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State lender BNI to open branch office in Melbourne
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State-owned lender BNI president director Achmad Baiquni (third left) converses with members of Board of Directors during a press briefing in Jakarta on April 12. (JP/Prima Wirayani)
T
he Financial Services Authority (OJK) and the state government of Victoria, Australia, are paving the way for state-owned lender Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) to open a branch office in Melbourne, the state’s capital city.
The plan was discussed in a business meeting attended by OJK chairman Muliaman D. Hadad and Victoria Treasurer Tim Pallas in Melbourne on Friday.
BNI treasury director Panji Irawan and Indonesia’s Consulate General in Melbourne Dewi Sawitri Wahab also attended the meeting, which is a follow up of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by the OJK and Victoria state on March 16.
“The OJK has delivered the plan of opening a BNI’s branch office to the government of Victoria and the Australian banking authority, and now it is BNI’s task to continue the process,” Muliaman said in an official statement.
(Read also: State lender BNI books higher profit in Q1)
Indonesia’s investments in Australia are worth AU$1.4 billion (US$1.06 billion), while the latter injected $8.4 billion into Southeast Asia’s largest economy in 2015.
In the same year, tourism from Australia still topped Indonesia’s list of holiday visitors, while around 19,300 Indonesian students pursued some form of education in Australia.
“We will definitely start the process soon,” Panji said, adding that his firm will start preparing to submit a request for a permit and hoped it could secure licenses for wholesale and retail banking services.
“Timing will depend on the licenses as [we have] to secure them from the OJK and the Australian authority,” he added. (hwa)
