Competencies to Strengthen

How Can This Help Your Company?

Branding

The ability to stand out and differentiate your brand will enable you to command greater premiums and, eventually, greater revenue.

Design

A good design can set companies apart from their competitors. Not only that, it can build brand loyalty and motivate behaviour change.

Internationalisation Strategy

A strong internationalisation strategy guides the development of your company’s business model and provides a strong foundation for overseas expansion.

For example, doing market analyses can help identify market opportunities and target key customer segments, which will eventually lead to a stronger position in the industry.

Intellectual Property (IP) Management

Every company owns some form of IP, and having an understanding of IP is crucial to ensure the safety of businesses. Through the GCP Programme, companies will learn to manage and safeguard their intellectual assets. 

Finance

Understanding financial instruments and elements of proper financing can help companies keep their businesses healthy and financially secure.

Supply Chain Management

A good supply chain management system plays a crucial role in facilitating operational efficiency, which will in turn lead to increased customer satisfaction and resilience during crisis situations.

eCommerce

In the increasingly globalised business landscape where technology is the most widely used form of interaction, eCommerce bears the potential for a lucrative revenue stream. 

What the GCP Programme offers

How Can This Help Your Company?

Strong Market Familiarity

IE Singapore has a firm grasp on the market, and is able to provide first-hand insights into global business trends and government and industry connections.

Lower Business Costs

With a good selection of financial support, companies are better equipped with the financial resources to make their foray into the overseas market.

Companies can also enjoy 200% more tax deduction on eligible expenses when carrying out qualifying market expansion and investment development activities.

Build Connections to Governments and Business Leaders

IE Singapore organises high-level forums to give companies a platform to connect with representatives from governments around the world and also businesses from emerging markets.

Create Opportunities for International Business Projects

IE Singapore has more than 20 platform projects around the world, and will open their doors to companies with opportunities offered by established international organisations such as the Asian Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

How Can the GCP Programme Help?

Talent Attraction

The GCP programme provides companies with a steady supply of talent through university internships, scholarships and international sourcing of mature talent.

Talent Development

After talent acquisition, the next step would be talent development. The GCP Programme can help companies develop their key talents through market immersion activities and developing customised training programmes. By doing so, companies will be able to fill in the key skill gaps that will strengthen the organisation.

International Human Resource Strategies

The GCP Programme can play a role in helping companies avoid common international pitfalls. Through this programme, Human Resource personnel can develop and refine the organisations’ HR strategies with the help of third-party consultants.

Description

Internationalisation Finance Scheme (IFS)

Companies may face more challenges with securing financing from banks because of the higher levels risk generally associated with overseas ventures. The IF scheme then helps these companies by co-sharing the default risks between IE Singapore and Participating Financial Institutions (PFIs).

Companies can tap on the IFS to access up to S$30 million in credit facilities to support their overseas expansion:

• Asset-based financing to purchase fixed assets for use overseas, or to purchase/construct factories overseas

• Structured loans to finance the working expenses of secured overseas projects

• Banker’s guarantee for the issuance of guarantee facilities for secured overseas projects which can take the form of advance payment guarantee, performance guarantee or tender bond guarantee.

Political Insurance Scheme (PRIS)

This scheme helps to safeguard companies’ overseas investments and projects against political uncertainties.

The GCP Programme will co-fund up to 50% of the premium (capped at S$500,000) for each insurance policy.

Risks covered include:

• Expropriation;
• Currency inconvertibility and transfer restrictions;
• Political violence;
• Breach of contract by host government; and
• Non-honouring of sovereign financial obligations

Loan Insurance Scheme (LIS/LIS+)

LIS helps companies to secure short-term trade financing lines from banks by insuring the banks against insolvency risks of the borrowers.

Under the LIS, the GCP Programme will co-fund up to 50% of insurance premiums.

The short-term trade financing lines include:

• Inventory/stock financing facility;
• Structured pre-delivery Working Capital;
• Factoring/bill or invoice or accounts receivable discounting with recourse; and
• Banker’s Guarantee for contractual fulfilment

Trade Credit Insurance Scheme (TCIS)

Trade credit insurance helps to protect companies against non-payment by their buyers, and this enhances their financial security when acquiring new customers.

The scheme covers risks like:

• The insolvency and protracted default of end buyers

Under the TCIS, the GCP Programme will co-fund up to 50% (capped at S$100,000) of the insurance premium that companies incur while obtaining trade credit insurance policies.

Trade Facilitation Scheme (TFS)

The Trade Facilitation Scheme (TFS) aims to help address market gaps in trade financing for Singapore-based companies in emerging markets.

Under this scheme, IE Singapore enters a risk-sharing arrangement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Swiss Re Corporate Solutions to increase the capacity for credit guarantees to Singapore-based banks.

Companies will then be able to benefit from the increase in availability of trade finance when they enter new markets in search of growth opportunities.