Jean Pierre Nonault, Director General of National Financial Institutions (DGIFN), representing Christian Yoka, Minister of Finance, Budget and Public Portfolio, opened, Friday, March 7, 2025 in Brazzaville, a seminar on ‘‘Financing of international trade, Factoring and Leasing’’. Organized by the Banque Postale du Congo (BPC), whose Managing Director is Calixte Médard Tabangoli, this seminar was attended by videoconference by Neal Harm, Secretary General of Facilitating Open Account-Receivables Finance (FCI), a strategic partner of this Bank.

In his opening remarks, Jean Pierre Nonault indicated that “Trade Finance provides the credit, payment guarantees and insurance needed to facilitate payment for goods or services, on terms that satisfy both the exporter and the importer. This is why this financing is often described as the oil in the wheels of trade. The main advantage of international trade is that it paves the way for cross-border exchanges of products, services, capital and know-how, thus creating countless opportunities for businesses and local economies. The main benefit of international trade is its power to drive economic growth.”

For his part, the Managing Director of BPC stated that “Factoring and Leasing are two types of alternative financing. They are two distinct methods of cash management. Factoring, which is a sale of receivables to third parties, offers immediate liquidity, but can be costly. Leasing, which is a rental with an option to purchase, preserves cash flow, but commits the company in the long term."

According to him, "by organizing this seminar, Banque Postale du Congo aims to fill knowledge gaps in international trade financing, alternative financing, and to share experiences. The aim is to encourage small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to take a step forward and knock on the doors of banks to benefit from financing methods adapted to their needs."

The seven sub-themes under discussion

The participants shared their experiences on "The importance of alternative financing (Factoring and Leasing) for SMEs"; "Factoring, an opportunity for SMEs"; "Documentary Credit, a guarantee instrument for international trade financing"; "Leasing, an alternative financing method for SMEs". ‘‘Factoring, a financing tool to improve economic stability’’; ‘‘Factoring, a growth accelerator for SMEs’’; ‘‘Efficient management of supplier accounts, through alternative financing tools (documentary credit, factoring and leasing)’’.

The Communication Unit of the Ministry of Finance, Budget and Public Portfolio