The way banks operate will change dramatically over the next five years, according to Kina Group’s Syd Yates. Banks will need to be quasi-technology companies.
Sections
Permitting easier labour movement between Australia and the Pacific Islands would have a more beneficial effect that foreign aid, claim Lowy Institute researchers Leon Berkelman and Jonathan Pryke. They consider two models for how it might work.
Businesses in Papua New Guinea must have strategies to manage the shortage of foreign currency, says Stephen Massa, Port Moresby Managing Partner of the law firm Dentons. He looks at some approaches but warns that businesses must pay attention to their legal obligations.
K92 Mining is preparing for its first export of gold concentrate from Kainantu mine and plans to ramp up to full production around April this year, company Chief Operating Officer, John Lewins tells Business Advantage PNG.
Changes in ANZ’s Asia-Pacific strategy could provide benefits to Papua New Guinea, ANZ’s Managing Director in PNG, Mark Baker. He also tells Business Advantage PNG he sees growth potential from PNG’s rising middle class, while mobile phone banking has moved past traditional PC based internet banking services.
Barrick Niugini’s Mining and Petroleum Industry Investment Fund provides relocated landowners with a superior financial outcome, according to Chris Trainor, Manager of Commercial Services. He believes it is a model for other Papua New Guinea mining companies to follow.
The Papua New Guinea government is being ‘prudent’ in its approach to the Budget, according to the Asian Development Bank’s PNG Country Director Marcelo Minc and Country Economist Yurendra Basnett. They tell Business Advantage International that investment in non-resource sectors is required for the economy to progress.
Bank South Pacific has adjusted well to the slowing economy, Chief Executive Robin Fleming tells Business Advantage PNG. He says the bank is looking to lend to the growing middle class in Papua New Guinea, especially for housing.
World demand for energy will double by 2050 according to Professor Peter McCabe, Head of the Australian School of Petroleum at the University of Adelaide. But he believes more efficient recovery methods and the increasing role of renewables will keep a lid on prices.
Commodities markets appear to have entered a holding pattern, with stability evident in the oil market and metals. Business Advantage PNG’s monthly overview of Papua New Guinea’s commodity and financial markets.