2021 Worldwide Finance Awards AI

May21628
Company: exficon GmbH Contact:
Chiara-Felicitas Otto Email: chiara-felicitas. otto@exficon.de Website: www.exficon.de
Best Africa-Focused Export Finance Consultancy 2021
Founded in the summer of 2011 by Managing Director, Mrs. Chiara-Felicitas Otto, exficon GmbH is a Germany- based export finance consulting and tender agency desk which offers expert consulting services regarding bankability of export and project finance transactions with a strong focus on enabling bankable deals across the African continent, with activities in 25+ countries.
S ince its incorporation, exficon has been involved in numerous export and project finance transactions, with its clients including international project developers, European exporters (midcap to DAX30 companies) and/or their general importers
operating under an official distributor’s license, and public authorities, governmental agencies or government-owned entities. Occasionally, exficon is mandated by commercial banks or development institutions to structure transactions on their behalf or to provide expert views on existing structures. It is well-connected to a large number of banks and financing institutions, both for commercial financings and for funding of projects with a promotional/development focus.
It is a company that has all of the ingredients needed to make transactions a real success – extensive structuring capability of complex transactions (especially required for ECA- or PRI-covered export finance structures or the implementation of PPPs/PFIs or IPPs), cross-industry knowledge, outstanding product expertise regarding foreign trade finance and structured financings, and skills on how to appropriately handle economic and political risks in emerging and developing countries.
As early as 2012, exficon prepared itself to accept assignments as tender or sourcing agent and the team gained expert knowledge in German and international procurement laws and the operational doings (and legal aspects) around tender agent activities. As of today, the company is looking back on more than 150 successfully managed assignments as tender agent or sourcing agent (which usually includes conducting the entire technical tender procedure and the evaluation of the most suitable financing solution for the products being sourced in the technical tender part).
The exficon team is characterised by a true teamwork culture and by deep intercultural understanding for clients (with more than 10 languages spoken among employees), and it is always composed in a way to optimally address the project’s or the client’s requirements. The firm has the ability to cover a wide range of services in addition to the classical structuring and financial engineering activities such as
capacity building, cash flow modelling of projects or the administration of tender procedures. It can assure clients that it always works as a highly motivated team dedicated to making the project a success. exficon doesn’t only share the enthusiasm of a project – it multiplies it!
exficon’s staff work based on the common understanding that they can all count and rely on each other, and as a result, they all work seamlessly on each assignment. All members of the team are highly motivated, best-educated and willing to constantly learn and to broaden their horizons with and for the clients’ needs. They do not shy away from challenges – the challenge will be taken and the diverse team will find a solution. To date, it has always found one.
Speaking of challenges, the COVID-19 pandemic has been one to hit the German SMEs heftily, as these companies form the backbone of German exporters. Exports have significantly slowed down– especially due to the travel restrictions, disruptions in international logistics and insecurities regarding the current conditions in the project/import countries. exficon has current mandates for many export projects and it sees the delays arising from the aforementioned challenges. The effects on the business are obvious and foreseeable, but the company is confident that with the reopening of international borders and the subsequent increase of international trade activities that the usual workload will return – for the company as well as for its clients.
Despite the difficult overall market situation, exficon managed to achieve a record year in 2020. It is constantly learning with and through its clients, continuously developing new strategies or structures for putting together the best tailor-made financing solutions. It completed a digitalisation project in 2020, an e-procurement product that provides digital service for electronic procurement within the business unit, tender agency desk, which successfully hit the market and has received an overwhelmingly positive response from clients.
Indeed, exficon is more than confident that the year 2021 will be a successful one – despite the ongoing pandemic.
Acquisition International - 2021 Worldwide Finance Awards