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							           Belgium/België/Belgique/
                   Belgien
INTRODUCTION

General
     Capital/Other major cities:    Brussels/Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi, Liège, Bruges
                          Area:     30,528 km2
                   Population:      10.38m
                   Languages:       Dutch, French, German
                     Currency:      Euro (EUR)
      Country telephone code:       32
             National holidays:
                2nd half 2006 –     11 (Flemish community only), 21 Jul, 15 Aug,
                                    27 Sep (French community only), 1, 11 Nov, 25–26 Dec.
                         2007 –     1 Jan, 6, 9 Apr, 1, 17, 28 May, 11 (Flemish community only), 21 Jul, 15 Aug,
                                    27 Sep (French community only), 1, 11, Nov, 25 Dec.
      Business/Banking hours:       09:00–16:00 (Mon–Fri)
             Stock exchange:        Euronext Brussels
         Leading share index:       BEL20

Government
                 Legislature
                   Parliamentary monarchy with a bicameral Parliament composed of the Chamber of
                   Representatives and the Senate.
                       Chamber of Representatives – 150 members elected via proportional representation for four-
                       year terms.
                       Senate – 71 members; 40 are elected via proportional representation, ten appointed by the
                       elected senators and 21 appointed by the three linguistic communities’ assemblies for four-year
                       terms.
                   Belgium is a Federal State in which the regions and communities (Flemish, Walloon and Brussels
                   regions and Flemish, French and German speaking communities) have significant powers.
                   Belgium is a founding member of the EU.
                 Head of state
                  King Albert II.
                 Political leader
                   Guy Verhofstadt, PM since 12 June 1999. Head of a coalition government between his Liberal-
                   Democrats and the Socialists.
Economy
                                                                                                        2005                           2006
                                     2000       2001       2002       2003       2004
                                                                                              Q3         Q4        YEAR         Q1             Q2
 Exchange rate* (EUR†/USD)          1.0854     1.1175     1.0626     0.8860     0.8054      0.8201     0.8415     0.8041      0.8320      0.7962
 Interest rate*
                                      4.39      4.26       3.32       2.34       2.11        2.13       2.34        2.19       2.61           2.89
 (3-month euro-area MMR) (%)
 Consumer inflation** (%)            + 2.6      + 2.5      + 1.6      + 1.6     + 2.1        + 3.1      + 2.6       + 2.8      + 2.2          + 2.0

 Unemployment (%)                     10.9      10.8       11.2       12.3       12.8        13.5        NA          NA         NA            NA

 GDP volume growth** (%)             + 3.8      + 1.0      + 1.6      + 0.9     + 2.6        + 1.1      + 1.3       + 1.2      + 2.7          NA

 GDP (EURbn†)                         252        259        268       275        288           -          -         298          -              -

 GDP (USDbn)                          232        232        252       310        358           -          -         371          -              -

 GDP per capita (USD)               22,541     22,436     24,345     29,902     34,383         -          -        35,566        -              -
 BoP    (goods/services/income)
                                      6.7        5.9        6.3        6.2       5.3           -          -          4.5         -              -
 as % GDP ***
* Period average. ** Year on year. † BEF (Belgian Franc) until1999, EUR since 1999 at BEF40.3399 per EUR.
*** For 1996 until 2002 BoP for Belgium and Luxembourg; from 2002 for Belgium only.
                                                                                      Source: International Financial Statistics, IMF August 2006.


Sectoral distribution of GDP (% of GDP)
                            Agriculture         1%
                            Industry           24%
                            Services         74.9% (2004 estimate)
COUNTRY CREDIT RATING
Fitch Ratings rates Belgium’s issuer credit as:-

                                                   Local Currency
                 Term                                                            Foreign Currency Rating
                                                       Rating
                  Short                                   -                                  F1 +
                  Long                                  AA+                                  AA+

        Long term rating alert                                      Outlook Stable


                                                                       Source: www.fitchratings.com September 2006
LEGAL AND REGULATORY

Central bank
                 The Belgian central bank, De Nationale Bank van België (NBB) / La Banque Nationale de
                 Belgique (BNB), is an independent institution which operates in accordance with the 1998 Organic
                 Law of the National Bank of Belgium and the Statutes of the National Bank of Belgium. As a
                 member of the European System of Central Banks (ESCB), it shares responsibility for the
                 ‘performance of the ESCB’s tasks with the primary objective of maintaining price stability’.

Bank supervision
                 The Banking, Finance and Insurance Commission (CBFA) supervises the financial sector within
                 Belgium. The CBFA is an independent public institution that was established on 1 January 2004
                 following the merger of the Insurance Supervisory Authority (ISA) into the Commission for Banks
                 and Financial Institutions (CBF). The CBFA operates in accordance with the Law on Supervision
                 of the Financial Sector and Financial Services of 2 August 2002.

Resident/ Non-resident status
                 A resident company has a legally registered office, or its main activity or place of effective
                 management located in Belgium.

Bank accounts
                 Foreign currency accounts can be held by residents both domestically and abroad. Accounts in
                 domestic currency (EUR) can be held abroad and are convertible into foreign currency.
                 Non-resident bank accounts are permitted in Belgium, denominated in either domestic or foreign
                 currency. Non-resident accounts in domestic currency (EUR) are also convertible into foreign
                 currency.
                 Interest can be offered on current accounts and term deposits. Yields, however, tend to be low.
                 Belgian companies widely use overdraft facilities as a short-term financing method.

Reporting
               Reporting regulations
                Reporting regulations requiring all transactions between residents and non-residents and residents’
                transactions on accounts held abroad to be reported individually to the NBB/BNB (if they
                exceeded EUR 12,500) were abolished at the beginning of 2006 when Belgium moved to a survey-
                based reporting system.
                The NBB/BNB collects information for balance of payments statistics through surveys on foreign
                assets and liabilities.
               Reporting method
                Companies obliged to submit reports are contacted individually by the NBB/BNB.
                Unprompted reporting is not necessary.

Anti-money laundering / Counter-terrorist financing*
                 Belgium has implemented the relevant EU anti-money laundering legislation (‘Law on Preventing
                 Use of the Financial System for Purposes of Money Laundering’ of 1993, as amended, ‘Law of 3
                 May 2002’, ‘Law of 19 December 2003’, ‘Regulations of the Banking, Finance and Insurance
                 Commission on preventing money-laundering and the financing of terrorism’ of 2004 and Articles
                 140 and 505 of the Penal Code).
                 A Financial Action Task Force (FATF) member, Belgium observes most of the FATF-49
                 standards.
                 Belgium has established a financial intelligence unit (FIU), the Financial Information Processing
                 Unit (CTIF-CFI), which is a member of The Egmont Group.
                 Financial institutions are required to record and report suspicious transactions to the CTIF-CFI.
                 Transactions involving customers (natural persons and legal entities) from countries or territories
                 on the FATF list of non-co-operative countries and territories must be reported to the CTIF-CFI.
                 Cash payments above EUR 15,000 for goods and real property are prohibited.
                 The identity of clients engaging in transactions equal to or greater than EUR 10,000 must be
                 recorded.
                 Account opening procedures require formal identification of the customer.
                   “Know your customer” principles must be complied with for all transactions.
                   Financial institutions are required to identify the purpose and nature of the business relationship
                   and the types of transaction that the customer will wish to undertake.
                   Financial institutions must identify the beneficial owners and structure of legal entities, trusts, and
                   unincorporated associations.
                   Identification requirements do not apply when the customer is a credit or financial institution or an
                   investment company resident in Belgium or a country that has equivalent anti-money laundering
                   regulations.
                   All records must be kept for a minimum of five years in such a manner that the transaction can be
                   reconstructed.
          *Supplied by BCL Burton & Copeland (www.burtoncopeland.co.uk for background explanatory article). Data as at May 2006.


Exchange controls
                   Restrictions on capital transactions do not apply in Belgium.
                   Belgium participates fully in EMU.
                   Since 28 February 2002, the euro (EUR) has replaced the Belgian franc (BEF) as sole legal tender
                   with a conversion rate of BEF 40.3399: EUR 1.
TAXATION*

Resident/Non-resident
                   A company (or ‘legal entity’) is considered resident if its registered office, principal establishment
                   or centre of management is based in Belgium.

Tax year
                   Companies are taxed on the taxable income of each accounting year. The tax return should be filed
                   in the period which begins one month after the financial statement’s approval and ends six months
                   after the accounting year closing date.

Corporate taxation
                   As of tax year 2004 (financial year ended 31 December 2003), the basic rate of corporate taxation
                   for residents and non-residents is 33.99% (a basic rate of 33% with an additional 3% austerity
                   surcharge calculated on the rate of income tax on taxable income). A staggered series of reduced
                   rates apply for companies whose taxable income does not exceed EUR 322,500 and who are not
                   excluded from the reduced tax rates (companies excluded from the reduced tax rates include
                   companies such as holding companies and companies owned 50% or more by other legal entities).
                   Companies resident in Belgium are subject to corporate tax on their worldwide income (taxation of
                   foreign-source income could however be exempted, based on tax treaty provisions). Non-resident
                   companies pay tax only on Belgian-sourced income, generated through a permanent establishment
                   or Belgian real estate.
                   As of 1 January 2006, all Belgian resident companies and Belgian branches of foreign companies
                   benefit from a notional interest deduction. Said deduction is computed on the basis of the Belgian
                   taxpayer’s adjusted net equity

Advance tax ruling availability
                   A new advance tax ruling regime was introduced in Belgium on 1 January 2003, under which tax
                   payers can obtain advance confirmation from the tax authorities regarding how the law shall be
                   applied to a particular situation or operation that has not yet had any effect from a taxation point of
                   view. From 1 January 2005, the Advance Ruling Commission has operated as an autonomous
                   public office within the Federal Ministry of Finance.
                   The advance tax ruling procedure applies to all federal taxes. It may also relate to the regional
                   taxes collected by the Federal State, such as the withholding tax on immovable property income.

Thin capitalisation
                   Interest paid to a non-resident company that is not subject to corporate tax or which benefits from
                   a considerably more advantageous tax regime than the Belgian one (as far as interest income is
                   concerned) is not tax deductible to the extent that the related loans exceed a debt/equity ratio of
                   7:1. The excess interest is not recharacterised as a dividend payment but is not tax deductible for
                   the Belgian company.
                   Interest paid or attributed by a Belgian company on advances/loans granted by an individual
                   shareholder or by directors, acting managers or persons (including legal entities) with a similar
                   function to the Belgian interest paying company will be deemed to be dividends if:
                       the interest rate exceeds the market interest rate; or
                       the total amount of the interest-generating advances exceeds the paid-up capital (at the end of
                       the taxable period) plus taxed reserves (as at the beginning of the taxable period).
                   To the extent that one of these limits is exceeded, the excess portion of the interest is treated as a
                   dividend payment. The requalification into a dividend means that the excess is added to the taxable
                   income of the company and, as distributed profits, is in principle subject to a withholding tax.

Transfer pricing
                   Belgium has transfer-pricing rules based around the OECD rules, which operate by reference to
                   arm’s length principles under which profits can be adjusted.

Capital gains tax
                   Generally, capital gains arising on the disposal of tangible and intangible assets are taxable at the
                   normal corporate tax rate. The gain is calculated by deducting the cost and any tax depreciation
                   from the proceeds.
                      If business assets have been held for more than five years, and the sale proceeds are reinvested in
                      tangible or intangible assets used in Belgium for the conduct of a business activity within three
                      years (five in certain circumstances), the tax can be spread across the period over which the
                      replacement assets are depreciated.
                      Capital losses on business assets can be deducted from other income in the accounting year they
                      are incurred.
                      Capital gains on shares are not taxable provided that the dividends from the shares qualify for the
                      dividends received deduction regime. Capital losses on shares are in principle not tax deductible.
                      However, capital losses on shares incurred on the liquidation of a company remain deductible to
                      the extent that the paid-up capital that is represented by the shares is lost.

Stamp duty
                      No stamp duty is levied on loan agreements.

Withholding tax (subject to tax treaties and other exemptions)

Payments to:                       Interest            Dividends           Royalties         Other
                                                                                             income
Resident_ Companies                0%                  15%/25%             0%                N/A
Non-resident_ Companies            15%                 15%/25%             15%               N/A


                      For Belgian residents, domestic dividends are subject to a 25% withholding tax deducted at source
                      (which is creditable against corporate income tax and refundable on behalf of the beneficiary).
                      However, the following categories of dividends are eligible for a reduced withholding tax rate of
                      15%:
                          Dividends from shares or securities issued on or after 1 January 1994 by public offer.
                          Dividends from shares or securities which are part of a nominative subscription with the issuer
                          or placed in public custody with a bank, a public credit institution or a savings institution
                          supervised by the CBFA when these shares are issued on or after 1 January 1994 in exchange
                          for a cash contribution.
                          Dividends distributed by investment companies (such as BEVEK/SICAV, BEVAK/SICAF,
                          VBS/SIC).
                      Distributions (excluding returns of paid-up capital) made by a Belgian company in case of
                      liquidation are considered as dividends subject to a withholding tax of 10%.
                      In the case of dividend distributions by a Belgian company to a European or Belgian company, a
                      withholding tax exemption can in principle be claimed based on the EU Parent–Subsidiary
                      Directive as implemented in Belgian internal legislation. Such dividend payments are exempt from
                      Belgian withholding tax if they satisfy particular conditions, which include the parent company
                      holding at least 20% of the capital of the Belgian subsidiary (15 % for dividends distributions as of
                      1 January 2007 and 10% for dividends distributions as of 1 January 2009) and that the relevant
                      holding was held, or will be held, without interruption for a continuous period of at least one year.
                      A withholding tax of 15% is in principle levied on interest and royalties, subject to specific
                      exemptions. Royalties payable to Belgian residents are not subject to withholding tax.
                      A withholding tax exemption is available for interest paid to credit institutions established in the
                      EU or in a country having concluded a double tax treaty with Belgium.
                      In case of interest payments by a Belgian company to a European or Belgian company, a
                      withholding tax exemption can in principle be claimed based on the EU Interest and Royalties
                      Directive. Such interest payments are exempt from Belgian withholding tax if they satisfy
                      particular conditions, which include that one of the companies held or will hold a direct or indirect
                      holding of at least 25% of the capital of the other (or that a third company also located within the
                      European Union held or will hold directly or indirectly a holding of at least 25% in the capital of
                      both companies) without interruption for a continuous period of at least one year.
                      A withholding tax exemption is available for interest paid by qualifying Belgian intragroup
                      financial companies and qualifying Belgian holding companies.

Tax Treaties
                      Belgium has a wide network of tax treaties (approximately 90). Furthermore, Belgium has
                      concluded a tax agreement with the Taiwanese authorities and is the only country to have
                      concluded a double tax treaty with Hong Kong.
Sales taxes/VAT (incl. financial services)
                 VAT is imposed on all companies with an annual turnover above EUR5,580. A general rate of
                 21% is payable on the purchase of goods and performance of services. Intermediate reduced rates
                 of 12% and 6% apply to certain commodities.

Payroll and social security taxes
                 Employers are liable for social security contributions varying between around 33% and 35%
                 according to the employee’s function. The contributions are deductible for corporate income tax
                 purposes.
                 Employers are also obliged to withhold a payroll withholding tax at progressive rates (up to
                 approximately 50%) on remunerations paid to their employees.
                                 *All tax information supplied by Deloitte & Touche (www.deloitte.com). Data as at 1 May 2006.
BANKING

Major banks
              Bank                                                          Total assets (USDm)
                                                                                   31 Dec. 2005

              Fortis Bank*                                                             700.515
              KBC Bank                                                                 317,793
              Dexia Bank Belgium                                                       258,353
              ING Belgium                                                              185,889
              Axa Bank Belgium                                                         23,066**
              Euroclear bank                                                           12,424**
              CBC Banque                                                               11,790**
              Crédit Agricole/Landbouwkrediet                                           8,235**
              * Includes all banking activities of the Belgo-Dutch Fortis group.
              ** Figures from 31 December 2004.
                                                                                            Source: www.bankersalmanac.com


Overview
               At the end of 2005, there were approximately 104 banks operating in Belgium (of which around 26
               were majority Belgian-owned and 28 were majority foreign-owned) and 50 are branches of foreign
               banks. There are also approximately 20 representative offices of foreign banks in Belgium.
               The open regulatory environment and the presence of a large number of international businesses in
               Belgium (particularly multinational corporations with Belgian Co-ordination Centres) have
               attracted the large international cash-management banks.
               Consolidation within the Belgian banking sector has been intense as European banking groups
               responded to the heightened competition brought about by the single currency.
               The number of purely Belgian-owned banks has declined significantly after years of merger
               activity, with several institutions having opted for cross-border mergers. Two powerful cross-
               border institutions are the Belgo-Dutch Fortis Group and the Belgo-French Dexia Bank. Created in
               1998 by the merger of Cera and Kredietbank, KBC is the other major domestic bank in Belgium
               and the only major 100% Belgian-owned bank remaining.
               Despite the high levels of concentration, there are still a number of niche players.
PAYMENT INSTRUMENTS
Payment statistics
                                 Millions of                                   Traffic
                                transactions                                (EUR billion)
                                                      % change                                          % change
                               2003        2004       2004/2003          2003            2004           2004/2003
Cheques                         23.7        19.1        -19.3             86.4            81.1             -6.1
Credit transfers               636.5       692.7          8.8           13,846.7        14,760.9            6.6
   – paper-based               317.9       321.0          1.0            799.4           736.5             -7.9
   – electronic                318.6       371.7         16.7           13,047.4        14,024.4            7.5
Direct debits                  192.4       211.4          9.9             48.7            48.1             -1.3
Debit card payments            544.1       597.3          9.8             27.2            29.9              9.9
Credit card payments            70.4        74.0          5.2              7.3             6.8             -7.4
Card-based e-money             107.1       106.9         -0.1             0.55            0.53             -3.6
Other payment                               85.3          1.0             29.1            33.4             14.9
                                84.4
instruments
Total                         1,658.5     1,786.7          7.7          14,046.0        14,960.7             6.5
                                                                               Source: ECB Blue Book statistical update, March 2006


Credit transfers
                       Credit transfer is the dominant payment instrument in Belgium, both in terms of volume and value.
                       Credit transfers are used to pay wages, pensions, tax and social security payments, in addition to
                       treasury operations.
                       Payments can be paper-based or automated. However, paper-based credit transfers are essentially
                       used for retail transactions.

Direct debits
                       The direct debit is limited to its pre-authorised form.
                       Direct debits are widely used for regular low-value payments such as utility bills and insurance
                       premia.

Cheques
                       Cheque payments have decreased in volume due to the cost of cheque collection and the increase
                       in usage of credit transfers, direct debits and card payments.
                       The withdrawal of the eurocheque guarantee at the beginning of 2002 has resulted in an even
                       sharper decline in the volume of cheque transactions. Usage is further discouraged by the high
                       tariffs imposed by the banking community. As a result, cheques are fast becoming a marginal
                       payment instrument only used for one-off, high-value payments such as property purchases.

Card payments
                       Credit and debit card usage is increasing but remains small compared with electronic credit
                       transfers.
                       Belgium has one of the highest concentrations of multibank ATM/POS terminals in Europe.
                       Belgium has used the PROTON multi-purpose pre-paid card scheme since 1998. However, whilst
                       growing, usage remains limited.
PAYMENT SYSTEMS

Type
                  The NBB/BNB is responsible for the operational management of the following payment
                  systems:
                      The Electronic Large-value Interbank Payments System (ELLIPS) is the national
                      TARGET-linked RTGS system.
                      The Centre for the Exchange of Operations (UCV/CEC) is an automated low-value net
                      settlement system.
                      The Clearing House of Belgium (CHB) is a decentralised paper-based net settlement
                      system.

Participants
                  ELLIPS has approximately 15 direct participants and 70 indirect participants.
                  The UCV/CEC has 22 direct and 63 indirect participants at present.
                  The CHB has 25 direct and 58 indirect participants.

Transaction types processed
                  ELLIPS settles urgent/high-value domestic and cross-border electronic credit transfers.
                  UVC/CEC clears the majority of retail payments in Belgium, i.e. credit transfers of less than
                  EUR 500,000, cheques of less than EUR 50,000, direct debits below EUR 5 million, bills of
                  exchange, e-banking transactions, cashpoint (payment card) transactions, and e-money
                  transactions.
                  The CHB only clears paper-based items which cannot be processed electronically in ELLIPS
                  or UCV/CEC. The CHB clears non-truncated cheques in EUR (above EUR 50,000), irregular
                  cheques, cheques in foreign currencies and certified cheques.

Operating hours
                  ELLIPS’ operating hours reflect those of TARGET i.e. 07:00–18:00 CET.
                  UCV/CEC operates 24 hours a day.
                  The CHB operates between 08:00–11:45 CET.

Clearing cycle details
               ELLIPS
                ELLIPS settles interbank (MT202) and customer-initiated (MT103) transfer transmitted via
                SWIFT on a same-day basis and with immediate finality.
                The cut-off time for customer payments is 17:00 CET, while interbank payments are
                accepted until 18:00 CET.
                The cut-off time for payments related to monetary policy is 18:30 CET.
               UCV/CEC
                UCV/CEC clears all transactions on a same-day settlement cycle (at 15:00 CET every day).
                All paper-based items are truncated.
                UCV/CEC operates 24 hours a day and has rolling cut-off times for different types of
                transactions.
                Later cut-off times and preferential pricing apply to banks which send payment data via
                telecommunications networks.
                Each participant’s net position is calculated by 15:15 CET before final settlement is effected
                via ELLIPS across participants’ accounts at the NBB/BNB.
                The UCV/CEC’s participants, including the NBB/BNB and the commercial banks, last year
                upgraded the system’s technical platform and telecommunications network
CHB
 The CHB clears transactions on a same-day clearing cycle if they are remitted between 08:00
 and 11:45 CET.
 Each participant’s net position is calculated at 15:15 CET before final settlement is effected
 via ELLIPS across participants’ accounts at the NBB/BNB.
 The remitting bank gathers the paper-based payment instruments in envelopes (one per
 recipient) with clearing fees levied per envelope.
 A transportation fee is also added if the envelopes are not remitted in Brussels.
 All CHB operations are centralised in Brussels.
CASH MANAGEMENT

Domestic
               Notional pooling
                Notional pooling is permitted and offered by a good number of banks.
                Each company within a group is treated as a separate legal entity, and therefore care has to be
                taken with regard to such arrangements’ tax implications.
               Cash concentration
                All the major international and domestic cash management banks offer cash concentration
                techniques.
                Usage among Belgian companies is widespread.

Cross-border
                 Cross-border arrangements can vary from bank to bank.
                 Cross-border pooling for the eurozone countries is offered by many banks.
                 Some banks’ pooling products also include non-euro currencies, and there is also the
                 possibility of holding accounts abroad.
                 No restrictions apply to pooling residents and non-residents together in the same pool.

Lifting fees
                 Funds transfers between resident and non-resident accounts are subject to lifting fees.
                 However, use of lifting fees has become increasingly rare.

Belgian Co-ordination Centres
                 Belgium allows multinational companies to offer centralised cash management services to
                 their group members, and to conduct a wide variety of intra-group financial operations at low
                 fiscal cost, via its Belgian Co-ordination Centre (BCC) regime.
                 Under an agreement with the European Commission, Belgium will have to phase out the
                 BCC regime by the end of 2010. In practice, all existing Royal Decrees granting CC status
                 are being phased out before 2010.
                 New BCC licences fall under the new BCC status that was approved by the Belgian
                 Parliament on 24 December 2002. The new BCC status has a different tax basis and does not
                 provide a real-estate tax exemption. BCCs are also no longer exempt from paying capital tax.
                 Withholding tax exemptions for dividend and royalty payments have now been extended to
                 all Belgian companies.

Short-term investments
                 Interest can be earned on current accounts and short-term deposit accounts. Yields tend to be
                 low.
                 Time deposits’ interest rates vary in accordance with the maturity and amount.
                 Certificates of deposit (CDs) are offered by commercial banks and have maturities ranging
                 from seven days to one year.
                 Commercial paper is offered by companies and government bodies and has a maturity
                 ranging from seven days to one year. Dematerialised, commercial paper is traded by the
                 National Bank of Belgium via its clearing system.
                 Issued at regular intervals by the Belgian Treasury, T-bills have maturities of three, six or 12
                 months. Electronic, T-bills are electronically traded by the National Bank of Belgium via its
                 clearing system.
                 Repurchase agreements (repos) usually have maturities ranging from one day to one week.
                 Companies can invest in SICAVs (Société d’Investissement à Capital Variable), which are
                 open-ended investment companies.
ELECTRONIC BANKING

            Electronic banking is widespread in Belgium.
            The national electronic banking standard, ISABEL (Interbank Standards Association
            Belgium), is based on a national EDI standard for balance and transaction reporting (CODA).
            ISABEL is used by all the major domestic and foreign banks in Belgium. It provides
            companies with cheap multibank reporting and transaction initiation services both
            domestically and internationally.
            Internet banking is becoming increasingly commonplace, both on a domestic and
            international scale. Most banks offer some form of internet banking, and ISABEL has
            developed a number of online facilities.
TRADE FINANCE

Trading partners
              Import
                Netherlands 17.8%, Germany 17.2%, France 11.4%, UK 6.8%, Ireland 6.5%, US 5.4%.
              Export
                Germany 19.4%, France 17.3%, Netherlands 11.7%, UK 8.2%, US 6.4%, Italy 5.3%.

Imports/Exports
                  Belgium applies the European Union customs code and all associated regulations and
                  commercial policies.
USEFUL CONTACTS
National Bank of Belgium                                                                www.nbb.be
Banking, Finance and Insurance Commission                                               www.cbfa.be
Leading banks                              Fortis Bank                               www.fortis.com
                                           KBC                                           www.kbc.be
                                           Dexia Bank                                  www.dexia.be
Belgian Bankers’ and Stockbroking Firms’ Association                                www.abb-bvb.be
Association of Corporate Treasurers in Belgium                                          www.ateb.be
Ministry of Finance                                                             www.minfin.fgov.be
Ministry of Economy                                                             www.mineco.fgov.be
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation         www.diplobel.fgov.be
Belgian Chambers of Commerce and Industry                                                www.cci.be
Investment Company for Flanders                                                        www.gimv.be
Flanders Investment & Trade                                                www.investinflanders.com
Office for Foreign Investors (Wallonia)                                     www.investinwallonia.be
Brussels Regional Development Agency                                             www.sdrb.irisnet.be
Federal Agency for Foreign Investors                                     www.investinbelgium.fgov.be
Euronext Brussels                                                                www.euronext.com
ISABEL                                                                                www.isabel.be


HSBC CONTACT DETAILS
Global Payments and Cash Management
HSBC Bank plc
270 Avenue de Tervueren, Bte 4
1150 Brussels
Belgium
Tel: +32 (0) 2227 8637
Fax: +32 (0) 2513 3524
E-mail: enquiriespcm@hsbc.com

						
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