Thank you for standing by, and welcome to the Kina Securities Limited Annual General Meeting 2025. I would now like to hand the conference over to Mr. Ian Klaff, Chairman. Please go ahead.
Good morning. Good morning, everyone on the call. Good morning. My name is Ian Klaff, and I'm the Chairman of Kina Securities Limited. I have the pleasure in welcoming you to Kina's 2025 Annual General Meeting. We have a quorum of shareholders, and I'm pleased to declare the meeting open. To encourage and facilitate broad participation to this meeting, the board decided to continue with the online format which we began in COVID or throughout COVID, and I'm very pleased, therefore, to welcome all shareholders participating online today through Kina's virtual meeting platform. Firstly, I'd like to introduce you to my fellow directors, Karen Smith-Bromley, who is the Chair of the Audit Committee and is a member of the Risk Committee and the Disclosure Committee; Dr.
Jane Thomson, who is Chair of our Remuneration and Nomination Committee and a member of the Transformation and Strategy Committee, Andrew Caroline, who is Chair of our Disclosure Committee, a member of the Audit Committee, Risk Committee, and Remuneration and Nomination Committee, and who is standing for re-election today, Paul Hutchinson, who is Chair of the Risk Committee and a member of the Audit Committee and who also is standing for re-election today, and Richard Kimber, who is the Chair of the Transformation and Strategy Committee and a member of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee. Also present and online is Ivan Vidovich, our Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Johnson Kalo, our Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary, and Herbert Maguma, our Auditor from Deloitte. Herbert will be available to answer any questions you may have about the conduct of the audit.
The agenda for today's meeting is set out on the slide. I will now provide a brief overview of the company's progress to date before turning the meeting over to Ivan Vidovich to give us further updates on the company's operation and activities. Ladies and gentlemen, it is an honor to address you today as Chairman of Kina Securities Limited. This being my first AGM in this role, I'm privileged to represent the board and our shareholders at a significant time in Kina's journey. The past year has been one of strong progress and transformation for Kina. This year, we proudly celebrate our 40th anniversary, a milestone that reflects our enduring commitment to Papua New Guinea and our growth into the country's second-largest bank.
In 2024, we delivered robust financial and operational results, achieving an underlying net profit after tax, or NPAT, of PGK 109.5 million, and a statutory net profit after tax of PGK 103.3 million, following a one-off tax adjustment. Our performance was driven by a 67% increase in foreign exchange revenues, a 27% increase in digital channel revenues, and continued targeted investments in our core capabilities and product portfolio. We also saw continued growth in our wealth management division, which is now the largest in PNG. Lending increased by 13% to PGK 2.9 billion, with our market share rising from 15% to 17%. Deposit market share improved from 13% to 14%, and our net interest margin rose to 5.8%. These achievements are a testament to the dedication of our management team, our team members, and the strategic oversight provided by the board.
Our strategy remains focused on sustainable, value-driven growth. We continue to invest in our workforce and technology capabilities and our products and services portfolio, expanding our customer base through accessible and inclusive financial services and maintaining a prudent approach to risk and capital management. We're also pleased to welcome Ivan Vidovich as our new CEO and Managing Director. Ivan has been a key driver in Kina's transformation journey and brings invaluable insight and leadership to this role. Welcome, Ivan. Looking ahead, we anticipate continued earnings growth supported by a favorable macroeconomic environment, including lower corporate tax rates for commercial banks and gradual adjustments in the PNG Kina to US dollar exchange rate. We remain committed to executing our strategic priorities and delivering long-term value to our shareholders, while at the same time supporting national development through innovation, financial inclusion, and responsible banking.
The board remains actively engaged in overseeing Kina's strategic direction and ensuring robust governance. We're encouraged by the constructive dialogue between the banking sector and the government, particularly around regulatory and fiscal reforms. I would also like to acknowledge the significant contributions of former Chairman Isekele Tureka and former CEO Greg Pawson. Their leadership was instrumental in shaping Kina into the dynamic institution that it is today. Looking beyond 2025, Kina will continue to build on its established strategic foundations with a renewed long-term vision for 2026 to 2030. This vision will reaffirm our commitment to the key pillars that have driven our success and will guide our growth trajectory and operational priorities for the next five years. As we celebrate 40 years of service and 50 years of Papua New Guinea's independence, we reaffirm our commitment of being a trusted partner in the nation's progress.
On behalf of the board, I extend our gratitude to our shareholders for your ongoing support and confidence, and I also wish to thank our executive team, our team members, and our customers for their dedication and trust. We look forward to another year of growth, innovation, and shared success, and once again, thank you very much. I will now ask Ivan to give his reflections on the Kina Group's performance.
Many thanks, Chairman, and good morning, everyone. It is an honor to address you today in my capacity as Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Kina Bank. This is a significant year for both Papua New Guinea and Kina Bank. In 2025, Kina Bank celebrates its 40th anniversary, a milestone that coincides with Papua New Guinea's 50 years of independence. In January of this year, I officially assumed the role of CEO and MD. I'm privileged to build upon the strong legacy of those who came before me, particularly Greg Pawson, whose inspiring leadership shaped Kina into the strong competitor it is today as PNG's challenger bank. I extend my thanks to Greg for his dedication, and I look forward to leading Kina into its next chapter of growth and transformation. I'd also like to acknowledge and thank our former Chairman, Mr.
Isekele Tureka, for his outstanding service and leadership. His guidance over many years has been instrumental in Kina Bank's rise as one of Papua New Guinea's leading financial services institutions. The year 2024 was marked by solid progress across key areas, including underlying financial performance, market share growth, and continued portfolio diversification. Let me begin with the financial highlights. Kina achieved a 4% increase in underlying net profit after tax, reaching PGK 109.5 million. This was supported by strong loan growth and continued expansion of non-interest income streams. Statutory NPAT, after accounting for a one-off tax adjustment to reflect the reduction in the tax rate for smaller commercial banks from 45% in 2024 to 40% in 2025, stood at PGK 100.3 million, down 4% year on year, and in line with the guidance provided at the half-year results.
Loan volumes grew by 13%, driving a 9% increase in net interest income, which now constitutes 46% of group revenues. Non-interest income rose by an impressive 31%, making up 54% of total revenues. Key drivers included a 67% increase in foreign exchange income, a 27% rise in digital channels revenue, and strong growth in funds administration and management fees. Our balance sheet remained robust, with a capital adequacy ratio of 18.4%, well within Kina's target range. This provides capacity for growth while supporting risk-weighted assets of PGK 2.9 billion and total assets of PGK 5.2 billion. The quality of our loan book also remains strong. The final dividend of AUD 0.06, or 0.155 Kina, brought the full-year dividend to AUD 0.10, or 0.261 Kina, reflecting a payout ratio of 74%, consistent with Kina's dividend policy. While 2024 was a year of progress, we also faced challenges.
Our cost-to-income ratio ended the year at 59%, underscoring the need for continued focus on operational efficiency. This was partly driven by necessary investments in technology, talent, security, and risk controls. Additionally, an isolated customer fraud incident reported in June 2024 impacted statutory profit. We have clear opportunities ahead. As we scale, we will continue to refine our operations, enhance our risk management practices, and advance our digitization initiatives to deliver better outcomes for our customers and achieve greater operational efficiency. Simultaneously, we have commenced development of our next five-year strategic plan for the 2026 to 2030 cycle. This plan will focus on organic and inorganic growth opportunities. Importantly, this plan will recognize Kina Bank's potential to continue to grow organically within the expanding PNG market, increasing market share in a measured and risk-aligned manner. To support the successful execution of our strategy, we are also strengthening our leadership capabilities.
Looking ahead to the remainder of 2025, the macro outlook remains largely positive. However, businesses continue to experience a period of cautious optimism, awaiting the Papua LNG final investment decision. Growth in the non-resources sector, supported by strong agricultural prices, aligns with the Treasury's 2025 budget projections of 5.2% growth. Meanwhile, the foreign exchange situation has improved, with faster clearance of import orders, and the market is responding positively to the Monetary Policy Committee's clear guidance on exchange rate movements and liquidity planning. At Kina Bank, we're confident in our ability to deliver further earnings growth this year. Our focus will be on unlocking value through organic revenue expansion, advancing digitization, and strengthening our approach to business efficiency to drive improvements in our cost-to-income ratio over the medium to long term. I want to close by recognizing the dedication of our staff across the country.
Your resilience, growth mindset, and commitment to our customers are what makes Kina the organization it is today. I also look forward to working closely with our new Chairman, Mr. Ian Klaff, as we enter this pivotal phase of growth. To my executive team and to the board, thank you for your support and for your leadership. To you, our shareholders, thank you for your continued trust in Kina Securities Limited. I'm confident that the year ahead will bring further progress, and I look forward to sharing our successes with you. Thank you, and I'll now hand back to the Chair.
Thanks, Ivan. We'll now move to the formal part of the meeting. The notice of meeting dated 30th of April was released to the ASX and PNGX and shareholders on the 30th of April. It's available on the company's website as well as the download section of the virtual meeting platform. I'll take the notice of meeting as read. In terms of how to vote online, before moving on to the various resolutions to be considered today, I'll now briefly outline the meeting and voting procedures for today's meeting. As set out in the notices of meeting, all resolutions at the meeting today will be determined by a poll, which is now open. As shareholders, you can cast your vote using the electronic voting card that you receive when you register via the online virtual platform.
You may vote at any time from now until five minutes after the closure of the meeting as announced by me during the AGM. The results of the poll will be released on the ASX and PNGX and will be available on the company's website as soon as possible after the meeting. As Chair of the meeting, I will vote all directed proxies in accordance with the directions provided by shareholders. I'm also holding undirected proxies in my capacity as Chair of this meeting, and I intend to vote all such proxies in favor of all resolutions as indicated in the notice of meeting and proxy forms. In terms of how to ask a question online, please ensure that you've registered through the webcast as a shareholder and not as a guest. As only shareholders, their attorneys, proxies, and authorized company representatives are entitled to ask questions.
If you wish to ask a question, please submit questions by selecting the Ask a Question tab located in the upper right corner of the screen. You can submit questions now or at any time prior to the vote on the relevant resolution, and they will be dealt with at the appropriate time. If you have a question already prepared, please submit it now so that as many questions as possible can be answered. Questions must relate to the relevant item of business. There will be an opportunity to ask general questions towards the end of the meeting, and I ask that you keep your questions short and to the point so that as many shareholders as possible have the chance to ask a question.
All questions will go through to a moderator, and as Chair, I will then read out the question, and I will either answer the question or pass it to the most appropriate person to answer. We reserve the right to rule out questions not relating to the AGM or those that are out of order. We will endeavor to answer all questions in the allotted time today. I'll put each resolution to the meeting in turn. The terms of each resolution will be displayed on the screen, and shareholders will then be given the opportunity to ask questions or make comments in relation to that resolution. We will display the number of proxy votes received for the resolution, then the vote will be taken. I will also provide the opportunity for shareholders to ask general questions after all the resolutions have been considered.
More information regarding online participation at the AGM, including how to vote and ask questions online during the AGM, is available in the virtual meeting online guide. The virtual meeting online guide was released to the ASX and the PNGX, and it is also available on the company's website or in the download section of the virtual meeting platform. I will now move to the formal business of the meeting. Firstly, the receipt of 2024 AGM minutes. The item of general business is to receive, consider, and accept the minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting held on the 29th of May 2024 and signed by Isekele Tureka, Director, on the 25th of June 2024 as a correct record of the meeting, which the Company Secretary has passed to me now.
Kina's 2024 annual report contains the financial report, the director's report, and the independent auditor's report, which I'll refer to collectively as the reports. A copy of Kina's 2024 annual report is available on the company's website as well as the download section of the virtual meeting platform. The financial statements have been audited by Deloitte and approved by the directors. This item is the receipt and consideration of the reports of Kina. It is not a resolution that requires a vote. I will take the reports as read and would like to take any general questions or comments about the reports or for the auditor. Are there any questions or discussion on Kina's reports or for the auditor?
No, there are no questions.
Thank you. We'll now move to the resolution set out in the notice of meeting. For the first resolution, I will hand over to my fellow director, Andrew Caroline.
Thank you, Ian. The first item of business is the re-election of Ian Klaff as a director of the company. I'll ask Ian to say a few words.
Thank you, Andrew. Shareholders, thank you for the opportunity to register the meeting. I've been a director of Kina Securities Limited since July 2024 and appointed to the position of Chairman in April 2025. I'm also a member of the Disclosure Committee. I'm a proud Papua New Guinean with a strong understanding of the market and the opportunities that are available to Kina. I'm currently the Executive Chairman of the Brian Bell Group and director of its majority shareholders, the Sir Brian Bell Foundation in Papua New Guinea. I'm vice president of the American Chamber of Commerce, also known as the AMCHAM. The council co-vice chair of St. John Ambulance and the Chairman of the Territory Advisory Board of Salvation Army and PNG.
I hold the role of Honorary Consul General for Sweden and Norway to PNG, and as well as my current obligations, my background includes extensive experience in retail and business operation, having worked with Wesfarmers in Australia in senior management roles within its retail portfolio. These include Target Australia, Coles Supermarkets, Coles Liquor, Bunnings, and Kmart Australia. All of this has helped to develop expertise in leadership, commercial acumen, governance, and the PNG environment, which will be instrumental in guiding Kina Securities through its next phase of growth. My focus on creating positive outcomes for the customer, delivering strong business performance, strengthening market position, and the growth through innovation supports Kina's commitment to challenging the status quo in financial services. I'm committed to serving as the Director of Kina Securities Limited, contributing to the board's significant experience in the areas of leadership, commercial operations, and governance. Thank you.
I'll now hand back to Andrew.
Thank you, Ian. The resolution is displayed on the slide. The resolution is an ordinary resolution, which requires a simple majority of votes cast by shareholders present and entitled to vote on the resolution. The Board, excluding Ian Klaff, unanimously recommended shareholders vote for this resolution. Are there any questions about the re-election of Ian Klaff as a director of the company?
Yes, there is a question on the re-election of Ian Klaff as a company. Would he like to comment on the biggest changes in board procedures? Sorry, board processes, delegations, and reporting lines or governance that he's implemented since taking over as chair?
Yeah, I'm happy to answer that question, Johnson. I guess taking over as Chair, it's been about six weeks. In fairness, there has not been any significant changes or strategic delegations, etc., in relation to that period. However, the Board remains focused on its strategic intent and reshaping its strategic policy, and this will be released to the market at the end of this year. Ivan, the other part of the question was, could the CEO comment as to how hands-on the new Chair is as an executive? Sorry, as a non-executive Chair? I'll throw it across to you if you'd like to make any comments in relation to that.
Thank you for the question. I'm delighted with the appointment of our new Chair, Mr. Ian Klaff, highly regarded member of the business community in Papua New Guinea and across the region, and upstanding on all matters associated with governance and the like as well. Ian is a very active and hands-on Chair in the right ways that I find very supportive as the CEO. Thank you.
Excellent. Thank you.
Thanks, Ivan. Johnson, can you confirm that there are no further questions?
There are no further questions.
Thank you. The proxies received are shown on the screen. If there is no further discussion, I now put this resolution to the meeting. On your electronic voting card, please now select for, against, or abstain next to resolution one. Thank you, and I will now hand back to the Chair.
Thank you, Andrew. The second item of business is the re-election of Paul Hutchinson as the director of the company. I'll now ask Paul to say a few words. We lost Paul. It appears that we've lost Paul. We might circle back to Paul later on in the conversation so that we can complete that part of the process. I might fast forward to the third item of business, which is the re-election of Andrew Caroline as the director of the company. I'll now ask Andrew to say a few words.
Thank you, Ian. Good morning, shareholders, and thank you for the opportunity to address the meeting. As Ian mentioned, my name is Andrew Caroline, and I've been a director of Kina Securities Limited since August of 2018. I'm an experienced business executive, being highly skilled at operating successfully in regulated environments. I was an executive at Westpac until 2017, having been Chief Risk Officer in the institutional bank since 2010, as well as chairman of Westpac's business in Papua New Guinea. Since 2017, I've accepted several non-executive roles in the for-profit and the not-for-profit sectors. Before my executive focus shifted to purely risk roles, I practiced corporate law in the public and private sectors and held several senior legal and operational roles. I hold bachelor's degrees in law and commerce from the University of New South Wales.
I'm a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and an accredited mediator. I believe my experience in banking and risk management will help Kina Securities navigate the complex financial landscapes in which we operate while maintaining responsible banking practices. My contribution to Kina Securities is to ensure that Kina consolidates its position in the PNG market, being the financial institution of choice for customers in our target market segments. To assist with that, I provide my expertise to help Kina design and deliver market-leading products with digital and payments innovation at the forefront. Finally, I will help management to strengthen regulatory compliance, enhance risk frameworks, and provide strategic oversight to align Kina's operations with long-term financial stability. I'm committed to serving as a director of Kina Securities Limited, contributing to the board's significant experience in the areas of leadership, finance, commercial operations, and risk management.
Thank you, and thank you for your support. I'll now hand back to the Chair.
Thank you, Andrew. The resolution is displayed on the slide. This resolution is an ordinary resolution, which requires a simple majority of votes cast by shareholders present and entitled to vote on the resolution. The Board, excluding Andrew Caroline, unanimously recommends shareholders vote for this resolution. Are there any questions about the re-election of Andrew Caroline as director of the company?
Chair, there are no questions.
Thanks, Johnson. Thank you. It appears there are no further questions. Sorry. The proxies received are shown on the screen. If there is no further discussion, I now put this resolution to the meeting. On your electronic voting cards, please now select for, against, or abstain next to resolution three. We will now circle back to resolution number two, which we needed to just pause due to some technical difficulties earlier. I will now hand over—this is the resolution, apologies—that is the re-election of Paul Hutchinson as the director of the company. I will now ask Paul to say a few words.
Thank you, Chair. My apologies, shareholders, for the interruption to technology. Good morning, shareholders, and thank you for the opportunity to address this meeting. My name is Paul Hutchinson, and I have been a director of Kina Securities Limited since August 2018. I'm also the chair of the board risk committee and a member of the board audit committee and contribute to other key governance forums for the group. I'm currently employed by Adelaide University in the capacity of executive director responsible for large-scale organization projects. In addition, I have been a company director for 20 years, including roles on various public company, not-for-profit organizations, and statutory bodies. Previously, I was the managing director and chief executive officer of Rural Bank, which specializes in the provision of financial services to the agribusiness sector.
I was chief operating officer of New Zealand Post and have held a variety of senior appointments with Westpac, National Australia Bank, and Bank of New Zealand. I have extensive experience in strategy, finance, sales and distribution, commercial operations, and risk management in the financial services sector. I'm a graduate of the Harvard Business School general management program, a fellow of the Institute of Financial Services, and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, having attended both the company directors course and international company directors course.
As Chair of the Risk Committee and a member of the Audit Committee, I am focused on ensuring Kina maintains strong governance and financial sustainability to support our organization's strategic growth agenda, including strengthening risk management frameworks to ensure Kina remains resilient in an otherwise competitive market, enhancing financial governance to support sustainable growth and regulatory compliance, driving strategic oversight to align Kina's operations with long-term financial stability. I'm very committed to serving as a director of Kina Securities Limited and contributing to the board's significant experience that is set out. Thank you, Ian, and I'll return to you.
Thank you, Paul. The resolution is displayed on the slide, and the resolution is an ordinary resolution, which requires a simple majority of votes cast by shareholders present and entitled to vote on the resolution. The board, excluding Paul Hutchinson, unanimously recommends shareholders vote for this resolution. Are there any questions about the re-election of Paul Hutchinson as the director of the company?
No, Chair. There are no questions.
Thank you. It appears there are no further questions. The proxies received are shown on the screen. If there is no further discussion, I now put this resolution to the meeting. On your electronic voting card, please now select for, against, or abstain next to resolution number two. We will now move to item number four, or resolution number four, sorry, relating to the appointment of Deloitte as the auditor of the company. This resolution is displayed on the slide. This resolution is an ordinary resolution, which requires a simple majority of votes cast by shareholders present and entitled to vote on the resolution. The board unanimously recommends shareholders vote for this resolution. Are there any questions about the appointment of Deloitte as the auditor of the company?
There are no questions, Chair.
Thanks, Johnson. Thank you. It appears there are no further questions. The proxy received is shown on the screen. If there is no further discussion, I'll now put this resolution to the meeting. Once again, on your electronic voting card, please now select for, against, or abstain next to resolution number four. Resolution number five is the approval of the grant of performance rights to Mr. Vidovich for financial year 2024. The resolution is displayed on the slide. This resolution is an ordinary resolution, which requires a simple majority of votes cast by shareholders present and entitled to vote on the resolution. The board, excluding Mr. Ivan Vidovich, unanimously recommends shareholders vote for this resolution. Are there any questions about the grant of performance rights to Mr. Vidovich for financial year 2024?
Yes, Chair, there is a question. I shall read that out. Given that we are listed on the ASX, will the board agree to put the remuneration for shareholders for approval at next year's AGM, like all Australian domiciled companies have to do? Sure, this would be voluntary, but it would be the best practice. We should be able to vote on more than just the CEO's equity incentive scheme.
Thank you for your question. My response would be that KSL complies with all compliance requirements. Sorry. I'll start again. Kina Securities Limited complies with all compliance requirements requiring the matters for discussion and voting at AGM. There are no plans to change this, and a comprehensive remuneration report is disclosed in our annual report. Do we have any other questions, Johnson? No?
No, there are no further questions, Chair.
Thank you. It appears there are no further questions. The proxies received are shown on the screen, and if there is no further discussion, I now put this resolution to the meeting. On your electronic voting card, please now select for, against, or abstain next to resolution number five. That concludes the formal part of the meeting. Please submit your votes now if you have not already done so, and the poll will close five minutes after the end of the meeting. As I mentioned earlier, the results of this meeting will be announced to the ASX and PNGX as soon as the votes have been counted and verified. We would now like to invite any other questions or general comments about the company. However, before I do, I will address some general questions received from shareholders ahead of today's meeting if there are any. Let me throw across to Johnson. No?
No, there aren't, Chair.
Are there any other questions to answer that have come through? No?
No, Chair.
Thank you. It appears there are no further questions. Once again, please ensure that you submit your votes online using the online voting card if you have not done so already. If there are no further questions, that concludes the business of the meeting. I now declare the meeting closed, and thank you for attending the meeting and for your continued support of Kina Securities.
That does conclude our conference for today. Thank you for participating. You may now disconnect.