Financial institutions can partner with state owned companies or even the Government to help create a robustness that is needed in the Fijian economy. ??Acting Prime Minister and Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said financial institutions could help state owned companies, especially those that performed some significant role in the economy, to reach a level playing field with commercial companies.?? He made the comments while commending the Bank of the South Pacific for partnering in the $10million four-years lease arrangement for vehicles to be used for Government services.??BSP is providing the finance facility for the vehicle lease arrangement with Asco Motors.?? “There are number of companies that are state owned – for example investing in capital in terms of providing or upgrading services and infrastructure and there are opportunities there,” Sayed-Khaiyum said.?? “We see that financial institutions tend to have a reluctance to for example participate in those sorts of state owned enterprises – what we are saying is that state owned enterprises provide a very important role in Fiji.?? “Of course as you know the Government has a plan to divest shares and participate with the private sector in that respect.?? “But in order to bring those institutions to a level playing field or bring it up to par with commercial enterprises, there needs to be some investments made in those areas.?? “While divestment is taking place there’s also the opportunity to provide some finance facilities for these institutions.?? “Rather than sitting back and saying ‘let’s not fund these state owned enterprises, or let’s not participate with them,” they should be eagerly looking into it, of course they have their own credit criteria, but at the same time I believe there are a number of enterprises they can participate or partner with.” ...Ends…