Service in areas outside the capital is greatly inferior although projects are underway to improve the service in the near future. Weak infrastructure outside of Tallinn has been a major factor for the minimal amount of foreign investment going to regions outside the capital. Since foreign investment is a major spur to trade, trade performance in these same regions has suffered. Government moves to eliminate smaller banks have prompted a sharp reduction in the number of marginal institutions. Several larger banks now offer services roughly comparable to western commercial banks.
Some banks have very limited experience with trade financing options, such as letters of credit.
According to the law on foreign investment, foreign investors have identical rights and obligations as domestic individuals or companies. A foreign investor has the right to repatriate profits after paying income tax on proceeds which it has received after the liquidation of the enterprise. The government provides no subsidies to Estonian exports. The Estonian government has passed several important pieces of legislation designed to bring its intellectual property regime up to modern standards. Estonia has taken several significant steps to improve patent regulation.