SEB launches The Benche - the Web Based Internet Community for Trade Finance specialists

www.thebenche.com is a dynamic web based internet community open for all Trade Finance professionals and others active in international trade. The Benche offers a unique opportunity to gather and share knowledge and experience, and discuss and network amongst professionals.

“In order to have an international business it requires extensive work to collect information about the country, the region and its trade conventions. This is for many companies both costly and time consuming,” said Lars Millberg, Global Head of Trade Finance. “With the Benche, we want to facilitate that process for companies within and outside of Sweden. A customer survey conducted by Mantaray on SEB’s behalf shows that half of the respondents were willing to share information with others within a community.”

At the Benche the members can discuss online for example how to best open a Letter of Credit (L/C) from Singapore, or payment terms in Kenya. Apart from member posted facts and discussion threads The Benche also holds public information and news, as well as possibilities for the members to quickly and simply expand their professional networks and then create new business contacts.

SEB will include part of its customer support on the Benche by frequently publishing a FAQ, as well as an “Ask the Experts” section where the members can get expert answers to their questions.

As a universal bank in northern Europe, SEB has a unique and natural customer base of large and smaller companies with interest in import and export. A selection of these customers has also assisted SEB in building up the Benche.

View the film on how the Benche works, and listen to Fredrik Anderson, CellMark explaining the advantages he sees with the Benche:
http://gaia.world-television.com/wtvse/2008/SEB/benche/default2.asp

Downloadable raw material in mpeg2-format for you to do your own news cast about the Benche:
- Interview with Fredrik Anderson, CellMark (in English, where Fredrik Anderson talks about how he uses the different functions, the advantages of quick access to information, the need for Trade Finance networking, etcetera)
- Cuts material (from CellMark and pictures that show the different functions of The Benche) (without sound)

Pick up files here: ftp://seb:ftp4S3B@ftp.unit.net

Should the link not work:
URL: FTP.unit.net
username: SEB
password: ftp4S3B

SEB is a North European financial group serving some 400,000 corporate customers and institutions and five million private individuals. SEB offers universal banking services in Sweden, Germany and the Baltic countries - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. It also has local presence in the other Nordic countries, Poland, Ukraine and Russia and a global presence through its international network in another ten countries. On 30 September 2008, the Group’s total assets amounted to SEK 2,416bn (~EUR 237bn) while its assets under management totalled SEK 1,244bn (~EUR 122bn).The Group has about 22,000 employees. Read more about SEB at www.sebgroup.com.