ANZ

The ASX 200 index was up 1.6 per cent to 5,316 by 11:07am (AEST), while the broader All Ordinaries was up 83 points to 5,398, having been as high as 5,410 earlier in the session.

It is the first time the All Ords has cracked 4,000 points in a month.

The strong gains have been broad-based, with 184 of the top 200 companies rising.

The market heavyweight banking and mining sectors were the driving force behind the strong market gains, with all four major banks up more than 2 per cent and BHP Billiton posting a similar rise.

ANZ CEO Pacific & CEO Fiji Vishnu Mohan said: “This is one of the worst cyclones to hit Fiji destroying many towns and villages as well as damaging vital infrastructure. It will take a long time for Fiji to fully recover from this disaster and we want our customers to know that we are here ready to support them.”

ANZ’s customer assistance package includes:

• suspension of all home loan, personal loan and small loan repayments for 60 days;

“We established our first Suva branch in 1883, and in 1951, the Bank of Australasia merged with the Union Bank of Australia to form ANZ Bank Limited,” explained ANZ CEO Pacific & CEO Fiji, Vishnu Mohan, at a function held in Suva to commemorate the milestone anniversary.

“We’ve since continued to grow our presence in Fiji with the acquisition of the Fiji operations of Barclay’s and Grindlays Banks in 1985, Bank of New Zealand in 1990, and Bank of Hawaii in 2002,” said Mohan.

The forum is being held next week in Suva, Fiji and has been established to discuss critical issues in sustainable development for the people of the Pacific, with the theme this year of “Building Climate Resilient Green Blue Pacific Economies”.

This capital raising is part of a program announced on 6 August 2015 to raise a total of $3 billion in equity capital to meet recently announced capital requirements for major Australian banks by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA).

ANZ Chief Executive Officer Mike Smith said: “We considered all the options available and determined that, on balance, a share purchase plan in conjunction with our institutional placement supports our loyal retail shareholders and completes the capital raising in a fair, timely and efficient way.

The report, 'Powering PNG into the Asian Century' prepared by Port Jackson Partners for ANZ outlines new directions for electricity supply in PNG. This includes an extension of current electricity sector reforms and the introduction of new, cheaper energy technologies such as solar PV, micro-hydro and biomass to replace PNG’s reliance on diesel generation.

 KK Kingston CEO, Michael Kingston said: “KK Kingston is pleased to have the support of ANZ in a PNG company that has over 42-years heritage and employs more than 800 Papua New Guineans.

“A PNG manufacturing company with ISO 9001 certification that is committed to world class manufacturing, safety and quality standards in Papua New Guinea,” said Mr Kingston. “A company deeply rooted in the community in Lae, Port Moresby and across the country.”