January has witnessed significant resource sector uncertainty in the lead-up to the 12 January deadline for the proposed export ban on raw minerals. This deadline saw a Presidential intervention at, quite literally, the eleventh hour, and the subsequent issue of several regulations adopting a controversial compromise position. The argument for the ban - to force the development of a domestic smelting industry - has been steeped in the rhetoric of resource nationalism with few amongst the political elite offering any counter view (at least openly) on the move's immediate economic impacts. In other areas, such as oil and gas and infrastructure, foreign players increasingly complain of short-sighted regulation and erratic policy making. This is all being played out in what is already shaping up to be the most competitive presidential and legislative election cycle since the fall of the Suharto. Control Risks will attempt to make sense of the regulatory uncertainty, provide scenarios on how the various election outcomes would impact these sectors and make predictions about whether 2014 will mark a continuum, denouement or bright new era for the Indonesian economy. As law and politics are deeply intertwined in Indonesia, Ashurst will consider these issues through a legal and regulatory prism, looking at how these developments impact on legal risk for investments, considering where the law might change, develop or be challenged in 2014, and discussing the best legal and practical mitigants that investors can consider to control these risks. A panel of expert contributors from the banking, mining and oil & gas sectors will then share their Indonesia experience and insights.
The agenda is outlined below:
Registration: 4.45pm
5.15pm Welcome & Introduction
Philip Thomson, Partner, Ashurst
5.20pm Presentation: Indonesia Election Scenarios
Steve Norris, Director of Global Risk Analysis, Asia Pacific, Control Risks
5.40pm Presentation: Legal Risk in Indonesia; Challenges & Opportunities in 2014
Dan Reinbott, Partner, Ashurst
6.00pm Panel Discussion
Moderated by: Matthew Stott, Partner, Ashurst
Steve Wilford Director of Global Risk Analysis, Asia Pacific, Control Risks
Mark Rathbone, Capital Projects & Infrastructure Leader, PwC; IPFA Asia Branch Council Member
Mark Giblett, Group Head of Project Finance, SMBC; IPFA Asia Branch Council Member
Jeremy Figgins, Group Manager, Corporate Relations, Sakari Resources
Questions & Answer Session
7.00pm IPFA Update
Mark Giblett, Group Head of Project Finance, SMBC; IPFA Asia Branch Council Member
7.05pm Closing Remarks from Hosts
Philip Thomson, Partner, Ashurst
7.10pm Networking Drinks Reception kindly hosted by Ashurst & Control Risks