The Investment and Development Bank of Republika Srpska, in cooperation with the Government of Republika Srpska, is organizing the first "INVEST FORUM", which will be held on September 19 in Banski dvor in Banja Luka.
The forum, this year's name is "Take advantage of the opportunity - invest in Serbia", will gather over 250 participants, including businessmen from numerous countries, representatives of the government, chambers of commerce, and the diplomatic corps.
"INVEST FORUM" is an opportunity to discuss specific investment opportunities and offers of Republika Srpska and its cities and municipalities, which relate to investing in certain business zones, connecting domestic and foreign businessmen in the form of B2B meetings, presenting domestic companies and their projects that are ready to be the subject of sale to foreign investors or to enter into a certain business venture together and the like. This is a concrete business opportunity for connecting businessmen of the Republic of Srpska and foreign businessmen, through partnerships or direct investments.
Businessmen from Italy, Japan, China, Turkey, Switzerland, Serbia, Austria, Hungary, Russian Federation, United Arab Emirates, Croatia, Greece, Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Azerbaijan, Czech Republic and Germany have confirmed their participation so far.
Acting Director of the Investment and Development Bank of the Republic of Srpska, Dražen Vrhovac, explains that this forum is part of the investment conference brand "INVEST SRPSKA", but that it is held separately from the conference, with an exclusive focus on businessmen.
The idea of organizing "INVEST FORUM" arose from discussions with foreign investors, ambassadors and consuls, foreign chambers of commerce, representatives of international institutions and organizations, during the presentation of investment opportunities, potential and projects of the Republic of Srpska and its cities and municipalities.
It was concluded that businessmen need more time and opportunities for direct B2B, B2G and G2G meetings, which this forum will make possible, and which can serve for new investments, opening new jobs and strengthening the economy.
The plan is to present the stimulating economic environment of Republika Srpska to businessmen at the forum, to present companies and assets that foreign investors are interested in, as well as for local communities to present their business zones, with concrete offers for brownfield and greenfield investments.
The goal is for the forum to be a place where businessmen will learn about the possibilities of investing in specific projects in various sectors of the economy (energy, agriculture, industry, tourism, infrastructure...) Also, the forum is a place where they will get the most accurate information about human resources and natural potentials, as well as subsidies and incentives for investment in Republika Srpska.
"This is a real chance for a business connection between businessmen from Srpska and foreign businessmen, and their agreement on joint performance and participation in the market of the Republic of Srpska and international markets," said Vrhovac.