In a statement received here, she said that the new branch office will help the Indonesian diaspora in developing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Australia, for which there is great potential in the trade sector.
"During our working visit to Australia, we witnessed a huge potential of trade among (the Indonesian) diaspora. With BNI's focus on international banking, we strongly support this step," she added.
Given its good business performance, BNI has a huge opportunity to expand its business abroad, she pointed out.
In addition to Australia, BNI has enormous potential to develop its business in the Netherlands, where SMEs are growing rapidly.
Meanwhile, as per the BNI, the expansion plan to Sydney is driven by the significant growth of the Indonesian diaspora in Australia and the improvement of trade relations between the two countries.
The plan to establish a new KCLN in Sydney is considered a strategic step for supporting SMEs run by the Indonesian diaspora and strengthening BNI's international presence, in line with its vision to become a leading global bank.
In addition, the opening of the new KCLN aligns with the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises' (SOEs') mandate to expand BNI's international services.
BNI currently has KCLNs in global cities such as London, New York, Seoul, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
As of the first quarter of 2024, BNI reported a net profit of Rp5.33 trillion or US$330.8 million, an increase of 2.03 percent compared to the same period the previous year.
BNI managed to reduce the non-performing loan (NPL) ratio to two percent and credit cost to one percent, reflecting the state-owned bank's commitment to maintaining its credit portfolio health.
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Translator: Rizka K, Kenzu
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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