News Articles for Bankwest

SPECIAL REPORT: Earnings for the state from the powerhouse minerals and energy industries have softened, but agriculture, among other sectors, will create opportunities. Business News also takes an in depth look at Bunbury port, where a big expansion plan needs community backing and solid regional demand growth.

A new report from Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre touts diversification of export products and trade relationships as a key part of ensuring the state's continued economic success.

WA is leading the charge in the growth of small business owners, and fresh research shows more women than men are out in front.

Woodside Petroleum's ambitious play for Oil Search is a rare example of a Perth-based company being the bidder in a big takeover. Click through to see Business News' listing and analysis of $1 billion-plus M&A deals in WA over the past 20 years.

Cash Converters International has announced a number of board changes, including the retirement of its chairman, and has commenced a review of the business as it responds to challenging market conditions.

A local entrepreneur believes the state's investor culture needs to change if the number of social enterprises is to grow.

A run of good seasons has put Western Australian grain farmers in an improved position, according to the latest Planfarm Bankwest Benchmarks data.

Probuild's redevelopment at Cloisters on Hay has been named the state's best construction project for 2015, ahead of 68 other entries at the Master Builders-Bankwest annual awards.

Payroll tax is costing Western Australian businesses more than $2,700 per employee on the back of strong wages growth in the state during the past decade, according to a report released today.

Less than one-fifth of Western Australians are deemed to be financially fit, while the majority feel less financially secure than they did a year ago, according to a report by Bankwest.

With a record run of construction coming to a close, commercial developers are facing an uncertain few years in Perth's CBD. Click through to find the special report, which also looks at Perth's biggest landlords, place making, suburban office markets and a green technology company.

A group of determined local business people have come together for the first time in Perth's history to create a museum dedicated to the city's past and present.

The third DoubleTree by Hilton hotel announced for Perth will likely be the first to open, with forward works about to start and a ground-breaking ceremony held at the Northbridge site today.

There are almost 70,000 millionaire households in Western Australia, according to a study to be released by Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre today.

The number of small business operators in Western Australia has risen by 5.8 per cent over the year to February, well ahead of the national average of 1.4 per cent, the Bankwest Business Trends rep

Treasurer Joe Hockey has delayed the federal government's return to surplus by another year, forecasting that the country will be not be in the black until 2019-20 and meaning the Commonwealth will extend its run of seven deficits to 11.

It is a long time since Western Australia had its own finance industry and while shadow banking, the hottest game in the money world, could be just another fad that fades as quickly as it has grown, there is the potential for home-grown finance to make a return to Perth.

Former Bankwest managing director Jon Sutton has been appointed Bank of Queensland's new chief executive, following the departure of Stuart Grimshaw in September last year.

WA business is rapidly resetting its cost base and growth targets to better withstand the downturn.

Company director John Langoulant has added another title to his broad portfolio, taking on the role of state president WA for the Committee for Economic Development of Australia.

Business and their marketing advisers put a lot of thought and effort into how best to appeal to consumers, and colour is a big part of that.

Western Australians are more likely to go online to find the best deal and be influenced by user reviews when shopping online than any other state, according to new research by Bankwest.

Chairman of education provider Navitas, Harvey Collins, has joined the ranks of some of the top business leaders in WA by winning the Australian Institute of Company Directors gold medal award for WA.

The centre of Northbridge is set to go high-rise, with development approval issued for two separate towers on James Street, comprising 112 apartments and a 206-room DoubleTree by Hilton hotel.

The Business News annual export review has the latest data on 33 businesses representing $122 billion in outgoing trade. It also shows that while iron ore continues to dominate, the emergence of LNG, agriculture and services will benefit from a lower dollar.

Bankwest today launched its new charity, which will raise funds for community initiatives, as well as a scholarship program that aims to better the lives of Western Australians, and has pledged $1 million per year to the charity for five years.

Western Australia's labour force will increase 30 per cent to 1.75 million by 2025, with the highest annual employment growth projected in agriculture, health care, education and accommodation/food services, according to a report released today by the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre.

Whilst the Reserve Bank's next move is still likely to be up, the chance of a cut has increased in the last few months, according to Bankwest's monthly economic and financial market snapshot.

Western Australian farmers benefited from low interest rates, good crop yields and timely strength in commodity prices in the most recent financial year, according to the Planfarm Bankwest Benchmarks 2013-14.

Belmont-based event production and management services provider Corporate Theatre Productions has been sold to Presentation Technology for an undisclosed amount.

The business banking sector is shrinking in Perth, with falling staff levels and bank branch closures the latest signs of a cooling Western Australian economy.

Bankwest has released its Future of Business report for July, revealing an insight into the expectations of small and medium-sized enterprises Australia wide.

Daniel Jovevski confesses to fitting many of the stereotypes commonly associated with gen Y, especially when it comes to a lack of patience and an addiction to technology.

FEATURE: Perth is in the middle of its biggest wave of office construction in decades, but a sustained burst of new supply means future prospects for commercial developers are increasingly bleak.

Perth's hotel development boom is continuing to gather steam, with plans submitted for a $30 million, 15-storey hotel to be built at 100 James Street in Northbridge.

More Perth offices are becoming ‘activity based' but interior designers fear the concept isn't fully understood.

The lack of competition for small business lending needs to come under scrutiny at the federal government's financial system inquiry.

Ikon Communications has confirmed it is closing the Perth office and will handle the demands of its local clients from Sydney and Melbourne.

King & Wood Mallesons has broken with tradition and become the first major law firm in Perth with a fully open-plan office.

SPECIAL REPORT: Former Verve Energy CEO Shirley In't Veld says when it comes to government-owned businesses, politics often wins out over commercial imperatives.