The International Forum of Rostov Region and Italian SMEs was opened on 25 May in Center-Invest Bank's head office.
The start of the event was timed to coincide with Entrepreneurs' Day, traditionally celebrated in Russia on 26 May.
The forum organisers: Center-Invest Bank, the Italian-Russian Chamber of Commerce and UBI Banca (Italy), brought 100 Italian and Don business people together around the table.
«This forum is the first event in a series of events designed to establish new mechanisms for cooperation between the business people of southern Russia and their foreign colleagues to help build the post-crisis economy,» said Chairman of Center-Invest Bank's Board of Directors, Dr. Vasily Vysokov. «Today, to effectively pool knowledge and experience, new contacts are needed and also new financial instruments. Center-Invest Bank and our partner UBI Banca decided to introduce our customers directly to one another, and to invite them to take advantage of the very latest banking practices, so as to give a new boost to their businesses and to bank transactions.»
The objective of the forum is not simply to bolster international cooperation, but also to help business people find partners for the development of their companies in the post-crisis economy. For the Italian participants it provides an opportunity to enter the promising market of southern Russia, and for the Don businesses it is a chance to draw on advanced European experience in agriculture, industry and the services sector.
The Italian business community was represented by more than 50 companies from the following sectors: agricultural and industrial machine building, equipment manufacturing and supply, construction materials manufacturing, and the tourism and restaurant industries. (See the appendixes for the full list of participants.)
The forum was organised thanks to the agreement on partnership recently signed by Center-Invest Bank and UBI Banca.
«This business mission shows that despite the global financial crisis, SMEs are continuing to successfully enter new, attractive markets,» said head of UBI Banca’s International Cooperation Department, Gianluca Trombi. «The business relationships between Russia and Italy are being sustained during this new phase thanks to partnerships between Russian and Italian companies. UBI Banca is always available to help its customers in Russia thanks to its office in Moscow, and here in southern Russia its cooperation with Center-Invest Bank guarantees support and assistance at the regional level.»