Blog
Denar: With more than 20 years of experience in the banking sector, what was your motivation to start TrustFin and transition into the consulting world?
The motivation and idea for TrustFin came precisely from our many years of experience in the banking sector and continuous communication with clients – companies – regarding their needs for normal functioning in a complex business environment. Over time, we noticed that the communication gap between companies and banks was widening, increasing the need for a mediator in that communication. We believe that everything we have learned throughout our careers can be applied in a simple and successful way when working with both companies and banks. This was also the idea behind creating our motto – WE SPEAK THE LANGUAGE OF BANKS, BUT PLAY FOR YOUR TEAM!
In today’s dynamic financial world, banking regulations are becoming
increasingly complex, which has led to higher demands from banks toward
their clients. On the other hand, companies, whose main focus is growth
and development, often cannot keep up with and fully understand all
regulatory and market changes. This creates challenges in their
cooperation with financial institutions and limits their ability to
access appropriate financial resources and products.
That is precisely why, together with my business partner Ana Markić
Maznev, we started building TrustFin – to help companies
adapt to these dynamic changes, improve their financial structure,
enhance their organizational setup, and build sustainable relationships
with banks and their business partners.
Our mission is to combine the best practices from the banking and corporate sectors and create solutions that bring real value to our clients.
Denar: How has your experience as someone who has long held
management positions at NLB Bank (Head, Sector Director, Assistant to
the Management Board) influenced the formation of the vision for
TrustFin and the services you offer?
My many years of experience in management positions at NLB Bank, together with Ana’s expertise as a consultant in banking and corporate operations, allowed us to easily and clearly define the vision of TrustFin and the services we offer. Throughout our banking careers, we have consistently built and developed new processes and solutions from scratch. This very approach gives us energy and motivation – we believe that our deep understanding of banking processes, regulations, and challenges can be successfully transferred to our clients, helping them overcome challenges, adapt to changes, and realize their full potential.
Nowadays, the complexity of banking operations, frequent changes in regulations, and the need for effective capital management require a strategic approach and specialized expertise. Banks are facing increasing competition and must implement new strategies for attracting and retaining clients. At the same time, ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) criteria are setting new standards for financial institutions, imposing compliance with sustainable banking practices and responsible financing.
These insights were key in designing our service offering and shaping the vision for TrustFin – a consulting company that provides innovative solutions for improving banking processes, optimizing collections, and implementing new strategies for managing clients, risks, and ESG compliance.
On the other hand, many companies face challenges in managing liquidity and adapting to rapid market changes. Often, they lack a clear approach to financial planning, which leads to issues with business sustainability.
TrustFin was created to help companies achieve financial stability and growth through strategic financial consulting, cash flow optimization, and the improvement of their relationships with banks and other stakeholders.
Our goal is not only to provide advice but also to actively participate in the implementation of companies’ strategic plans. Instead of leaving strategies only on paper, we ensure their real implementation through effective application, which significantly reduces the risk of failure.
Denar: TrustFin offers unique and innovative solutions for companies and banks. Given the short period of your existence, could you share examples of specific solutions that TrustFin has implemented and how they have helped your clients?
Despite the short period of our company’s existence, we can already say that we are engaged in various projects.
Some of these projects are with companies facing financial difficulties, primarily due to poor business decisions, while others are with companies that are successful and well-established in the market but are aware that maintaining the status quo does not lead to progress. In other words, they understand that a company must continuously develop in order to adapt to a turbulent environment, the development of new technologies, increased competition, and regulations.
Our engagement includes redesigning business processes in order to establish sustainable business models, ensure optimized operations, and achieve long-term financial stability.
In addition to in-depth analysis of financial and operational performance, the creation of strategic plans, and the redesign of organizational structures and processes, our service is designed to provide support in the actual implementation of strategies, mediation in negotiations with banks and financial institutions, refinancing credit exposures and developing sustainable financing models, as well as ongoing support through regular monitoring of financial performance.
Regarding banks and financial institutions, we have already established cooperation with one bank in the area of advising and interpreting banking regulations, optimizing collection processes, managing non-performing loans (NPLs), and mediating in the collection of problematic placements. We also successfully cooperate with financial institutions engaged in factoring, providing fresh financial resources for companies’ liquidity, and collecting placements secured by mortgages.
Through our service offerings, we help companies and banks more successfully overcome complex financial challenges – from financial operations and organizational (re)structuring to the development of innovative business models and adaptation to a dynamic business environment. The ultimate mission of TrustFin is for each of our clients to achieve sustainable growth and long-term success, relying on solutions created specifically for them.
Denar: How do you see the challenge of companies and banks adapting to rapid changes in the financial and business world? How does TrustFin help them face these challenges?
Rapid changes in the financial and business world require flexibility and a proactive approach. In the past, changes in the economic environment occurred over a period of several months or years; today, they happen within just a few days. Because of this, financial institutions and companies must quickly adapt to new changes if they want to grow, develop, and, in some cases, even survive in the market.
The challenge of adaptation for companies and banks is significant, and what I can say is that, in particular, companies are still not ready to quickly adapt to new changes, primarily due to the lack of qualified personnel to implement changes within the company. The situation is better with banks, but given that qualified staff is also becoming scarce there, it is necessary to develop a different strategy for responding to rapid changes, which, among other things, would include using external expertise in various segments.
It is precisely in this context that the service offering provided by TrustFin has been designed. Our goal is to help banks and companies adapt quickly and efficiently to dynamic changes. This enables them to focus on their core business functions, while we offer:
- Full support in adaptation and transformation processes.
- Unbiased perspective in carrying out activities, free from internal conflicts and inherited processes.
Denar: CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is mentioned as one of the areas you work on. How does TrustFin help in optimizing processes and improving customer relationships?
One of the biggest challenges that banks and financial institutions face, in addition to regulatory requirements, is the rapid development of technologies, which in the financial world has resulted in the emergence of fintech services and, consequently, increasing competition in the financial sector.
This creates the need for every market participant – regardless of size, activity, or industry – to focus on the client if they want to achieve sustainable growth and development. The foundation of every business strategy should be better meeting customer needs. That is why TrustFin’s services are aimed at developing customized CRM strategies, which contribute to:
- Deeper understanding of customer needs and behavior.
- Optimization of interaction processes, leading to increased customer loyalty and satisfaction.
- Personalized product and service offerings, creating a competitive advantage.
- Process automation – such as sales, marketing, and services – enables teams to focus on strategic tasks instead of routine activities and contributes to increased productivity and efficiency.
Denar: Considering that there are a number of consulting companies in the country, what do you think sets TrustFin apart from other such companies?
There are several key aspects that we believe make us different from other consulting companies in the country, and these are also reflected in the very service offering we provide:
In-depth knowledge of the banking and financial sector – With more than 35 years of combined experience in managing complex processes in banking, particularly in the corporate segment, risk management, non-performing loans, corporate restructuring, and financial analysis, we bring practical knowledge that directly helps clients in making strategic decisions.
Широка мрежа на експерти – Освен на сопственото искуство, TrustFin се потпира и на голем број надворешни консултанти со богато искуство во банкарскиот сектор и во низа други области, како што се:
- ESG (Environment, Social & Governance)
- Legal support, debt collection, bankruptcy proceedings
- Project financing
- Factoring and investments
- Marketing and business strategy
Customized solutions according to the specific needs of clients – Instead of a universal approach, we offer individualized strategies and solutions for each client, based on a thorough analysis of their business model, financial situation, and future challenges.
Expertise in managing non-performing assets and collections – Unlike many other consulting companies, TrustFin offers a unique combination of knowledge in finance, debt collection, management of non-performing loans (NPLs), and corporate restructuring. This enables us to effectively guide clients through complex processes with a high success rate.
Strategic partnership and implementation – We do not focus solely on providing advice but actively participate in the implementation of strategies. Our approach includes long-term collaboration and monitoring of results, which is key to sustainable success.
High level of confidentiality and professionalism – Considering that we work with financially sensitive information, it is of utmost importance for us to maintain the highest standards of confidentiality and ethics.
These very elements make TrustFin a recognized and reliable partner for banks, companies, and institutions seeking proven expertise and practical solutions for financial management and process optimization.
Denar: How does TrustFin plan to develop in the future? Are there any new services or markets that are the focus of your long-term strategies?
The plan is to move step by step in developing our company. Most important for us, above all, is to realize our plan to offer quality and tailored-made services for our clients. What fulfills us is being part of joint successful projects and stories that we will create together with our clients, because we believe that this is the only way to achieve success.
Of course, in the future TrustFin plans to develop new services in the field of digital transformation and sustainable financing. The primary focus is on Macedonian companies, but given that there is also communication with external partners from the Balkan region, we do not exclude the possibility, if conditions allow, of expanding our operations and presence in regional markets.
Denar: What are the key factors you take into consideration when building long-term partnerships with your clients, and how does this affect TrustFin’s success?
The core values we have built during our careers through many years of experience in the banking sector are the foundation on which we built TrustFin.
The key factors that guide us are integrity, quality, transparency, trust, commitment, and deep understanding of our clients’ needs.
Building long-term partnerships on these principles enables us to provide tailored and personalized solutions for each client, which directly impacts TrustFin’s success and our clients’ satisfaction.