency said.
16/05/2003
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Japan will resume its export credit insurance programme toward Iraq on a limited and short-term basis from next Monday (19 May) according to the news agency, Kyodo News.
The move is intended to encourage Japanese companies to actively involve themselves in the reconstruction of post-war Iraq in areas such as infrastructure.
The government's export credit toward Iraq will be provided through Nippon Export and Investment Insurance, an export credit agency affiliated with the ministry.
16/05/2003
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France-based trade insurance provider Coface's entry into Ecuador has already sparked the interest of local companies, Coface Chile's marketing and communication manager Maria Jose Sebastian said.
Coface Chile's CEO Louis des Cars is currently in the capital Quito to open the local Coface office, he said.
Sebastian added that local banana and flower producers have already shown an interest in Coface's insurance products.
16/05/2003
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For the past year and a half, the hottest topic at conferences and seminars held by banks has been the small- and medium-sized business (SME) segment. While SME owners complain they still don't have easy access to finance, new initiatives and better laws should bring big improvements
Antonin Taks is the chairman of the board of Napako Praha, a company that produces primarily security doors. The company has an annual average turnover of Kc 55 million. About 20 per cent of production is exported, three quarters of that to the EU, the rest to Switzerland.
16/05/2003
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The Barbados-based Caribbean Financial Services Corporation (CFSC) has received funds of Ђ8 million from the European Investment Bank (EIB) to further its work in helping to launch and develop small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and other parts of the region.
16/05/2003
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GMAC Commercial Finance plc, the UK's largest independent invoice finance and asset-based lending specialist, is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its business relationship with Manchester-based Avis Steel Services Limited.
16/05/2003
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