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UK government announces financial support for record number of exporters in 2015-16

The UK Export Finance (UKEF) annual report and accounts, published today, show that the UK’s export credit agency has supported the largest number of exporters in 25 years, with a 23% increase since last year.

77% of the exporters that benefited from finance and insurance from UKEF were small or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and an estimated 7,000 companies in exporter supply chains also indirectly benefited. Altogether, UKEF supported more than £800 million in sales overseas through its SME-targeted trade finance products, and issued £1.8 billion in export support.

This announcement comes a year into the Exporting is GREAT campaign, the government’s drive to empower 100,000 new companies to sell overseas by 2020.

Lord Price, Minister for Trade and Investment, welcomed the results, saying:

Exporting can help businesses grow – and grow fast. That means more jobs, more profits, more tax revenue and more benefit to society. By providing its innovative support to more exporters than ever before, UKEF is helping to make exports happen, playing a vital role in the whole-of-government push for 100,000 new exporters by 2020. Read More