Serbian Business Registers Agency (SBRA) has changed its Internet domain from www.sbra.sr.gov.yu to www.sbra.gov.rs , as of September 03, 2008. Also, e-mail addresses of SBRA emloyees have been changed accordingly (i.e. from ...@sbra.sr.gov.yu to ...@sbra.gov.rs).

In three years of existence, the Pledge Register has registered 30,000 active pledges over movable assets and rights. Since the beginning of the year, the Register received 11,863 requests for the registration of pledges.

The Pledge Register is a single electronic database of contracts of pledges over movable assets and rights, legal (which arise in tax proceedings) and judicial pledges (which arise in enforcement proceedings). The Register begun to operate on 15 August 2005. Before its constitution, in Serbia there were no records on this specific type of collateral for loans. Until three years ago, pledge was little known among the local community and corporate sector.

In this first 4.5 months of work, the Register received 4,783 applications for registration of pledges. The Serbian Business Registers Agency first proceeded to register “old” pledges, in order to ensure legal protection of the right of priority of creditors in the case of debt settlement. In the course of 2006, 9,135 pledges were filed and in 2007, 14,332 applications were received.

The number of registered pledges in 2007 increased by 56.89 per cent in comparison with 2006, while in the first 7.5 months of this year the number of pledges grew by 7.28 per cent, compared to the same period last year. If this trend continues, it is to be expected that by the year’s end the number of registered pledges will exceed the previous year’s growth rate.

The registered pledges serve as collateral for claims amounting to RSD 180 billion, EUR 12 billion, CHF 420 million, KR 1.5 million and USD 440 million.

As regards the structure of pledges, the most frequent users of this type of loan collateral are banks (more than 57%), followed by companies, the Development Fund of the Republic of Serbia and associations (21%), as well as the Tax Administration, in other words the Republic of Serbia in whose favor the pledge right is registered as a guarantee for the settlement of tax debts (20%).

In most cases, pledged assets are machines and equipment, passenger and freight vehicles and property rights (shares, claims and similar). Intellectual property is also the object of pledge (trademarks and other) registered in this Register until the time when special regulations are adopted to regulate the matter of registration of pledge rights in intellectual property registers.

Just as a reminder, by instituting a pledge right, the pledger does not loose the rights over a pledged asset (he/she gains profit by using the pledged asset, has the possibility to transfer ownership, to rent or lease a pledged asset for use by third parties), while the pledgee through registration in the public register ensures right of priority in the settlement of debt. The existence of an electronic register, whose data are in the public domain, increases legal security for doing business, simplifies the procedure for obtaining a loan, while Serbia ensures greater legal security for its citizens and the economy.

In the past six months the Serbian Business Registers Agency (SBRA) website www.apr.sr.gov.yu registered 2,239,393 visitors.

Website visitors mostly used the data search options, so that 1,196,598 company data searches were recorded and 472,180 searches of registered data on entrepreneurs in the Company Register’s single electronic database.

Data search on registered financial leasing contracts was performed by 30,375 users, while information about registered pledges over movable assets and rights was sought by 36,489 users.

After the home page and data search, the highest number of hits was recorded in the Q&A section, with regard to company and business registration, and to the operation of the Company Register, within which companies and entrepreneurs are evidenced. These pages have recorded 61,856 visits in the entrepreneurs’ information section and 31,771 visits in the company information section.

The section devoted to financial statements has also recorded a large amount of traffic (34,426 hits), followed by the section with laws, regulations and by-laws (31,977 visits) and section with electronic data (29,485 visits), which the Agency delivers to interested users under certain conditions.

From month to month, the Agency is recording increasing traffic on its website. This is an incentive to further improve and upgrade the website www.apr.sr.gov.yu, which is a kind of service for all business entities, banks, media and other interested users, who rely on the accuracy of this publicly available information from the electronic registers of the Serbian Business Registers Agency.

The value of financial leasing contracts in Serbia amounts to more than EUR 2.6 billion. In the first six months of this year, 6,345 new leasing agreements were signed, which is 30 per cent less than in the same period last year. In a statement to Beta, Tanja Vukotić-Marinković, Registrar at the Financial Leasing Register, said that a growth in the number of leasing contracts has been marked in 2Q of 2008.

Vukotić-Marinković said that leasing is still most frequently used for buying cars, although the share of these contracts in the total amount of leasing contracts dropped to 40 per cent from 55.4 per cent recorded in the same period last year.

Leasing of household appliances decreased in the first half of 2008. The drop in the number of household appliance leasing contracts was recorded after the decision of the National Bank of Serbia to limit the minimal leasing contract amount to EUR 2,000, said the Registrar in the Financial Leasing Register.

According to her, the share of household appliances leasing contracts in the overall number of “active” contracts, registered in the Financial Leasing Register amounts to 18.2 per cent.

SBRA receive requests for registration of financial leasing contracts from 17 leasing companies. Hypo-Alpe-Adria leasing, Raiffeisen leasing and VB leasing have the largest number of registered contracts.

On June 30, there were 63,148 active financial leasing contracts.

The Serbian Business Registers Agency has introduced a new service – a digital answering system in the Agency’s Call Centre.

By dialing 011/20 23 350 you can get key information about the work of the Agency and the individual Registers administered by SBRA, as well as information on registration procedures. If you want your call to be transferred to the operators, please dial 0 when the digital answering system automatically turns itself on.

You may also leave a voice message with your questions on the answering system. Users need to leave their contact phone number or e-mail address, and SBRA’s Call Center Operators will answer the queries within 24 hours.

The Serbian Business Registers Agency (SBRA) successfully organized this year’s, 11th European Commerce Registers’ Forum (ECRF). The conference was attended by 130 participants from 35 countries – delegates from almost all European countries, Malaysia, South Africa, Canada and the U.S...

The representatives of OECD Investment Compact for South-East Europe presented their Report on the Implementation of the European Charter on small and medium enterprises in the Western Balkans, while the World Bank and International Finance Corporation (IFC) delegates presented the “Doing Business” methodology in analyzing the impact of business registration regulatory procedures.

One of the key topics of the two day conference was the session on prevention of money laundering, where Mr. Nicholas Troy-Anti-Money Laundering Unit Jersey Financial Services Commission, Mr. Anton Bartolo-Registrar of Companies Malta Financial Services Authority, Mr. Paul Reynolds-Head of Corporate Affairs UK Companies House and Ms. Tatjana Djurasinovic-Head of International and National Cooperation Department Administration for the Prevention of Money Laundering Ministry of Finance, Republic of Serbia, shared their experiences. Part of the Forum was devoted to presenting the individual experiences of national registers, such as the implementation of the online one-stop-shop business registration system in Estonia. At the conference, which took place in the Hyatt Hotel in Belgrade, the Swedish Companies Registration Office presented its survey on achievements in the area of business registration, which included more than 50 European and non-European countries.

The Serbian Business Registers Agency handed over ECRF presidency to Luxembourg.

SBRA Director Zvonko Obradović and 50 staff members donated blood on Monday, June 16th, to the mobile Blood Transfusion Bus located on Trg Republike.

The Serbian Business Registers Agency joined this year’s blood donation action jointly organized by the Serbian Institute for Blood Transfusion and media organization B92.

“It is an honor for the Agency to join the company of humane institutions. It is easy to be generous and it’s the least one can do for other people who may find themselves in difficult life circumstances when this type of help can be decisive in saving a human life.”

The Agency’s Director Mr. Obradović reiterated that SBRA would take part in the blood donation action again at the end of the summer.

SBRA LAUNCHES ONLINE REGISTRATION FOR ENTREPRENEURS AS OF TODAY!
As of today, all interested individuals who want to register as sole traders can avail themselves of the Serbian Business Registers Agency’s online registration service to submit their applications for registration. Thanks to electronic registration, applicants will only be required to present themselves at the Agency once, when collecting the original certificate of registration. On that occasion they will be required to submit a signed copy of the electronic registration certificate, the supporting documents prescribed by law and the registration fee payment slip. However, the required documents, as well as SBRA’s certificate may also be delivered by mail, thus avoiding the need to come to the Agency in person.

To activate this service, a user account must first be registered on the Agency’s website.

After registering a user account successfully, the user may access the system and submit an application for registration as sole trader.

Once the electronic application has been submitted, a confirmation of electronic submission of application is e-mailed to the user. The confirmation, signed by the applicant, together with the original supporting documents and registration fee payment slip, must be submitted in person to SBRA when collecting the original certificate of registration.

Entrepreneurs may submit their electronic applications for registration as sole trader by clicking on Еlectronic submittal (on the home page of this web portal).

Today, the first online registration of an entrepreneur was Serbian Business Registers Agency (SBRA) completed its first online registration of an entrepreneur. Along with the certificate of registration, the owner of the Car Service P&K, Petar Krsmanić from Slepčević near Šabac, was awarded a gift package by SBRA, as the first sole-trader to complete the entire registration process online.

Krsmanić sent an application for registration of his car service yesterday, and today he brought the required original papers to SBRA’s Belgrade office. As the entrepreneur complied with registration requirements and submitted the appropriate documents, a certificate of registration was immediately issued to him.

Today the Serbian Business Registers Agency (SBRA) organized a gathering entitled “100.000 START UP SERBIA”, to mark the 100,000th company registration. In addition to Verica Kalanović, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy and Regional Development and Mr. Dejan Jovanović, Director of the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency (SMEA), attendees included Ms. Andrijana Glavina, the founder of the 100,000th registered company.

„The first 100,000 have already given Serbia a push! However, our work has only just begun! We need many more new companies, many good business ideas and a huge joint effort to gain the economic strength that Serbia deserves! The companies registered so far, have made their first steps, the state is right by their side, to facilitate administrative procedures for business registration, to assist them in getting the most favorable loans to successfully start their private business,” stated Mr. Zvonko Obradović, SBRA Director.

Ms. Andrijana Glavina, the owner of the 100,000th registered company, a producer of industrial packaging, will apply for a start-up loan with the Development Fund and SME Agency. The pre-condition for the approval of the loan, which amounts to 30,000 EUR, granted by the Ministry of Economy and Regional Development, is registration with SBRA. On this occasion she was awarded a laptop from SBRA’s strategic partner, ComTrade Group, as well as a ADSL connection and a year of free internet from Serbian Telekom.

As of today, all interested individuals who want to register as sole traders can avail themselves of the Serbian Business Registers Agency’s electronic registration service to submit their applications for registration. Thanks to electronic registration, applicants will only be required to present themselves at the Agency once, when collecting the original certificate of registration. On that occasion they will be required to submit a signed copy of the electronic registration certificate, the supporting documents prescribed by law and the registration fee payment slip. However, the required documents, as well as SBRA’s certificate may also be delivered by mail, thus avoiding the need to come to the Agency in person.

To activate this service, a user account must first be registered on the Agency’s website.
After registering a user account successfully, the user may access the system and submit an application for registration as sole trader.

Once the electronic application has been submitted, a confirmation of electronic submission of application is e-mailed to the user. The confirmation, signed by the applicant, together with the original supporting documents and registration fee payment slip, must be submitted in person to SBRA when collecting the original certificate of registration.

Entrepreneurs may submit their electronic applications for registration as sole trader by clicking on Еlectronic submittal (on the home page of this web portal).

As of today, Serbian Business Registers Agency’s (SBRA) customers can avail themselves of a new service to check the status of their application via SMS, by sending a message to 7272. This service is available to all business users of mobile networks 062, 063, 064 and 065.

The status can be checked of all applications submitted by companies or individuals to the Serbian Business Registers Agency, i.e. the Company Register and the Register of pledges on movable assets and rights (for the registration of pledges). 

The service can be activated by simply sending an SMS text message containing the code CAS (for company application status) or PAS (for pledge application status), followed by the submittal reference number assigned by the Agency. Shortly, users will receive confirmation it the application has been received in SBRA’s head office, if it is being processed, or whether the application has been approved or rejected by decision of the Registrar.

The status check service charge is RSD 5 per SMS message, which only covers the costs of the mobile operator and provider, while the Agency offers its services free of charge.

By introducing this SMS based application status check service, SBRA aims to facilitate user access to information on the status of their application anytime, anyplace, in order to further decrease the time needed to complete business registration.

As a reminder, from April all SBRA service users may check the status of their application on the Agency website home page, in the section “Companies” and “Entrepreneurs” – “Application status”.

INFORMATION ON THE PARTICIPATION OF ZVONKO OBRADOVIĆ, DIRECTOR OF THE SERBIAN BUSINESS REGISTERS AGENCY (SBRA), AT ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE CORPORATE REGISTERS FORUM IN CANADA

Director of the Serbian Business Registers Agency (SBRA), Mr. Zvonko Obradović, has been invited to participate in the Annual Conference of the Corporate Registers Forum (CRF) held in Canada (Vancouver, March 31 - April 4, 2008), in the capacity of the President of the Steering Committee of the European Commerce Registers’ Forum (ECRF), to present activities of ECRF that is presided by SBRA from June 2007 to June 2008.

At yesterday’s session, Mr. Obradović informed the conference participants about all activities that Serbian Business Registers Agency undertook as a presiding ECRF register since June 2007. He also presented results of the 3rd XBRL ECRF Conference that SBRA organized in Belgrade on the 18th of January. In conclusion of his presentation, Mr. Obradovic invited conference delegates to come to Serbia on the occasion of the 11th Annual ECRF Conference that Serbian Business Registers Agency would organize on the 19th and 20th of June, 2008, in Belgrade.

The Corporations Canada is the host of the 2008 CRF Conference that has the theme “Between Friends – Interoperability”. The Conference was opened by Ms. Marie-Josée Thivierge, Assistant Deputy Minister of Industry of Canada.

CRF is an international not-for-profit organization for administrators of corporate securities registers, founded five years ago with an aim to establish a platform for the exchange of experiences of the corporate securities registers. CRF Members jurisdictions are: Australia, Canada, Cook Islands, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Malaysia, Mauritius, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, Samoa, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tonga, United Kingdom, Vanuatu and Zambia.

SBRA’s EXPERIENCE IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE BUSINESS REGISTRATION SYSTEM REFORM PRESENTED AT WORLD BANK INSTITUTE WORKSHOP IN DUSHANBE (11-12 March 2008, Tajikistan)

At today’s workshop in Dushanbe (Tajikistan), organized by the Government of Tajikistan, with the support of the World Bank Institute and the financial assistance of the Government of Japan, Director of the Serbian Business Registers Agency (SBRA), Mr. Zvonko Obradović, presented previous experiences of the Republic of Serbia in the implementation of the business registration reform and introduction of a ‘one stop shop’ registration system.

Mr. Obradović’s participation in the two-day convention on the topic of “Establishment and implementation of a one stop shop registration system in Tajikistan – challenges and possibilities”, was by invitation of the World Bank Institute, which recognized SBRA as a successful reformer and regional leader in the field of business registration.
 

CLOSING OF RECEIPT OF FINANCIAL REPORTS DUE IN FEBRUARY

Serbian Business Registers Agency (SBRA) has received 108,261 company financial reports. Based on the documents that have arrived and have been processed, 13,395 entrepreneurs, 91,927 small and 2,939 medium and large enterprises have filed their financial statements with SBRA.

Out of the total number of financial reports filed, as many as 60% arrived by mail, while the rest were handed in at SBRA’s Belgrade office and 13 extension offices.

All paper documents received, will be processed and transferred into electronic format by the Agency, while the top five most important data from the 2007 annual returns will be published on our website, (on the Data Search page, in the Business Register section): business income and expenditures, total profit, assets value and company capital.

In addition, in the future, the Agency will also publish data on the total number of employees, as an integral part of the corporate data which will be made available to the public.

Furthermore, in the course of this year another new service will be made available to users – scanned annual reports for the period from 2005 to 2007.

SBRA SIGNS DONATION PROTOCOL WITH INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY  KOICA FOR THE “IMPROVEMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE CAPABILITY OF SERBIAN BUSINESS REGISTERS AGENCY OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA” 

On 14 February 2008, the Serbian Business Registers Agency and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) signed a Donation Protocol for the “Improvement of Administrative Capability of the Serbian Business Registers Agency of the Republic of Serbia”.

The Protocol was signed at SBRA’s office by Mr. Zvonko Obradović, SBRA Director and Mr. Kong Moo Heon, Leader of KOICA’s Implementation Survey Team.

The signing took place in the presence of Her Excellency Kim Yung Hi, Ambassador of South Korea, the State Secretary for Foreign Economic Relations of the Ministry of Economy and Regional Development Jasna Matić, and the Advisor to the Department for Programming and Management of EU Funds and Development Assistance of the Ministry of Finance Igor Perić.

The Ambassador of South Korea dr. Kim Yung Hi expressed her conviction that successful implementation of the project will speed up and facilitate, as well as increase the transparency and efficiency of doing business in Serbia, to the benefit of not only domestic companies but also foreign investors, and that the project will contribute to a better living standard of Serbia’s citizens and forging closer ties between the people of Serbia and Korea.

Dr. Yung Hi emphasized that the Korean Government had made an exception with respect to the amount of the donation, as the standard amount approved per project does not usually exceed USD 2 million, whereas the funding approved in this case amounts to USD 3.2 million.

State Secretary for Foreign Economic Relations of the Ministry of Economy and Regional Development of the Government of Serbia, Ms. Jasna Matić, emphasized that upgrading SBRA’s operations would result in an improved business environment in Serbia and increased efficiency of the domestic economy, which in turn would contribute to increasing the volume of foreign investments.

The donation, consisting of equipment and software, will be implemented over a period of two years, from 2008 to 2009.

The donation is intended for upgrading the existing system, through the introduction of integrated registers, e-archives and the development of an information hub for internal and external users, (state institutions and interested users).

The funds will be allocated also for the establishment of a One-Stop-Shop system, aiming to provide services which will be integrated in one office, in the Serbian Business Registers Agency. With the introduction of a One-Stop-Shop system, the foundations will have been laid for the development of communications and the implementation of electronic procedures between the various state agencies.

The implementation of the project will contribute to upgrading cooperation between the two countries in the field of information and communications technologies (ICT), through the transfer of know how held by the Republic of Korea to the Republic of Serbia in the field of e-governance.

Respected users,

We are happy to announce that we’ve redesigned Internet page of Serbian Business Registers Agency (SBRA).

New Internet page is more user friendly than the old one, enabling better interaction between you and SBRA.

Our Internet page is now more rich in terms of its contents, providing various information, news, frequently asked questions, as well as some samples of filled in applications.

We are looking forward to receiving your eventual suggestions wich will help us to improve our web site’s performances.

Thank you in advance!

SBRA DISCOBOLOS 

The Serbian Business Registers Agency (SBRA) has been awarded with the prestigious Discobolos 2007 award in the public sector activities category, for the Agency’s services based on high accessibility databases.

At the award ceremony, held on 18 December in the Continental Hotel, the laureates were awarded the recognition by an international jury composed of members of the European Assembly of ICT Associations, the European Chamber of Commerce and regional ICT Associations.

The Discobolos award is granted in recognition of outstanding achievements in the field of information and communications technologies (ICT), as well as for radio and television programs promoting ICT.