International trade support

You may go through many stages as you develop an export or import venture, and our aim is to support you every step of the way.

So whether you’re a novice at exporting, importing for the first time or a seasoned international trader, here are some of the ways we can help you to thrive and seize new opportunities.

Your initial aspirations

When you start thinking about trading abroad, we’ll introduce you to an international manager, who’ll review your business and prime it for success.

We’ll put you in touch with relevant organisations such as the Department for International Trade (DIT) and the British Chambers of Commerce, and make sure you’re clear on your next steps.

At this stage, we’ll also discuss appropriate banking solutions, such as foreign currency accounts, payment terms and different channels for making and receiving international payments.

Check out the tools and exclusive discounts we can offer you as a business banking customer, such as 60% off shipping costs with DHL International Express Service and 20% off trade credit insurance with Coface to protect you against the risks of non-payment.

Your first year

In your initial review, you and your international manager can agree a time for them to check in on your progress. They’ll also make sure your banking arrangements help to maximise your international trade, by reviewing your cash flow needs, for example. You can, of course, contact your international manager for support at any time.

We can answer many day-to-day queries from smaller exporters by phone or through face-to-face support. And we also run international webinars, in partnership with the Department for Business and Trade, which offer an introduction to doing business internationally, as well as help for existing exporters looking to reach into new markets.

Expanding your horizons

Once you’ve been exporting for a while with success, you might be keen to expand to other countries. At this stage, your International Manager can provide more advice and support and help you with introductions in relevant markets.

This is also a time when we’ll typically review what further expansion into new markets might mean for your currency and payment needs, and how we can help you manage these.

And if you begin to trade outside Europe, there may be a whole range of new terminology and different requests in your trading negotiations that we can advise you on.

Maximising your success

When you’ve become a well-established international trader, you might find you need additional, in-depth support – we have specialists in foreign exchange and overseas trade across the UK who can provide more specific and extensive assistance tailored to your needs.