Holiday Ayo - PT Bank Negara Indonesia (Persero) Tbk or BNI inaugurated the BNI Representative Office in Sydney, Australia, which is the first bank representative from Indonesia to open an office in Australia. 

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Pahala Mansury stated that the presence of a BNI representative office in Sydney would facilitate increased trade between Indonesia and Australia. 

“Moreover, currently Indonesia is a comprehensive strategic partner, both in the fields of trade and investment, especially in strategic sectors," said Pahala, Thursday (5/9). 

Pahala, who is also Deputy Chief Commissioner of BNI, believes that BNI's presence in Sydney will further strengthen economic relations between Indonesia and Australia. 

“We are grateful to the OJK for playing a role in strengthening relations between Indonesia and Australia, especially in the financial sector. This is also inseparable from the role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Investment," said Pahala. 

Meanwhile, BNI President Director Royke Tumilaar said that the company does have an internationalization plan which aims to expand the reach of banking services and strengthen its global presence. 

In order to achieve this goal, BNI has established several overseas offices in various strategic countries and will continue to expand to potential countries that are Indonesia's trading partners. 

There are several strategic reasons BNI chose Sydney as a new office location for its operations. First, Sydney is one of the main financial centers in the Asia-Pacific region, so by operating in Sydney, BNI can strengthen its presence in the international financial market and more easily access various global finance.

Second, Sydney is a business and economic center in Australia that offers many opportunities for business collaboration and investment. 

Apart from that, there are many potential business transactions carried out by Indonesian companies expanding their business in Australia and vice versa. 

Third, the Indonesian diaspora community in Sydney is quite strong. Where around 42 percent of the Indonesian diaspora lives in Sydney.