Focus topic globalisation

Sound recipes for world markets

South Africa is Africa’s largest and most developed economy and a hub for manufacturing and the service sector. Our location is in Johannesburg – in the Rosebank neighbourhood, to be exact. In the “Proud Mary”, we like to sit around the table with our customers, partners and employees to work out the best recipes for joint projects. For me personally, it’s always something of a cultural adventure too. With every new dish that I try in my favourite restaurant, I learn more about the people of South Africa. And that helps me to support our customers – whether it's in the financing of exports or German direct investments. Market insight gives entrepreneurs a taste for discovering new markets with KfW IPEX-Bank.

Thorsten Metz, KfW IPEX-Bank Representative Office South Africa

Through our representative office in New York City, we are connected to North America, Canada and Mexico and develop potential financing business for KfW IPEX-Bank in those markets. For me, New York is the “city of cities” and a melting pot of cultures. Here, the whole world sits around the table. I personally like to reserve a table for myself, my colleagues and business partners at “Zaytinya”. Under the direction of the James Beard Award-winning chef José Andrés, the Zaytinya team creates wonderful dishes that showcase the rich diversity of traditional Turkish, Greek and Lebanese cuisine. From here in New York City, while tucking into a range of European recipes, we look farther afield to seek out new markets for KfW IPEX-Bank to explore.

Timo Hellwig, KfW IPEX-Bank Representative Office North America

Our representative office in the business metropolis of São Paulo supports KfW IPEX-Bank’s business activities in Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Chile. KfW has been active in South America with export and project financing since the 1960s; we can thus boast a long and successful relationship with the continent. Here in São Paulo, my favourite restaurant is “Vaca Veia”. I almost always order a traditional picanha steak, cooked on skewers over charcoal. After a relaxed gathering with the IPEX team or in the company of our customers, we sometimes enjoy a caipirinha cocktail, ideally to the sound of guitars. Incidentally, Brazil has been home to the bossa nova since the sixties.

Marc Schieting, KfW IPEX-Bank Representative Office South America

Our representative office in Abu Dhabi, the largest emirate in the UAE federation, supports KfW IPEX-Bank's activities in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council. The other members are Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Saudi Arabia. Abu Dhabi’s Corniche Road and stunning Corniche Beach run along the waterfront overlooking the Arabian Gulf. Our favourite restaurant for special occasions and meetings is located here – the “Catch at St. Regis”. I usually choose what the Gulf does best: the finest seafood to be found anywhere. Our conversations around the table often revolve around the region’s unique features and the future challenges faced by the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council as they diversify into different areas. Their economies’ dependence on oil exports must be reduced in order to safeguard economic development and value creation for the future. We are glad to play our part here.

Cihan Yilmaz, KfW IPEX-Bank Representative Office Abu Dhabi