ANZ: Helping conglomerates cross borders

MANILA, Philippines — In this era of multilateralism where corporations including Philippine conglomerates have become multinationals or are aspiring to go outside the local market, a global banking and financial services company continues to support customers with their expansion plans.

Jesus Santiago, Philippine country head of Melbourne-based Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd., told The STAR that the group is helping companies, including Philippine conglomerates, cross borders.

It is likewise helping multinationals that want to invest in the country.

“There is a huge opportunity for ANZ in the Philippines to partner with our target customers,” Santiago said.

“Part of their aspirations and strategies is to operate beyond our local borders. So they now have investments and operations as part of their core businesses in our home markets – Australia, New Zealand and within the ASEAN region. Some of these Philippine conglomerates have actually put in significant investments that overlaps with our international footprint so that’s where ANZ is trying to differentiate itself because if it were a pure domestic requirement, the Philippine banks can better serve that, it’s when they cross the borders into our markets where we can differentiate ANZ as a banking partner,” Santiago said.

Against this backdrop, he sees more Philippine companies expanding in Australia and New Zealand especially after President Marcos’ trip to Australia as well as the recent ASEAN-Australia Summit held last month.

“Definitely, I see more of that happening,” he said, noting that Marcos also met with the business community in Australia and was likewise joined by a Philippine business delegation to the trip to the so-called Land Down Under.

“There was a very positive tone and a lot of energy coming out of that summit,” Santiago said.

Australia wants to attract businesses from ASEAN including the Philippines.

As it is now, he said there are a lot of Philippine conglomerates that have invested in Melbourne and are recognizing the need to be more invested in Asia.

The Razon Group is one Philippine conglomerate that has a presence in Australia.

This is through Victoria International Container Terminal, International Container Terminal Services Inc.’s operations at the Port of Melbourne, which is the only fully-automated container terminal in the Southern hemisphere. It has recently completed Phase 3A of its expansion project.

The Ayala Group’s energy business, ACEN Corp., meanwhile, has a portfolio of renewable energy projects in construction and operation in Australia.

“Definitely, there’s room for more,” Santiago said.

Asked about the outlook on the Philippines, Santiago said, prospects are rosy, especially with the aspiration of the current administration to really try and fuel foreign direct investments into the country.to make it easier for them to operate.

ANZ has been in the Philippines since 1990 supporting corporate and institutional customers with their domestic requirements while connecting them with close to 30 markets across Asia Pacific, Australia and New Zealand, Europe, America and the Middle East.

Its products and services include markets, transaction banking, loans and specialized finance.

ANZ transaction banking managing director Lisa Vasic also shared with The STAR updates on group’s operations and plans toward the future.

ANZ comes in by helping companies understand the onshore markets in Australia and New Zealand including the preferences of the local market, and how to position their products.

For ANZ, Vasic said it is not about trying to be one of the large global banks but really providing support where it is needed across the region.

“It’s not necessarily between our home markets and the Philippines. It’s really looking at where that support is needed,” she said.

ANZ offers its customers the agility to be able to adapt in the different markets or as Vasic says, “commerce play agility.”

In a separate article published last November, Vasic and ANZ Group Executive Institutional Mark Whelan said the group has made it a priority to develop its payments and cash management business into a world-leading provider of different services such as domestic and international payments, liquidity management and treasury processes, among others.

“We also provide the ability for our clients to use our technology, systems and expertise to deliver services to their end customers, placing ANZ at a critical and valuable point in the ecosystem,” according to the article posted on bluenotes, a publication of ANZ’s newsroom.

Last year, ANZ’s payments and cash management (PCM) business facilitated the movement of $164 trillion in all payments and capital flows to, from and within the markets in which it operates and either cleared or provided payment services to more than 90 percent of the world’s globally systemic banks, the article also said.

“You want to have a single report on those multi-country operations versus having separate banks giving separate reports. It helps clients manage overall cash flow. The ability to provide that in a single platform in a single system is part of transaction banking and the lifeblood of running a company and we’re doing it quite well, getting even better at it,” Santiago said.

In all, ANZ provides regional expertise and banking services across Europe, North America, Singapore, Hong Kong and China – as well as countries with fewer banking partners such as Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Indeed, with a partner like ANZ, conglomerates can be assured that their dreams to go global can be a reality.