Your bank! In particular, the network of experts at BNP Paribas Fortis' Trade Development department. The missing link between your foreign ambitions and your growth project's success.

Conquering foreign markets raises new expectations within companies. Needs that go way beyond a bank's 'traditional' services... We at BNP Paribas Fortis have understood that well, and that's precisely why we established the Trade Development department. This department advises clients and provides them with a full range of support in their international ambitions. "A bank can provide practical assistance to companies' expansion projects abroad: it can open accounts, provide guarantees, underwrite cash flows, and more", says Rob van Veen, Head of Trade Development at BNP Paribas Fortis. "But that's not all clients need: they also expect their bank to think about strategy and to help them approach the market in an intelligent and efficient manner. And that's exactly what we do." What does that mean? The service provides unique and highly essential support – especially now against the backdrop of the COVID-19 crisis – for expansion beyond our national borders, reassuring business owners and connecting them to a global network of local experts or providing long-term follow-up.

KNOWN TERRAIN... EVEN ABROAD

A good example of this successful partnership between a company with international ambitions and the bank is the Besins Healthcare group, founded in 1885 by Abel Besins, and which has been expanding globally since the 1980s. Great ambitions, which the company fully embraces with BNP Paribas Fortis' sustainable support. "Once we've got new plans abroad, we first discuss them with our contact person at BNP Paribas Fortis", says Leslie Grunfeld, CEO of Besins Healthcare, which is currently active in over a hundred different markets, and has local branches in several of them. "Our treasurer will check whether the bank is present in the country in question or whether it has partnership links with local institutions." This approach means that the group never goes into a blind adventure, as it has a similar range of services throughout the world. "That's great! Especially when you consider that the local problems you have to solve can vary greatly from one country to another." 

ACCESS TO A KNOWN AND RELIABLE NETWORK

One of the Trade Development team's biggest advantages is that it can provide companies with a real network of local specialists. Professionals for whom the target market holds no secrets. They know the reality of the country in question like the back of their hand and provide the company with support through all the local steps: from exploring business opportunities to bureaucratic formalities. 

"Even in countries where BNP Paribas Fortis doesn't have branches, we were able to benefit from the bank's network, which made the establishment of local branches particularly smooth. We didn't have to start from scratch every time we went abroad: we had immediate access to a structured network and reliable banking partners. And that means huge time savings", Besins Healthcare's CEO emphasises.

THE HUMAN FACTOR

Personal contacts with preferred partners are of great importance in an international growth project. Not only to have reliable and proactive contacts, but also to gain access to useful information and to unlock new local opportunities. These 'local' contacts are usually long-term partners of the bank... a guarantee of reliability for the company that should not be underestimated. They are specialists with various skills and profiles – legal, business or administrative – who assist the company in question from start to finish. This includes assisting with setting up local establishments, starting up a new activity, recruiting staff (management, local contracts, etc.), setting up a new legal structure, seeking suitable suppliers and other partners (e.g. banks), responding to clients' needs (cash credit, leasing, fleet management, currency hedging, etc.) and offering them tailor-made solutions. And what happens when the company is 'launched'? Trade Development then remains on standby to continue the banking relationship and to closely monitor the client's evolution. For the long term!

TAILORED SOLUTIONS

A bank like BNP Paribas Fortis – through its Trade Development teams – is therefore the key partner for companies' international growth. And that goes way beyond simply offering financial services. It also provides:

• exploration of new markets and partners for the company. In this capacity, it can collaborate in determining the strategy at the source and opening the range of possible relationships on the ground as widely as possible;
• risk mitigation: the bank analyses and assists with the preparation of a realistic profile of the future partner (finances, real interest, reliability, reputation, etc.) and with reducing the margin of error; 
• creation of ready-to-use solutions. In this regard, the bank is always available to listen to the client, anticipate their expectations and offer solutions adapted to their specific situation;
• acceleration of the foreign process to establish themselves in a market or gain a foothold there, thanks to local contacts with useful local knowledge and experience; 
• facilitation of the whole process, making its extensive network available to rapidly put the company in question in contact with local partners, but also to manage or advance all kinds of situations; 
• long-term support – Trade Development's experts closely monitor the company's international journey, on-site or remotely, and oversee the project's success.

Thanks to its low-pollution solutions and the arrival of new investors, the Mons-based company has every intention of continuing to grow. Discover more about this inspiring success story.

Eradicate the environmental and health problems associated with medical waste on a global scale: Ecosteryl's ambitions match the technical expertise of this Mons-based company. Founded in 1947, its core business was equipment and machinery for the mining industry.  Around twenty years ago, it completely reinvented itself by specialising in the treatment of (potentially) infectious waste from the healthcare sector.

A global player with high-profile clients

Today, Ecosteryl is a globally recognised player in its sector, exporting 100% of its production to more than 65 countries. Its customers? Hospitals, of course, but also organisations in the waste recycling sector and international institutions such as the World Health Organisation, the World Bank and the United Nations, as well as cities and states. The company employs around forty people and has an annual turnover of over €20 million.

Medical waste, a critical public health issue

Syringes, dressings, masks, sharp instruments... 15% of medical waste is considered hazardous and therefore requires special treatment. Given that a single hospital bed produces between 0.5 and 3 kg of this waste every day, it's easy to imagine the scale of the problem. The infectious, toxic and sometimes even radioactive risks associated with hazardous medical waste are far from minimal: among other things, it can trigger or accelerate a pandemic, and even give rise to new diseases. Decontamination and recycling of this waste, the only solution to eliminate this health risk, is therefore a global public health issue.

An environmentally responsible process

Direct incineration or autoclaving: these are the two methods used by Ecosteryl's competitors to decontaminate hazardous medical waste. The problem is that these processes are far from being environmentally neutral. Incineration causes significant CO2 emissions and harmful emissions, such as dioxins, and is also energy intensive. And autoclaving requires large amounts of water and energy, again with significant environmental consequences.

It is in this area of the environmental footprint that Ecosteryl has made a difference, thanks to a technological breakthrough developed in collaboration with the University of Paris. The decontamination and recycling process uses microwave and dry heat technology to disinfect hazardous waste. The decontaminated waste is then shredded to reduce its volume, after which it can be processed in the same way as non-hazardous waste. Or better still, it can sorted and recycled.

This process requires very little electricity to operate, and its environmental performance compared to incineration and autoclaving is incomparable in terms of emissions and water consumption.

Too much plastic in medical waste: recycling instead of prevention

Single-use plastic products, equipment and utensils are a fact of life in hospitals. In many cases, this single use is justified, for example for syringes. The problem arises when this waste is directly incinerated. But thanks to pre-treatment, decontaminated and dried waste can be given a second life.

Until now, there has been no machine for this final stage. Ecosteryl's latest development, R-Steryl, fills this gap. It is a unique sorting centre. Placed after the decontamination machines, it can sort decontaminated waste and recycle up to 80% of it. The major players in waste collection and treatment know that recycling is and will be a real challenge in the coming years. Ecosteryl is also positioning itself as a key player in this field, and is investing in a number of analyses to this end.

Private equity to accelerate development

Despite its size in the medical waste decontamination sector, Ecosteryl has no intention of slowing down. The company intends to continue and accelerate its international growth, and welcomes new investors: BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity,  Wallonie Entreprendre and IMBC, an investment company focused on the Mons, Borinage and Centre regions. Philippe Dufrasne, Chairman of Ecosteryl, comments:  “With these new shareholders, we have found the right partners to help us stay ahead of the game and achieve our long-term goals, particularly in terms of ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) performance.”

A priority to invest in the transition of companies

BNP Paribas Fortis is also enthusiastic about this new project.

“We are particularly proud to support this company, which has developed a unique expertise in the production of cutting-edge equipment specialised in the environmental field. Over the years, Ecosteryl has succeeded in expanding worldwide in a niche market at the intersection of environmental and health issues. This investment is fully in line with our ambition to invest €1 billion in venture capital by 2025, focusing on funds and companies that respect environmental, social and governance criteria,” explains Raf Moons, Head of Private Equity at BNP Paribas Fortis. 

The Princess Elisabeth Island, is the world's first artificial energy island for transporting offshore wind power to land. A combination of innovation, technology and biodiversity conservation.

8,802 km: that's the length of all the onshore and offshore power lines and cables managed by Elia Transmission in Belgium.  As the operator of the Belgian high-voltage grid, Elia keeps the lights on by matching electricity generation and consumption at all times.

Artificial energy island

Grid operator Elia has just started to work on one of the most challenging projects in its history: the Princess Elisabeth artificial energy island. It will be located in the middle of the 285km² Princess Elisabeth wind zone. This is the second offshore wind zone in the Belgian North Sea that has yet to be fully built. With a capacity of 3.5 gigawatts, the new wind farms will produce electricity equivalent to the annual consumption of 3.5 million households.

Catherine Vandenborre, CFO of Elia: “The Princess Elisabeth Island is a vital link in the successful energy transition in Belgium. The island has a dual function. First, it will bring electricity from the new offshore wind farms to the mainland. And then from 2030, the island will also be connected to wind farms in other countries with which electricity can be exchanged. This will give our country access to cheap and renewable energy.  This is crucial for our energy-intensive industries, which are rapidly moving away from fossil fuels and switching massively to wind energy over the next 10 years. In this way, Belgium is contributing to Europe’s climate goals and the ambition to realise 300 gigawatts of offshore wind in the North Sea by 2050.”

Designing for nature

In terms of location, design and implementation, due attention is being paid to limiting unwanted impacts on the marine environment. “We are going one step further and opting for nature-inclusive design,” explains Catherine Vandenborre. “In consultation with experts, we are taking concrete steps to protect the biodiversity around the island. For example, we are adding ledges to the outer storm walls where the kittiwake – a vulnerable bird species – can rest and breed. Below the waterline, several measures will be combined to create a diverse and rich artificial reef, with a particular focus on the return of the European flat oyster.  The measures have been selected on the basis of their technical feasibility and expected positive outcome.”

Co-creation and innovation

Achieving such a nature-inclusive design required close collaboration and knowledge sharing between all stakeholders and different domain experts. “An instructive process for all involved,” confirms Vandenborre. “With this initiative, Elia wants to set the tone for the environmentally friendly realisation of future offshore infrastructure. Europe’s seas are becoming the power stations of the future. By integrating biodiversity conservation measures from the design and construction phases, we want to increase and accelerate the positive outcomes. The co-creation project with the experts has already made an important contribution to scientific development in this field. But the work is not finished. Monitoring programmes will be put in place to follow up, and if necessary, adjust the selected measures.

Ready for the next gust of wind

As one of the main financial partners, BNP Paribas Fortis is supporting Elia’s transition to a reliable, affordable and environmentally friendly energy system. BNP Paribas Fortis has already financed 8 offshore wind projects in the Belgian North Sea. These 8 farms together represent 2200 megawatts, equivalent to 2 to 3 nuclear power plants. The next round? New wind farms in the Princess Elisabeth zone. This will be done through project financing, with the underlying contracts and resulting cash flows backing the loans.

How does Ziegler aim for greater environmental responsibility? By methodically exploring various avenues. Their approach is based on four key pillars.

The Brussels-based scale-up Optimy brings together corporate volunteering, donations, patronage and sponsorship activities all on one platform. On it, their impact on society is concretely measurable.

"Originally, I didn't think of myself as a social entrepreneur, even though I was involved in sponsorship. At the request of our customers, my partners and I have developed an entire provision of services that has become the most comprehensive platform on the market," says Kenneth Bérard, CEO of Optimy.

One of these customers was the BNP Paribas Fortis Foundation, which wanted to make a greater social difference and also give these actions more visibility. "It's a must for companies to contribute to society. This generates added value for the company and fuels a positive spiral. But that social impact has to be measurable. How many children have been helped? How many trees have been planted? What effect does this have on employee satisfaction, image and turnover? Our model offers all of this. This means that companies don't have to purchase new modules every time they want to add additional activities. I think that’s our great success factor. We are the market leader in Europe in our sector and the only company operating in both Europe and North America."

Personal support

"Many companies are full of good intentions. They want to have a positive impact on society, but they often lack a good method to do this efficiently," the entrepreneur notes. "They tend to see all their efforts in isolation. The Optimy platform offers a solution for this. It's easy to put together and it's service-oriented. We adapt to the processes of each business unit and company. It doesn't work the other way around," assures Bérard. "Our customers are not looking for technology; they're looking for guidance. We invest in personalisation, and it's paying off, as a customer satisfaction survey shows."

Structuring actions

The first piece of advice that Optimy always gives companies is: don't shred your efforts, they should form a whole. "We recommend that companies structure their actions using our tool. The corporate social responsibility policy must be in line with the company’s values, DNA and broader strategy. And of course, the actions must be transparent and well executed."

The right partner

From the beginning, the connection Optimy had with BNP Paribas Fortis was decisive for the company’s growth. "The fact that the bank follows us has increased our credibility with our partners, investors, customers and also internally. Now it's setting up a factoring service for us to further support our growth."

Optimy's growth was initially supported by cash flow, which is unusual for a technology company. Financing came into play beginning in 2019. That's when a Canadian fund specialising in software as a service (SaaS) companies and affiliated with the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) became a shareholder.

Multicultural enrichment

As with increasingly more companies, one of Optimy’s biggest challenges is recruiting new talent. “We've been able to convert that challenge into an asset,” concludes Bérard. "We attract talent from abroad. Sixty people from twenty nationalities work in our Brussels branch. This multiculturalism is a huge enrichment and has helped us break through internationally."

“The corporate social responsibility policy must be in line with your company’s values, DNA and broader strategy”.