Category: <span>Around the world</span>

Iceland has slowly moved itself out of recession since the economic crash of 2008 – Standard & Poor’s credit rating for Iceland currently stands at A with stable outlook, Moody’s credit rating was last set at A3 with stable outlook, while Fitch’s credit rating was last reported at A- with positive outlook.

The country has a long and trusted trading relationship with the UK, and is an educated and technologically advanced society that appreciates high quality products and services – if you’re thinking of doing business there, here’s everything you need to know about exporting to Iceland…

If you’re looking for a trading base for the Central and Eastern European (CEE) market, then Hungary could be the ideal location, as it’s located right in the very heart of the Carpathian basin. Hungary is the UK’s third largest export market in the CEE region – 1.9% of Hungary’s imports come from the UK, and bilateral trade in goods and services is worth around £1,849 million.

If you want to start trading  in the CEE region, here’s everything you need to know about exporting to Hungary…

Amazingly, it’s been seven years since Greece became the first eurozone country to be bailed out by the European Union (EU), European Central Bank (ECB) and International Money Fund (IMF).

It looks like the the nation’s economic fortunes could finally be on the up – Fitch Ratings has upgraded Greece’s credit rating to B-, up one notch from its CCC rating – but the crisis-battered country is still well below investment grade.

In spite of this ongoing economic uncertainty, or maybe because of it, Greece could offer a great investment opportunity – so if you’re thinking of exporting to Greece, here’s everything you need to know…

Dubai is the UK’s 12th largest export market and the largest in the Middle East with bilateral goods and services trade worth £10.6 billion.

And if you think it’s all about oil in Dubai, think again – the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has diversified its economy to the point where non-oil sectors now contribute more than two-thirds (70%) towards the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP).

More than 4,000 British companies, including BP, Shell, Rolls Royce, BAE Systems, Standard Chartered, HSBC and RBS, operate from the UAE, while 779 commercial agencies and 4,762 British brands have invested there.

If you’re thinking of joining them and doing business in, or exporting to Dubai or anywhere in the UAE, here’s all you need to know…

The UK and Ghana have far-reaching historical, economic and political connections and not only have several British businesses that been trading in the Ghanaian market for over a century, some of the biggest names in the financial  and telecommunication industries have a presence out there – big names like Barclays, Standard Chartered and Vodafone.

Top UK goods exports to Ghana include:

• beverages
• medicinal and pharmaceutical products
• road vehicles
• electrical machinery and appliances
• machinery specialised for particular industries
• iron and Steel
• textile fibres (not manufactured)

If you’re thinking of doing business in, or exporting to Ghana, here’s all you need to know…

Although those who voted to leave the EU don’t like to admit it, the eurozone is the UK’s largest trading partner, but it’s very much a two-way street – if you examine both imports and exports it becomes apparent the eurozone economies do more business with the UK than any other nation.

The UK accounted for 14% of eurozone exports between 2007 and 2011 and 10% and more recently it took over Fance and USA to become Germany’s single largest trading partner – in the first three quarters of 2012 Germany’s combined trade with the UK came to £128 billion (€153 billion).

If you’re looking to do business there, here’s everything you need to know about exporting to Germany…

France is the world’s fifth largest economy, and with 65 million inhabitants it has Europe’s second largest consumer market – so if you’re thinking of exporting to France, it’s a pretty big market to aim for.

It’s also a stepping stone for other eurozone markets and a geographical hub for business within European Union (EU), it’s a geographical hub for anyone wanting to do business within Africa and the Middle East.

Services generate 80% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the economy is built upon a number of world class industries, including Europe’s largest aerospace and nuclear industries and the second-largest agri-food and chemical industries.

France also has Europe’s third-largest Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and pharmaceutical sectors.

Here’s everything you need to know about exporting to France…