ENT at HBOR’s international conference on export promotion
October 21, 2025
Damir Bušić, member of the Management Board of ENT and Director of Finance, Sourcing and Commercial Management, participated in one of the panels at the 22nd international conference on export promotion organized by the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development (HBOR).
The conference brought together representatives of the Government of the Republic of Croatia and government institutions, leading Croatian exporters and businessmen, representatives of banks, export credit agencies, and international financial institutions. This year’s conference emphasized the opportunities and challenges for Croatian exporters ahead of Croatia’s accession to the OECD, with a special focus on transparency, sustainability, and adaptation to new global standards.
Damir Bušić, member of the Management Board of ENT and Director of Finance, Sourcing and Commercial Management, participated in a panel that opened a strategic discussion on visions of Croatian exports towards 2040, in the context of climate change, technological progress, energy transition, and demographic trends.
Responding to the question of whether the main value of exports in the future, towards 2040, will be in products and equipment, or increasingly in software, digital platforms and services based on artificial intelligence, Damir Bušić said: “The development of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and artificial general intelligence (AGI), quantum computing systems, XR (extended reality), new generations of 6G/7G networks, will enable new models of use and improvement of advanced software solutions for smart cities, transport, manufacturing, healthcare, land administration, national and public security, as well as various user platforms, including those for public services. With this in mind, we expect that demand for software, digital platforms, and services will continue to grow, to which the ICT industry will need to respond.”
He also noted that in the ICT sector, software companies are leading the way in creating a high share of newly generated value, according to data from Dun & Bradstreet Croatia analyzed by ICTBusiness.info, because through knowledge, creativity, and intellectual capital, they significantly contribute to the growth of profitability and competitiveness of the entire sector. He emphasized that the growth of newly generated value confirms the increasing importance of the software segment in the overall digital economy, as well as its impact on strengthening technological resilience, employing highly educated professionals, and investing in further research, development, and innovation, which is large in the ICT sector. “Taking all this into account, we can say that the ICT sector has strategic importance for the Croatian economy,” concluded Damir Bušić on this occasion.