A representative of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce cited export growth of about 7% in the first nine months of 2026 at the MEPS conference in Belgrade. The Chamber said Serbia continued to record a substantial surplus in services trade, but the export increase does not establish that the surplus grew at the same pace.
The figures show that international earnings are not confined to goods-producing businesses, which account for much of the public debate over trade competitiveness. Services can diversify Serbia’s foreign-currency revenue and give locally owned companies access to foreign clients without the capital expenditure required for heavy manufacturing.
Net earnings also depend on payments for imported travel, software, professional advice and transport, which can rise alongside exports. The National Bank of Serbia publishes balance-of-payments statistics with a more detailed breakdown for analysing net earnings by services segment.
Services trade spans information technology, professional services, transport, tourism and other commercial activities. Combining them can obscure which businesses are expanding fastest and which face the highest costs. Their models differ: some rely on skilled labour and digital delivery, while others require extensive physical infrastructure or cross-border mobility.
Expansion depends on access to skilled workers, language and regulatory capabilities, secure customer contracts and predictable cross-border payment arrangements. Businesses also face barriers involving data protection, professional qualifications, taxation and payment processing, as well as employees’ ability to work or travel abroad.
Border procedures and mobility rules discussed at MEPS may matter particularly to transport businesses. For investors, indicators include contract concentration, recurring foreign revenue, labour productivity, client retention and the proportion of invoices collected on time.
The export improvement is a positive signal, while company-level profitability and the net services balance indicate how much value the growth adds to the wider economy.
