Business

business

Covid-19: the former mask factory rises from its ashes in Brittany

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The characteristic noise of the machines does not deceive. The production of protective masks has finally resumed in the Côtes-d’Armor after some twists and turns. In the new factory of the Coop des masques de Grâces, around fifteen employees are hard at work packaging the first surgical and FFP2 masks which have been leaving the two production lines since January 19 at a speed of 120 units per minute. To help them tame these state-of-the-art machines 20 m long, technicians from the Saint-Etienne manufacturer were dispatched to the site.

VIDEO. Covid-19: “I feel more protected with an FFP2 mask”

In March 2020, the factory closes, the machines destroyed

“We couldn’t wait! We’ve been waiting for this for several months, ”exclaims Véronique with a burst of laughter, surrounded by her new colleagues Sandrine, Stéphanie, Sonia and Myriam. The enthusiasm of this 58-year-old former temporary worker is shared by Serge le Quéau and René Louail, the initiators of this industrial relocation adventure. Small step back. In March 2020, in the midst of a shortage of masks, the first, representative of the Union syndicale Solidaires des Côtes-d’Armor, discovered the unthinkable. At the end of 2018, the American group Honeywell closed its Breton industrial production site for respiratory masks in Plaintel to relocate it to Tunisia, simultaneously laying off 38 employees.

Worse: he sent all his machines to the scrapyard with almost general indifference. “It put me in an inexplicable anger when I learned it,” recalls René Louail, a farmer who is a member of Europe Écologie les Verts (EELV) Brittany. The two friends cry scandal and call for the creation of a cooperative “to reclaim the production tool and act in the long term on the territory”. A somewhat crazy bet in which embarks Guy Hascoët, former Secretary of State behind the creation of cooperative societies of collective interest (SCIC).

2,000 individuals have become members

Activating their networks, the trio succeeded in convincing local communities to get involved in the project. Just like economic players and professional branches likely to buy masks. Quickly, however, a parallel project (M3 Sanitrade) led by the Lebanese-Swiss billionaire Abdallah Chatila with the support of the former director of the Plaintel plant overshadows the cooperative which sees him pass under his nose. the site of the Chaffoteaux and Maury establishments in Ploufragan on which it was planning to settle. Serge Le Quéau, René Louail and Guy Hascoët bounce back, find machines and launch the Coop des masques in July 2020 with the objective of raising a capital of 2 million euros.

This non-profit structure associates in its shareholding employees, local authorities, companies, associations and nearly 2000 citizens who are now members. 23 people have been hired, a third of whom have a disability, as well as a former figure in the Breton yellow vests. “Everything was done quickly. It surprised a lot of people. This project responds to a need for health sovereignty and could be a laboratory for the creation of new cooperatives, ”says René Louail. The plant’s objective: to manufacture between 30 and 45 million masks per year and on site, from this summer, meltblown, the precious filtering material that composes them. The inauguration will take place this Friday.

»Green button«: »State sanctioned greenwashing« (neue-deutschland.de)

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»Green button«: »State sanctioned greenwashing«

Photo: dpa / Christian Charisins

In September 2019, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) presented the “Green Button” as a new textile seal. Have your expectations been met?
From the outset there were two points that we at Femnet criticized: on the one hand, that the entire supply chain is not scrutinized, and on the other hand, that the question of decent wages is not actively raised. That clouded our joy about the generally positive initiative of the BMZ.

One year after the label was presented, Femnet and the Swiss non-governmental organization Public Eye have now examined the extent to which the 31 companies involved are fulfilling their duty of care. What is the result?
The statutes of the Green Button stipulate that companies should report publicly how they are meeting the criteria. However, this is only partially and completely insufficiently the case, as we have demonstrated in our study. The Green Button is based on the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights as well as the OECD guidelines for compliance with the duty of care to promote responsible supply chains in the clothing and footwear industry. The stated goal is to minimize risks, i.e. to reduce problems in the supply chain, to set up a complaint system and to report on these processes. But when it comes to reporting, we complain about deficits.

How does the BMZ, the lead ministry, react to this criticism?
It drew our attention to the fact that companies may be more concerned with the deficits and their correction than they report on them. We consider this to be entirely possible, but would like to point out that transparent reporting is an important objective of the process. That comes up short.

Why is that? The sustainability label is carried by small companies with little experience, but also by large players such as Aldi or Tchibo.
Yes, these differences are also reflected. Some rely on a seal like Gots (Global Organic Textile Standard) and forget that, according to the UN standards, they have a clear obligation to take action themselves and to report. The others, the big discounters, for example, meet all the formal criteria, but fail when it comes to clearly identifying the deficits: the violation of freedom of union in Bangladesh, for example, or the discrimination against women in the workplace in the same country.

Isn’t that a requirement of the label and the BMZ? It is required that companies examine human rights risks along their supply chain, take effective countermeasures if necessary, report on them publicly and set up complaint options for those potentially affected. Are these requirements not being met?
Unsatisfactory. That is why we warn against the risk of state-sanctioned greenwashing. The Green Button is so important because it could serve as a template for a legal regulation, namely the Supply Chain Act. This is why, from our perspective, it is so important to identify deficits.

Where should improvements be made?
We have named ten points, some of which have already been taken into account in the further development of Green Button 2.0. That applies to our demand for a living wage. That is positive, but we still advocate that the requirements of the Green Button should be extended to the entire supply chain and that minimum requirements be made for transparency and reporting.

The pandemic is hitting workers in the producing countries hard. Less is being ordered and, according to Greenpeace, the lockdown ensures that large quantities of textiles cannot be sold – they could be incinerated. A consequence of a market out of control?
Yes, we need a different production system that will put a stop to overproduction. We need demand-oriented production and here and there there are tendencies that go in that direction. Large manufacturers who are thinking out loud about offering only two collections, others who have clothes made to measure for their customers and still others who choose cuts that require less material. All of these are new positive approaches. These and a Green Button 2.0 could mean that something changes noticeably for the seamstresses too.

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How to make a bank transfer to Cuba from abroad?

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Cuba News

The BBC clarifies about this concern of many Cubans who send remittances to the Island

Cuban newspaper

Published on

Bank transfers from abroad to magnetic cards backed by bank accounts in Cuban financial institutions is practically the only current legal way to send remittances to the Island, after the closure of Western Union and the problems presented by the state Fincimex with its AIS cards.

The Central Bank of Cuba (BCC), which controls monetary policy, knows the situation and took the opportunity a few hours ago to remind Cubans How to make a bank transfer to Cuba from abroad?

How to make a bank transfer to Cuba from abroad?

How to make a bank transfer to Cuba from abroad? (Photo: Cuban newspaper)

“To receive a monetary transfer from abroad, your family member or friend must order it with the clear and exact details of the beneficiary in Cuba,” explains the note from the BCC.

What are the details to make a bank transfer to Cuba?

  • Name and surname of the beneficiary in Cuba: as they appear on their personal identity document (identity card or passport).
  • Personal identity number: identity card or passport
  • Residence address: street or avenue, number of the house or apartment, between streets, distribution or locality, postal code, municipality, province.
  • Telephone: where the beneficiary can be reached
  • SWIFT code of the bank (varies for each entity, for example: Banco Popular de Ahorro has BPAHCUHXXX and Bandec’s is BDCRCUHHXXX)
  • Code number of the bank branch where you want to collect the transfer.
  • Legal address of the branch where you want to collect the transfer: street or avenue, house or apartment number, between streets, distribution or town, postal code, municipality, province.
  • Account number (if you have it, it is not mandatory, clarifies the bank. From our page we recommend having it at hand.)

Banks that allow money transfers to magnetic cards in Bandec:

  • Germany, Banco Do Brasil.
  • Canadá, el National Bank of Canada
  • Spain, the Nova Galicia ABANCA, Sabadell, BBVA, Caixabank and Cecabank. Denmark, Danske Bank
  • France, BBVA in Paris
  • Italy, Banca Intensa and Banca Monte dei Paschi di Seina
  • United Kingdom, Havin Bank
  • Sweden, Nordea Bank
  • Turkey, Aktif Bank

International banks with an agreement with BPA and BanMet

International banks with BPA agreements. (Photo: BCC)

International banks with Banco Metropolitano agreements. (Photo: BCC)

Bank transfers are one of the safest ways to move money internationally, but at the same time they are characterized by charging large commissions for the transfer of cash. As a general rule, European banks charge as a commission when making an extra-community bank transfer (outside the European Union) at least between 20 and 40 euros per event, although that amount is highly variable.

Since Cuban newspaper We recommend that you check all the information of the bank from which you want to send the money and at the same time make sure you are truthful about the reception options of Cuban banks. It is important to know the changing data on the alliances of Cuban banks with their foreign peers.

Sales: good deals … but not everywhere

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Postponed by two weeks, the winter sales began this Wednesday morning in a France under curfew at 6 p.m. and a health context still as tense. While traders are worried, consumers seem to be on the lookout for good deals. “For the moment, the traffic on our online comparator is at the same level as last year for the first day of sales,” assures Anna Perret, spokesperson for the Idealo comparator, who believes that customers will rather frequent the merchant sites and less to go to shops “in the context”.

Already -70% in textiles and beauty

Even if the frequentation in stores “is nothing extraordinary for the first day of the sales”, confirms Elisabeth Cony, founder of Madame Benchmark and expert in commercial action plans of the brands, the posted promotions are already very strong. This is particularly true among beauty specialists (Marionnaud, Yves Rocher, etc.) and above all in fashion, which have been strongly impacted by the health crisis and where stocks are high. “Whether it is La Halle, Kiabi, Gémo or even C&A, we are already on reductions of up to -70%”, underlines the expert.

In some stores (Tape-à-l’œil) or for certain brands (Pepe Jeans), all of the products on sale are even on promotion. Others (Camaïeu, Vertbaudet…) did not hesitate either this Wednesday to add to the reductions already displayed additional “promo codes” (often 10%) from two or three items purchased.

An operation that will not fail to be renewed if the stocks do not leave quickly enough. Because with teleworking, the curfew (and the few opportunities to go out) and the uncertainties hanging over the next winter holidays, “there is less expectation from consumers around fashion items and on products and equipment for winter sports ”, points out Hugues de Buyer-Mimeure of Dealabs, a community site for good deals.

No more requests for high-tech products …

For this edition, the French, always eager to improve their interior in this very special period, are rather closely following household appliances and high-tech, sectors which have been successful in 2020. This is what notes Mathieu Guffens, founder of “Mosc”, an application that warns consumers when the price of the product of their dreams, placed in a virtual basket, moves. “Recently, the French users of Mosc have notably added DIY articles, household appliances or even sports, in particular running or cycling,” he says, noting that this is ” items of a certain value, over 50 euros ”.

A finding shared by the online comparator Idealo: “Among the most watched items, we find high-tech, leisure products and large household appliances such as smartphones, televisions, processors, consoles, wireless vacuum cleaners and headphones / headsets. », Explains Anna Perret.

… but less attractive offers

However, even if the brands of home equipment or household appliances such as But, Conforama, Darty and Boulanger announce reductions of up to 50 or 60%, “some of these items – the most requested – are less expensive. ‘object of promotions’, regrets the Idealo spokesperson, giving the example of “graphics cards, victims of their success and whose prices remain quite high”.

“It’s quite frustrating to see that there aren’t many good deals in the most anticipated categories, such as sound bars, televisions, consoles and everything computer-related,” sighs the founder of Dealabs. We do not have the same panel of choices as during Black Friday. “Either because demand is still so strong around these products that” there is no need to make prices to sell them, or because stocks are no longer there “, he continues, noting in particular “Supply, production and delivery concerns” which impact availability in several categories.

Companies cancel research projects with universities

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Berlin Corona also damages science. At the universities, various research collaborations with industry broke off last year – the situation could worsen dramatically in 2021 because expiring projects will not be replaced.

This threatens a setback for one of the central goals of the federal government. Its declared aim was to support the transfer from research to business in order to strengthen the economy. The Union and the SPD wanted to “sustainably strengthen this transfer as the central pillar of our research and innovation system and achieve substantial increases,” says the coalition agreement.

But for the Corona year 2020, the universities put the losses due to the withdrawal of companies at an “upper double-digit million amount,” says the President of the University Rectors’ Conference (HRK), Peter-André Alt.

For 2021 there was a risk of losses “that go far beyond that”. It is about the elimination of direct industrial funds, but also national and EU funds in connection with business cooperation.

“In view of the economic challenges of the corona pandemic, external partners, in particular small and medium-sized German medium-sized enterprises, are often withdrawing for this and the next few years, so that joint research projects can no longer be carried out, or it will be very difficult”, warns Alt.

The President of the Alliance of Leading Technical Universities (TU9), Wolfram Ressel, is also alarmed. Most of the collaborations with industry take place at its universities. “Project content is increasingly being reduced, planned research projects are being put on hold and approved funding phases are being canceled without replacement,” says Ressel – and this development is “much more worrying” than the failures last year.

Last but not least, the overhead funds from industrial projects “that are urgently needed to finance university operations” would also be eliminated, says Ressel, who heads the University of Stuttgart. This is money that helps to finance general costs such as rooms or heating.

The federal government should help

Ressel has also noticed that TU9 is “already showing a clear reluctance to develop new R&D activities”. However, the consequences would “only really be visible with a delay” – and not only financially, “but in a second wave also structurally and socio-economically be felt”.

Many collaborations do not just consist of bilateral projects between a university and a company, but are “networks of local, national and international partners in which the lack of individual key projects can become a problem for an entire research and development cluster,” warns Ressel.

At the individual level, qualification work by students and doctoral candidates who are involved in projects with the economy is “delayed, interrupted or even impossible”. The TU9 President reports that many of the employees who were employed externally with the help of third-party funding could no longer be employed and complete their doctoral degrees.

In order to avert damage, both Alt and Ressel are calling for help from the federal government – similar to those promised to non-university research organizations as part of the Corona future package in summer 2020. At that time, the Federal Ministry of Research had set up a “replacement financing fund” of 400 million euros each for 2020 and 2021. Research organizations are compensated from this if they lose project money from the economy during the pandemic.

graphic

For 2020, however, only half, exactly 206 million euros, was approved from the pot, the ministry said at the request of the Greens. Almost all of the money went to the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, which specializes in application-oriented research.

HRK President Alt reports that the universities were denied help from the future package as early as 2020. After all, universities are “also indispensable actors and important drivers in cooperative application-oriented research with companies”. Now that the failures are clearly recognizable, “it would only be fair” if the universities were to receive compensation for the industrial funds, “demands Ressel.

Greens: Federal government leaves universities out in the rain

The opposition sees it similarly: “The corona crisis must not turn into an innovation crisis,” warns the innovation policy spokeswoman for the Green parliamentary group, Anna Christmann. Because some companies “are forced to save on research and development as well and fail as important cooperation partners of research institutes, this threatens both non-university research institutions and universities”.

The Greens are therefore calling for the fund to be expanded to include the universities and for them to be given the unused 200 million from 2020. The Ministry of Research rejects this, however, it says unequivocally in the letter to the Greens, which the Handelsblatt has received.

Federal Research Minister Karliczek

The minister’s goal of supporting the transfer from research to business is endangered by Corona.

(Photo: dpa)

It is “completely incomprehensible why the federal government leaves the universities out in the rain,” criticized Christmann. One must “urgently counteract the death of projects in research and development in order to avert fatal long-term consequences for our innovation location”. This would affect science and business equally.

Research Minister Anja Karliczek (CDU) is “once again insufficiently committed to Germany as a location for innovation. The concerns from science bounce off her unheard, ”criticizes the Greens.

TU9 President Ressel is already looking further into the future: “In addition, medium-term strategies for targeted federal programs to promote research projects between universities and business are urgently needed.” Technical universities in particular are due to their combination of basic research, application-oriented research and systematic transfer into the economy “the cornerstone of the German innovation landscape”.

More: Universities are losing internationality due to the corona

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How Rostock is successfully fighting Corona

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Fintech: banking ‘buys’ innovation

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Long ago, banking seemed like a solid business. For a few years now, everything has been a threat to this sector, which lives, one would say that even stupefied, a situation of negative interest rates, but which also suffers from an excess of structure and the effects of the pandemic shortly after recovering of the Great Recession. All of them are factors that have jeopardized profitability and that are behind the new round of mergers, with Bankia and CaixaBank in the first place. There is a conditioning room on the table: the emergence of digital and new technologies that have definitively disrupted this activity, especially in its relationship with customers.

The expert in the financial sector and deputy director of the Valencian Institute of Economic Investigations (IVIE), Joaquín Maudos, assures that “among the many challenges that banks face to face their problem of low profitability is the competition of operators non-banking, and especially technology, among which are bigtech (such as Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple) and fintech. In the first case, this threat will depend on regulation (it should be just as strict for bigtech if They do banking). And in the case of fintech companies, they are more allies than competitors, as evidenced by the investment that banks themselves are making in these types of companies. Fintech companies respond to customer requests, who demand more and more services through channels other than the traditional bank branch. And they create value that is also a source of income for banks. And with the experience of the covid, which has greatly promoted the use of digital banking (incl. using apps), banks must bet on fintech as a source of income and to face their competitors “.

What are the large financial institutions in Spain doing? Pol Navarro, CEO of InnoCells, Banco Sabadell’s innovation hub, expresses a kind of general law that is practically observed in the largest firms in Spain and that responds not only to the need to undertake changes in order not to be left behind in the fast-paced world of the new technologies, but to do it at forced marches: “To innovate quickly you have to ally yourself with smaller firms for flexibility and speed, since these are concentrated in a market niche. We can give them access to customers in exchange and distribution channels “. In other words, what is produced is a synergy. Ignacio Cea, Bankia’s corporate director of innovation and cybersecurity, adds that a large company “can do the usual, which is to open its own innovation department, which is slow, or go to open innovation. Open a mechanism to collaborate with other companies, such as fintech. In the bank we are 15,000 thinking heads, but in the world there are 7,500 million people. ” In relation to this, Manuel Silva, managing partner of Mouro Capital, the venture capital fund through which Santander invests in fintech, adds that this entity “has a very strong internal innovation strategy, but the innovation that occurs outside of The bank’s borders, originated by small technology-based companies, can set the trends of the future. Investing in these early-stage startups is the best way to keep these new trends on the radar, learn from the entrepreneurs who drive them and in some cases promote ways of collaboration between Santander and said companies, either commercially, through co-creation of solutions, or distribution to Santander consumers, to give some examples of use cases “.

It is, in fact, what their competitors are doing for the most part, who, in different ways, have one of their keys to the future in participating in this type of emerging company. BBVA sources assure this newspaper that “these investments contribute positively in terms of the development of core competencies, new digital products, new platforms and purely digital relationship models. In general, the startups in which we have invested have successfully developed new ways of doing business in banking and have targeted customers and income streams that BBVA had not previously taken advantage of. ” This entity uses two channels: direct investment, such as the one it has in Atom Bank, the first bank in the United Kingdom built for smartphones, or that carried out through its Propel venture capital fund, which participates in more than 30 companies , like Coinbase (a bitcoin transaction platform) or Hipoo (a mortgage finder).

There are other trails. Cea, from Bankia, which ensures that the bank “does not seek a financial benefit, but an industrial one, because we will not invest so that in a few years another company buys our participation in a fintech”, recalls that this entity maintains a pioneer in the Marina de València technological innovation hub with the Innsomnia manager since 2016, which is governed by the following guideline: “We detect a series of internal needs and then we make a call in Bankia Fintech that can help us achieve them. We choose the firms that present a technology and solutions in accordance with our strategic plan. We work with them and then we do a test with our clients. If it interests people, we go one step further with that company, because we invest in it, close a commercial agreement or sign a joint venture “. In the six calls held to date, 700 companies from 30 countries have participated. 65 projects have gone ahead and twenty of them have ended up working with the bank. For example, the Valencian Logic Value, which allows Bankia to improve fund management. Another firm has provided them with tools to improve early alerts of non-payment and a third help in marketing techniques through mobile phones.

Examples

These are some examples of the (non-financial) return that the bet on fintechs is bringing to large banks with a disparate investment. At Bankia, the money allocated to innovation varies between two and three million euros. At Banco Sabadell, the total invested in fintech amounts to 30 million, according to its manager Pol Navarro. The entity has invested to date in 15 fintech companies in the United Kingdom and Spain, in which it remains a shareholder. Two other companies – PayComet and Instant Credit – whose “products complemented us”, have become subsidiaries of the bank.

It also participates in two funds, one American (Base10) and the other Israeli (Cardumen), specialized in artificial intelligence and data security, and in the accelerator Antai Venture Builder. Navarro assures that the Catalan entity seeks three types of returns with these investments: multiplying the capital in the future, that fintech “helps us improve the bank’s offer with its solutions” and “learn from these companies, which give us knowledge of businesses where the bank is not. ” And he gives the example of Nemuru, which has allowed them to offer financing solutions at the point of sale, that is, it gives the customer the option of paying for a product or services in three installments. Another case is that of BiometrixVox, which has developed a solution that allows contracts with voice.

While BBVA does not want to specify what contributions from fintech firms it has introduced into its business, from Santander Manuel Silva details “some important successes related either to the implementation of technologies from our portfolio in the bank or to the creation of joint businesses. To mention some cases, Santander has implemented the automated customer service technologies of the Israeli Personetics, has originated car loans through the online car purchase processes of the American company Autofi, has based a currency conversion business on technology from Ripple or has improved its mortgage process using technologies from the American company Roostify “. His vehicle, Mouro Capital, has a venture capital fund of 330 million euros with a horizon of several years, although his investments range from 1.5 to 12 million.

And what is the one that will be the first bank in Spain doing when it absorbs Bankia? CaixaBank points out that it promotes co-creation initiatives with startups and fintechs and makes a special mention of the mobile platform for young people imagin, which in addition to financial services offers its users digital content related to lifestyle, such as music or video games.

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Deauville airport wants to take off after the epidemic

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The first stone was laid in Saint-Gatien-des-Bois, Thursday, January 14. After several years of waiting, work on the future Deauville terminal begins. A new infrastructure of 3,800 m2, destined to replace the current one, by 2022, for nearly ten million euros. The Normandy region takes 95% of it. The city of Deauville the rest.

The Deauville terminal is no longer adapted to the needs of the site, explains Eric Lehéricy, the general manager of the CCI Seine Estuaire, operator of the airport: “The premises were built in 1972, designed for the Caravelle, this aircraft. from the 1970s, with its 100 seats. But at the start of the 2000s, the strategy evolved and Deauville began to welcome charters, with more capacity. Around 500 in 2020. With, in addition, the reception of passengers from and not from the Schengen area, flow management has become complex.

“We received letters from disgruntled passengers, slips the president of the region, Hervé Morin. When the airport accommodated two planes at the same time, it was the court of miracles. The future terminal will provide a dignified welcome for travelers. There is no shortage of these: nearly 135,000 in 2019, the latest assessment spared by the covid. Among them, about 20,000 for private flights.

Project beyond the crisis

Deauville is a destination of choice for this clientele, indicates Philippe Augier, the mayor of Deauville: “These are people who own property in the region, very well-off people who come to spend a few days, or even personalities. “The elected thinks that the site can take the airport to a new level,” without having the objective of becoming the third Parisian airport “.

The site should better manage the influx of passengers, nearly 135,000 in 2019. Jacques Ferrier
The site should better manage the influx of passengers, nearly 135,000 in 2019. Jacques Ferrier

But does the epidemic, which has grounded thousands of devices across the world, risk thwarting the site plans? “Air traffic will resume full blast! Philippe Augier forecast. It will be like the rebound after the first lockdown. We see it in China, where traffic has returned to its pre-crisis level. “The Director General of the CCI Seine Estuaire also recalls that” we are building for the next 50 years. We have to look beyond the crisis. “

The bad press of the plane, in the ecological awareness, does not temper Hervé Morin’s optimism either: “Air traffic will keep its place, especially as in a few years, planes will fly at hydrogen, less polluting. “Thanks to the works, Deauville airport, which shares its management with that of Caen for greater complementarity, will be able to accommodate” two wide-body flights, as well as private flights or a small commercial flight, “says Eric Lehéricy. In a new terminal which should relieve managers of angry passenger mail.

Banco Central de Cuba shares details on money transfers from abroad

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The Central Bank of Cuba (BCC) has shared this January 21 information on money transfers from abroad.

In light of recent problems with the esending remittances to Cuba through Fincimex, the Cuban banking entity has reiterated the details on how transfers can be made from abroad.

As we have already explained in previous works, this is one of the safest routes, but also more expensive due to the transfer fees. Furthermore, there are many countries that do not have correspondent banks with relations with Cuba.

In any case, to make bank transfers to Cuba, you must have the correct information of the Cuban correspondent banks abroad and the necessary personal data that must be provided.

The note from the BCC that is accompanied by images with the most relevant information to take into account, explains that: “To receive a monetary transfer from abroad, your family member or friend must order it with the clear and exact details of the beneficiary in Cuba”.

What information do I need to provide to my sender abroad so that I can make a bank transfer to Cuba?

  • Name and surname of the beneficiary in Cuba: as they appear on their personal identity document (identity card or passport).
  • Personal identity number: identity card or passport
  • Residence address: street or avenue, number of the house or apartment, between streets, distribution or locality, postal code, municipality, province.
  • Telephone: where the beneficiary can be reached
  • SWIFT code of the bank
  • Code number of the bank branch where you want to collect the transfer.
  • Legal address of the branch where you want to collect the transfer: street or avenue, house or apartment number, between streets, distribution or town, postal code, municipality, province.
  • Account number (if you have it, it is not mandatory, clarifies the bank. From our page we recommend having it at hand.)

Below we offer Swift codes and correspondent banks of Banmet, BPA and Bandec.

Swift code and correspondent banks of Banco Metropolitano

Swift: BMNBCUHH

Spain Bilbao Vizcaya Bank

Argentaria

Banco de Sabadell, SA

Caixabank SA

 BBVAESMMXXX

BSABESBBXXX

CAIXESBBXXX

 Madrid

Sabadell

Barcelona
Canada National Bank of Canada BNDCCAMM XXX Montreal
Sweden Nordea Bank Sweden AB NDEASESSXXX Stockholm
England Havin Bank Limited HAVIGB2LXXX London

Swift code and correspondent banks of Banco Popular de Ahorro (BPA)

Swift: BPAHCUHXXX

CaixaBank, Barcelona, ​​EUR CAIXESBBXXX
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA), Madrid, EUR BBVAESMMXXX
Banco Sabadell, Barcelona, ​​EUR BSABESBBXXX
Spanish Confederation of Savings Banks (CECA). Madrid CECABANK. EUR CECAESMMXXX
Intesa Sanpaolo SpA, Milan, EUR BCITITMMXXX
National Bank of Canada, Montreal, CAD BNDCCAMMINT
Havin Bank Ltd, London, GBP, EUR HAVIGB2LXXX
Banco do Brasil, Frankfurt BRASDEFFXXX

Swift Code and correspondent banks of Banco de Crédito y Comercio de Cuba (BANDEC)

SWIFT: BDCRCUHHXXX

Bank Coin Swift code Plaza
Banco Do Brasil, SA EUR BRASDEFF Frankfurt
National Bank of Canada CAD / EUR BNDCCAMM Montreal
ABANCA Corporación Bancaria, SA (Nova Galicia ABANCA) EUR/CHF CAGLESMM Madrid
Banco de Sabadell SA EUR BSABESBB Sabadell
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, SA (Madrid) EUR BBVAESMM Madrid
Caixabank. SA (La Caixa Savings Bank) EUR CAIXESBB Barcelona
Cecabank, SA (Spanish Confederation of Savings Banks CECA) EUR CECAESMM Madrid
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria. SA (Paris) EUR BBVAFRPP Paris
Intesa de Sanpaolo SpA (Banca Intensa EUR BCITITMM Milan
Banca Monte dei Paschi di Seina SpA EUR PASCITMM Milan
Havin Bank EUR/GBP/CAD HAVIGB2L London
Nordea Bank AB (PUBL) SEK NDEASESS Stockholm
ACTIVE INVESTMENT BANK EUR CAYTTRIS Istanbul

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Tourism industry in crisis – luxury ships advertise “corona-free”

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Despite the corona crisis, the Swiss cruise company MSC is sticking to its investments in its fleet. Bild: FR171599 AP

Tourism industry in crisis – luxury ships advertise “corona-free”

Cruise companies are desperately vying for guests. Now they are marketing their offer as particularly safe in view of the pandemic.

gabriela jordan / ch media

Escape for two weeks from the pandemic and enjoy the sun and entertainment on a luxury ship? In a similar way, cruise lines are currently promoting their offerings. “Carefree on a cruise” is the motto in the commercial for the cruise company MSC, based in Geneva, which can be seen on YouTube, for example. The ship is like a “safe bubble” and the holidays are particularly safe under the current circumstances.

Like the entire travel industry, the global cruise business has collapsed due to the corona crisis. Exact dates are not yet available, but the passenger numbers in 2020 are likely to be far below those in 2019. And even now the share prices of the largest shipping companies such as Carnival (Aida) and Royal Caribbean are still bobbing around at the low level of last March.

So now guests should come back quickly, at least in the Mediterranean area. After most of the cruise companies had to cease operations in the past few weeks, a few ships will soon set sail again: MSC will start on Sunday, the Italian shipping company Costa Cruises on January 31 (both with one ship each). The German Aida Cruises will follow suit in early March.

Travel providers sense increased interest

On the MSC “Grandiosa”, which will be sliding down the Italian coast again from tomorrow, tests (including antigen tests) before and during the trip, shore excursions with a protection concept and other measures will offer guests particularly good protection. Sebastian Selke, Managing Director at MSC Cruises for the Swiss local market, speaks of the “safest vacation option”. “No other holiday experience like hotel, resort or theme park can have the same level of strict, detailed and comprehensive measures for the well-being of a customer.”

Whether it’s safer or not – this is well received by numerous customers. The response to current campaigns was “very successful” at MSC, and the number of bookings for the summer and winter seasons rose continuously. “We’re seeing more new customers who want to go on a cruise vacation,” says Sebastian Selke.

Travel providers such as Kuoni and TUI partially confirm this: Cruisetour, the subsidiary of TUI Suisse, observed that some customers would actually opt for a cruise due to the pandemic and the “convincing protection concepts on the ships”. Contrary to expectations, the company is feeling “relatively solid demand”, especially for summer and autumn.

Kuoni Cruises is also feeling that interest in travel and thus also in cruises has been increasing since the beginning of the year. The focus of “Cruise customers” is currently still on informing and inspiring. Kuoni has not identified any new customers in this segment; only regular customers are currently booking. Hotelplan sees no increased demand for cruises.

TUI markets safe journeys without going ashore

The higher demand for Cruisetour is possibly due to the fact that cruises are explicitly marketed by TUI. On the booking platform, the German tourism group advertises with so-called blue trips, which by definition refrain from stopovers and shore leave and instead focus on what is on offer on the ship. From an epidemiological point of view, this seems a good solution: Instead of contracting the virus on land and then spreading it from town to town, nature and cities are safely admired from afar.

In practice, however, TUI moves away from it. With the Blue Journeys, guests can also go ashore and “discover nature and culture”. The excursions are organized, however, contact points are tracked and highly frequented places are avoided. Leaving the ship individually is not permitted. The offer hardly differs from that of MSC, where there are also only protected excursions.

Passengers often travel to the port by plane

So, thanks to all these measures, are cruises safer than other trips? “I wouldn’t put it that way per se,” says Roman Pfister, Managing Director of Cruisetour. “With our customers, however, we can already feel that the” bubble “on a cruise ensures a lot of safety.” Markus Flick, media spokesman for Kuoni Cruises, also assesses cruises as “a travel experience with a low risk of infection” thanks to the comprehensive protective measures. However, it should be remembered that those who travel by ship often use the plane or train to get to the port. Either way, the Federal Council continues to recommend that non-urgent trips abroad be avoided.

The current bad situation does not prevent MSC from investing in its own fleet – by 2023 it is to be expanded from 17 to 23 ships.

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