Lloyds Bank has opened an online portal to help UK companies expand their business to overseas markets. The International Trade Portal provides firms with a host of information on overseas markets, including listings of suppliers and buyers, rules and regulations, public or private tender opportunities, market reports and relevant trade shows, sanctions screening, shipping costs and live foreign exchange feeds.
The Portal will also be linked to the Department of International Trade’s new GREAT.gov.uk digital platform which helps UK businesses break onto overseas markets.
Andrew Bester, group director and CEO of commercial banking, says the initiative will help deliver the bank’s commitment to support 5,000 businesses to export for the first time in 2016:
More of our businesses are trading internationally than ever before, or looking to do so for the first time, and they are telling us they want practical support and guidance from their bank to help them explore new markets and opportunities overseas,” he says. “Our teams of locally-based relationship managers combined with our new International Trade Portal can provide the kind of insight, support and introductions that can be invaluable to firms setting out on their export journey.