Development of entrepreneurship in Slovenia is our long term commitment
The NLB Innovative Entrepreneurship Centre was established in 2015 as the Bank's contribution to improving both the entrepreneurial climate and financial mentorship in Slovenia.
The Innovative Entrepreneurship Centre (the IEC) was the first example of good banking practice of forming a supportive entrepreneurial environment in cooperation with partner organisations in Slovenia. In the one place, we offer a full banking service for entrepreneurs, banking and financial consulting, and other professional consultations and support services in cooperation with our partners. The Centre allows us to realise our mission of promoting the development of entrepreneurship and our company.
The development of entrepreneurship in Slovenia is our long-term mission. We primarily wish to contribute as much as possible to the expansion of small business. Therefore, as part of the programme for developing a supportive environment for entrepreneurship, for the third year in a row we collected bids for the free rental and use of business premises owned by NLB d.d.
Through such free rentals, we wish to support the following main activities: entrepreneurial and financial training and consulting, activities to encourage entrepreneurial ideas, the provision of tax, accounting, marketing and legal services, co-working and networking.
Important data for 2016:
events
organised on our own initiative or in cooperation with recognisable Slovenian partners
participants
The Innovative Entrepreneurship Centre
The Innovative Entrepreneurship Centre (IEC) is celebrating its first anniversary since opening. In this period, it has proved to be an important part of our banking story.
At the Innovative Entrepreneurship Centre we brought all the best stakeholders together into a single story, adding to this the banking and financial contents that are crucial to successfully breakthrough onto the global market. We have created a friendly, constructive and innovative environment for entrepreneurs as well as small and micro enterprises. In the year of operation, almost 9,000 people visited the IEC and numerous entrepreneurial ideas were born and designed there.
In autumn 2016, the professional jury of Zavod Big awarded the Innovative Entrepreneurship Centre first prize for “Best Public Interior of 2016”.
Upon receiving the award, the architect Matej Vozlič said:
In the office building of NLB d.d. at Trg Republike 2 in Ljubljana, which was built in 1971 according to the plans of Edvard Ravnikar, we arranged a ‘co-meeting point’ in part of the ground floor. The functionality is provided by a large and new prefabricated element – a box consisting of 50 mm thick spruce plates glued together in a circular pattern. This box connects and separates the premises and includes a handy library, a shared printing room, wardrobes and a multi-purpose room. On the roof of the ‘box’ there are additional seats for viewing projections, which can be transformed into divans for meetings, if necessary. Most of the other furniture includes equipment that was abandoned and deposited in the tower building’s basement. After being cleaned, painted and re-assembled, it has taken on a new life.
Vesna and Matej Vozlič, the award-winning architects, together with Tamara Železnik Kohek, General Manager of Micro and Small Enterprises (on the right)
One of the key steps in designing an environment supportive of entrepreneurial development is the possibility of the free rental and use of business premises owned by the NLB.
In 2016, the following that opted to rent the Bank's premises for free are Izziv Pomurje Sports Society and Izziv Sports Society from Turnišče intends to use the premises of the NLB branch office as its headquarters. There it will hold meetings, presentations and lectures on a balanced diet, the importance of physical exercise and a healthy lifestyle.
In June 2016, for the second consecutive year the IEC awarded the title of Young Entrepreneur of the Year, this time to Mario Kurtović from the company PanOrganic.
In November, for one day the IEC opened its door to secondary school students of Slovenia. They tried themselves out as ‘young entrepreneurs’ within the scope of the JA Slovenia programme, which forms part of the JA Worldwide international franchise. The NLB actively participated in the programme and rewarded those students with the best business ideas with one-day training prepared together with the Bank's partners.
The comments left behind in the Book of Impressions make us happy again and again: “Thank you for believing in young people and trusting us with the world. We appreciate the effort you have given us ...”; “We hope to cooperate in the future as well, both individually and as a group.”
They followed with great interest the short lectures on what is important at the start of one’s entrepreneurial path, and the fact that a good idea alone is not enough for a company start-up. We talked to them about the importance of online marketing, financial management and the basics of business protocol and etiquette.Zapisi iz knjige vtisov, ki nas vedno znova razveselijo: »Zahvaljujemo se vam, ker verjamete v mladino in nam zaupate svet v naše roke. Cenimo vaš trud za nas ...« in »Upamo, da bomo v prihodnosti še sodelovali, tako posamično kot skupinsko.«
Z zanimanjem so prisluhnili kratkim predavanjem o tem, kaj je pomembno na začetku podjetniške poti in da dobra ideja ni dovolj za zagon podjetja. Spregovorili smo jim o pomenu spletnega marketinga, o obvladovanju financ pa tudi o osnovah poslovnega protokola in bontona.
Care for our other clients
Continued renovation of the branch offices
The renovations of the branch offices hold a deeper meaning, indicating social responsibility. The Šentjernej Branch Office will display a painting of a rooster, a symbol of Šentjernej, which we received from the local community in recognition of the Bank’s good mutual cooperation with the environment.
In Šoštanj, from where the principle of a school savings bank originates, the opening featured a singing performance by future savers – children from the Šoštanj kindergarten. The importance of cooperating with the local community is best proved by the Thank You Letter received from the Mayor of the Šoštanj Municipality. On the initiative of Anton Adam, Branch Office Manager, we donated a bust of Peter Musi, an important citizen of Šoštanj.
There was also a lot going on in Postojna. The door of the branch office in Postojna was open to all locals to come celebrate the branch’s 15th anniversary. For the first time in 15 years, our bank was mentioned on the website of the Municipality of Postojna.
NLB Banka Sarajevo renovates a branch office in Tuzla
In addition to Slovenia, the upgrading of the branch offices continued in other countries of the NLB Group members. Among others, NLB Banka Sarajevo in Tuzla has a renovated branch office and Corporate Banking Centre. The branch office’s refurbishment is symbolically important since Tuzla is where NLB Banka Sarajevo laid its foundations.
Mobile ATM – the right bank, always at the right time and right place
Mobile bankers - Here, for you
A while ago, the NLB introduced mobile bankers able to visit clients in their home, at the office or in another location of their choosing, thus saving them a trip to the Bank. A group video interview has been recorded for such clients to get to know them better.
In the video, the mobile bankers present themselves and their work, explain how clients can schedule their visit, and talk about the most unusual locations where they have met with clients.
GRI Standards disclosures
Economic indicators
GRI STANDARD, DISCLOSURE 201-1
We report on direct economic value generated and distributed. According to disclosure 201-1a</41> we report the direct economic value generated and distributed (EVG&D) for NLB d.d.
According to disclosure 201-1ai. we report EUR 475.75 million in generated revenue, which includes net interest income, dividend income, net fee and commission income, the effects of financial instruments, net exchange rate differences, the effects of the derecognition of assets, net operating revenue and net gains from non-current assets held for sale.
According to disclosure 201-1aii. we report EUR 261.16 million in incurred operating costs, which includes labour costs and other administrative costs.
According to disclosure 201-1aiii. we report EUR 214.59 million in economic value retained (the difference in the value under disclosure 201-1ai. and under disclosure 201-1aii.).