As the 56th Australian Export Awards season comes to an end, it’s a great time to reflect on Australian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the impact they are having globally.

In the third quarter of 2018, after two years of improvement, French companies experienced a reversal of the trend with the number of insolvencies increasing by +2.3% (compared to the same quarter of 2017), in line with the slowdown in growth (1.6% in 2018) and consumption.

Do-it-yourself (DIY), perhaps even more than rugby, is Australia’s great passion. Bunnings is a temple to Aussies love affair with making and fixing things by ourselves. While this approach might be OK if you’re tiling a bathroom it leads to major problems in business, and the bigger the business the bigger the problems.

ECA CEO, Alina Bain, attended the summit in Papua New Guinea in mid-November to champion Australian SMEs and take the temperature of attending APEC leaders, CEOs and global experts on vital issues impacting Aussie businesses. 

Aspen Medical and SEAPA have been awarded the prestigious Australian Exporter of the Year award. Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Simon Birmingham announced the 2018 Australian Export Award winners at a ceremony in Canberra last night.

The Liberal-National Government has today welcomed new data showing Australia’s services exports reached a record $88.0 billion in 2017-18.

After a decade of negotiations, 30 December 2018 is the start date for the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP-11).

HSBC has recently launched 17 new International Business Guides which provide business leaders with key facts and insights on doing business in countries and territories around the world.

We are seeking expressions of interest from individuals who have experience in International Trade and are looking for casual and contract presenting positions with the ECA.

“Manufacturing” conjures up images of machines, production lines and products. In the past, the value of a manufacturing company lay primary in its tangible assets such as land, buildings and equipment. However times have changed. Today, the real value of a manufacturer is more likely to lie in its intangible assets such as the industrial know-how, systems and processes that keeps such organisations running safely, efficiently and competitively.

Regional Development Australia Sydney, Camden Region Economic Taskforce & NSW Department of Industry invite you to a free “Building Export Capability for Small to Medium Enterprises” workshop to be held at Camden Council on 22 November 2018. 

Rising trade tensions, ongoing geo-political ructions and tighter financing conditions saw the IMF cut its global growth forecast by 0.2 percentage points to 3.7% per annum in 2018 and 2019. While the global economy remains on track to match last year’s performance, which was the strongest pace of growth since 2011, this was the first IMF downgrade in more than two years.

Did you know 1 in 3 Australian businesses with Asian operations make more than 40% of their revenue from Asia? Have you thought about exporting to other international markets? Do you know how to get started? Visit ANZ Be Trade Ready, a digital tool developed in collaboration with the Export Council of Australia, to enable Australian businesses to research, plan and prepare for international expansion.

Exporters, businesses looking for funding, family offices, fund managers and professional services are invited to join the mission to the Asian Financial Forum (AFF) and Asia Family Office (AFO) conferences as well as our tailored itinerary including a trip to Shenzhen.

With a long and varied career in the fashion industry, Lee Mathews began her self-named business by hand-making her own clothes and selling them to her circle of friends.

The Global Trade Accelerator Program (GTA) is a virtual program enabling NSW-based exporters and trade professionals to gain market research advice from teams of international university students.

Nineteen New South Wales businesses have been recognised and celebrated for their outstanding success and contribution to the state’s trade output at the Premier’s New South Wales Export Awards which were held at the Star last night (Wednesday 24 October 2018).

It’s official! Another 12 businesses have joined the prestigious list of Western Australia’s best at this year's 30th Western Australian Industry & Export Awards. In the presence of peers from the international business community, winners of this year’s awards were announced at a gala ceremony on Thursday 18 October 2018.  

It’s been more than a decade in the making. And it’s been the subject of heated debate between supporters and opponents since it was first mooted. But finally, the TPP-11 or Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans Pacific Partnership as it is more formally known, is now set in stone.

Sixteen Queensland businesses have been recognised and celebrated for their outstanding success and contribution to the state’s trade output at the Premier of Queensland’s Export Awards which were held at the Hilton Brisbane last night (Thursday 11 October 2018).

Are you thinking of expanding your business into an emerging market? Efic’s Chief Economist, Cassandra Winzenried, talks about the broader macroeconomic and country risks facing Australian export businesses wanting to expand overseas.

If you’re doing business with Europe and don’t know the acronym GDPR, you could find yourself in big trouble.

How to protect your intellectual property in China - A webinar with ECA partner, IP Australia.

Managing risk, as an exporter or subcontractor, can be a complex undertaking for businesses wanting to expand into emerging markets.

FD Global Connections, in partnership with Tyro FinTech Hub, Lab1492 and supported by Australian FinTech, is offering the NYC Immersion Program for Australian companies ready to scale into the US.

The Export Council of Australia (ECA) commends Labor on its decision to support the TPP-11. Modelling commissioned by major Australian industry associations (including the ECA) shows that as it stands, Australia’s economy will be $15.6bn bigger if it joins the TPP-11. If just five more countries join the agreement, that would increase to $22.1bn.

The ECA is proud to partner with other major industry associations on a report modelling the benefits the TPP-11. The report, written by internationally-respected economists, finds that Australia’s GDP in 2030 will be $15.6 billion higher under the TPP-11.

Five new benefits for Australian Trusted Traders, were announced at the annual symposium held on 8 August 2018. There are over 200 accredited Trusted Traders who are able to access these benefits with estimated savings of $3.2 billion projected for Australian business over the 10 year period to 2025.

The Morrison Government welcomes new analysis confirming the real benefits of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP-11) to Australian businesses and the overall economy.

According to Efic’s latest Exporter Sentiment Index research results, sentiment among Australian exporters remains positive, however the lift seen in the November 2017 research has not been sustained.