"Our company is in a process of internationalization and Banco Sabadell offered us the possibility of participating in the Sabadell International Business Program. We accepted because it seemed appropriate and we believe it is a good time to start". This is Manuel Manzano speaking, founding partner of Accessus Plataformas Ascendidas, a company from l'Hospitalet de Llobregat that manufactures scaffolding for working at height. Like Manuel, executives from 69 other companies have taken part in a course that began in October and aims to help them develop their international expansion projects.
The Sabadell International Business Program is a training program by Banco Sabadell that has the collaboration of the Institute for Continuous Education-IL3 of the University of Barcelona. It was launched last year with great success in terms of convocatoria and reception by the participating companies. For six months, expert professionals in the field impart knowledge related to the economic-financial, logistical, marketing, and regulatory requirements that companies must follow when deciding to cross the border to conquer new markets.
When Banco Sabadell set out to create this course to help its clients, it did so based on a maxim that is part of its corporate values: to generate a differential customer experience by providing an added value to the relationship. As the Director of International Business at Banco Sabadell, Carles Dalmau, states, "we are a financial institution that, since our origins, has always supported companies. We know their needs well and understand that our services must go beyond the banking perimeter. Today, going abroad is not a convenience, but a necessity for any company that wishes to be competitive. Therefore, we are clear that we must accompany them wherever they go and are". In line with this argument, Dalmau also adds that "the market does not understand borders and today more than ever the business opportunity is the whole world. If we want our companies to compete with guarantees in any country, it is important to give them all the information and training to successfully develop their business plans".
In this second edition of the Sabadell International Business Program, the novelty lies in the fact that the course, which is organized in a coordinated manner in Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, Bilbao, Vigo, and Seville, can be taken in person or digitally. Participating companies can connect to the site http://negociointernacional.bancsabadell.com and follow the developments of a training that also takes place in person. "The important thing is that the client chooses the most comfortable way to train," explains Carles Dalmau.
The Sabadell International Business Program is not the only initiative the bank has undertaken to help companies in their internationalization processes. One of the most well-known and successful programs of the entity is Export to Grow. This program, created six years ago, has the collaboration of leading partners in their respective fields: Garrigues, Arola, Cesce, Esade, Amec, Aenor, and Cofides. Its objective is to promote and facilitate exports among Spanish companies through an innovative set of online tools, specialized information services, and the organization of discussion panels throughout the country, which have already been attended by nearly 5,000 companies.
This way of accompanying the country's SMEs means that Banco Sabadell is today the reference bank for Spanish companies. 65% of organizations choose to work with the entity chaired by Josep Oliu to develop their expansion plans. So far this year, the bank has attracted nearly 8,000 clients in international business and has increased financing for import and export projects by 19%. "When one decides to leave home and visit new places, one always appreciates someone acting as a guide and explaining what they might encounter, and how to optimize their visit. That is our vision with any client working in international markets. We are an entity that helps them achieve maximum performance in their business," concludes the Director of International Business at Banco Sabadell.