Comprehensive Online Exchange to Promote Trade Among Thirty French-Speaking Countries in Europe and N. Africa.Business Editors WASHINGTON and PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 10, 2000 Centre International D'Opportunities D'Affaires (CIOA CIOA Centre International d'Opportunités d'Affaires CIOA Classical IP over ATM CIOA Comisión Interministerial de Ordenación Alimentaria CIOA Culinary Institute of America CIOA Common Interest Ownership Act CIOA Cruise Indian Ocean Association ), a leading France-based business support organization, partners with Unibex to create a single e-marketplace across multiple French-speaking countries and industries Thirty French-speaking countries and nearly 30 French-based industries have joined together to create a single online marketplace to promote international trade by and between small and medium-sized French-speaking importers and exporters from around the world. The Centre International D'Opportunities D'Affaires (CIOA), a leading France-based organization that groups small and medium-sized enterprises, today announced that it has selected Unibex, a leading creator of online business communities for buyers and sellers across multiple industries and countries, to enable its comprehensive online marketplace. The new online business hub, which is currently being customized by Unibex and CIOA to operate across a variety of industries and countries, will be launched later this month. It will provide a gateway for companies interested in conducting business with small and medium-sized businesses in French-speaking countries, using auctions, exchanges, virtual tradeshows and catalogs via Unibex's platform, the Universal Business Exchange. "This is another example of how Unibex is enabling market-makers around the world with its exchange infrastructure to build independent online marketplaces that interoperate See interoperable. with other Unibex-enabled marketplaces," said Mady Jalinous, President and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of Unibex. "Global marketplaces enabled by Unibex, such as CIOA's, will add increased liquidity and volume to our existing marketplaces, contributing new companies and additional products." "Unibex provides a key component of our strategy to create viable avenues for small and medium-sized French-based companies to quickly and inexpensively conduct business on a global scale using the Internet," said Leon Lucide, President and CEO of CIOA. "Unibex will open access for French-speaking businesses to world markets, allowing our small and medium-sized businesses to utilize the Internet to gain a competitive edge." Launched in 1994, CIOA has grown rapidly and now has 1,200 affiliate members throughout French-speaking countries and territories, including France, Belgium, Tunisia, Morocco Morocco, country, Africa Morocco (mərŏk`ō), officially Kingdom of Morocco, kingdom (2005 est. pop. 32,726,000), 171,834 sq mi (445,050 sq km), NW Africa. , Gabon, Togo, Benin, Guyana, Cameroon, and others. The new Unibex CIOA-sponsored portal will aggregate business communities for 30 French-speaking countries and will also include trading hubs for nearly 30 French-based industries, including machinery, hardware, woodwork woodwork: see carpentry; furniture; intarsia; marquetry; veneer; wood carving. , software applications, and other products and services. Member companies will be able to buy and sell across French-speaking countries and industries, as well as easily conduct business with U.S.-based companies already utilizing the Unibex platform. In conjunction with CIOA's French-speaking African countries' B2B (Business to Business) Refers to one business communicating with or selling to another. See B2B e-commerce, B2C and B2G. B2B - business to business initiative, Unibex has also established a market-making partnership with Global Village, a leading Internet consultancy and strategic partner of Zimbabwe's major international trade associations to create a centralized cen·tral·ize v. cen·tral·ized, cen·tral·iz·ing, cen·tral·iz·es v.tr. 1. To draw into or toward a center; consolidate. 2. trading hub for countries within the Southern African region, including Zimbabwe, South Africa South Africa, Afrikaans Suid-Afrika, officially Republic of South Africa, republic (2005 est. pop. 44,344,000), 471,442 sq mi (1,221,037 sq km), S Africa. , Zambia, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Unibex continues to establish a wide range of market-maker partnerships to quickly add volume and liquidity to its platform. It recently partnered with the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the largest and oldest multi-industry trade association in the U.S., to establish a centralized trading hub for manufacturers and the manufacturing industry at ManufacturingCentral.net and is currently developing additional marketplaces across industries. Using Unibex's integrated global payments and global logistics engines, companies within each country will be able to utilize payment options from leading online payment providers such as FirstData and to complete international logistics The negotiating, planning, and implementation of supporting logistic arrangements between nations, their forces, and agencies. It includes furnishing logistic support (major end items, materiel, and/or services) to, or receiving logistic support from, one or more friendly foreign from global trade management solution providers such as Vastera. Member companies will be able to establish new supplier partners, negotiate terms, determine payment options, research and settle compliance and tariff issues, generate shipment documentation and track and trace international shipments, all online and choose the method that provides the lowest cost and greatest efficiency. About Unibex Unibex (www.unibex.com) enables companies to choose the e-business relationship that is right for their business needs. The company was founded to empower empower verb To encourage or provide a person with the means or information to become involved in solving his/her own problems small and medium-sized enterprises to participate in the global Internet economy The Internet Economy refers to conducting business through markets whose infrastructure is based on the Internet and World-Wide Web. An Internet economy differs from a traditional economy in a number of ways, including: communication, market segmentation, distribution costs, and price. through collaborative, online electronic marketplaces. Based in Washington, D.C., Unibex has developed the leading business-to-business (B2B) e-marketplace and e-commerce platform and targets five categories of business community organizers: Industry Trade Associations, Trade Show Organizers, Online Business Communities, Global Commerce Service Providers and Trade Development Organizations. Unibex offers an integrated, multi-mechanism platform that includes four e-marketplace services for business communities and their member companies: Virtual Tradeshow, Product Showcase, The Offer Exchange and Auction. Business community member companies are able to participate in the entire commerce cycle from awareness to product research, comparison, selection, trade lead and business proposal matching, supplier sourcing, negotiation, procurement The fancy word for "purchasing." The procurement department within an organization manages all the major purchases. , trade documentation, payment, logistics and post-sales support. About CIOA Centre International D' Opportunities D'Affaires (CIOA) is an organization that gathers specialized spe·cial·ize v. spe·cial·ized, spe·cial·iz·ing, spe·cial·iz·es v.intr. 1. To pursue a special activity, occupation, or field of study. 2. service providers in assistance to SMEs, including consultants, brokers and trainers. CIOA is active with all French speaking countries through its National Centers, and has established joint ventures with institutions like PROMOGABON, a national agency for small and medium companies promoted through the Ministry of Commerce in Gabon. It also provides services through private companies such as SOFTNET, the leading ISP (1) See in-system programmable. (2) (Internet Service Provider) An organization that provides access to the Internet. Connection to the user is provided via dial-up, ISDN, cable, DSL and T1/T3 lines. in TOGO. CIOA provides its members with a wide range of mutual business facilitation Facilitation The process of providing a market for a security. Normally, this refers to bids and offers made for large blocks of securities, such as those traded by institutions. services, including a platform for e-commerce, a training center for new business practices, an engineering department, documentation services and business support services support services Psychology Non-health care-related ancillary services–eg, transportation, financial aid, support groups, homemaker services, respite services, and other services . It is CIOA's aim to provide members with the means to support customers in new business practices, such as international trade, e-commerce and information management. |
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