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Debt recovery rarely gets framed as a story of dignity, data, and disciplined growth—until you hear how Keith John runs Pioneer Credit. We sit down with the Managing Director to unpack a model that buys non‑performing loans from Australia’s big four banks, restores customer health through sustainable repayment plans, and turns empathy into durable cashflows.

Keith explains why banks prefer a partner that won’t extend the credit cycle or dabble in payday lending, and how that stance protects brands while securing steady forward flow agreements. We dig into the numbers: investing around $80 million at roughly 18–19 cents in the dollar, generating strong free cashflow, and driving down the cost of funds through real performance. A 315 bps margin cut on medium‑term notes and sharper pricing on a $272 million senior facility now at 435 bps over BBSW say as much about lender confidence as any earnings performance.

The heart of the advantage is operational. ESG metrics tied to customer outcomes triggered a further margin reduction sooner than expected, proving that fewer complaints and better arrangements are not just good ethics—they’re good economics. Data‑led segmentation improves cure rates, while cost to serve has fallen to around 32%, among the best globally. With newer vintages forecast to outperform older ones thanks to improved purchase dynamics and analytics, Pioneer is building a compounding flywheel: better outcomes lower funding costs, cheaper funding fuels selective portfolio growth, and efficiency expands margins.

We also tackle the macro picture. The key risk to watch is a sharp rise in unemployment, but current forecasts remain steady. Execution, not macro luck, will decide the next leg: disciplined purchasing, continued ESG delivery, and maintaining bank and lender trust. If you care about how ethical finance, strong data, and disciplined capital allocation can co‑exist—and outperform—this conversation offers a rare, clear playbook for sustainable returns in the Australian financial services market.

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A sprawling land package is only as valuable as the strategy behind it—and that’s where this conversation with James Wilson, CEO of Alchemy Resources, gets exciting. We dig into a data-led approach that targets big growth levers across WA and NSW: a standout 750-metre IP anomaly at Yellow Mountain, funded lithium drilling at Roe Hills beside the Manna project, and a de-risked iron ore path through a free-carried JV at Valley Bore.

We start with the portfolio: gold remains centre stage in the eastern goldfields near Kalgoorlie, where access and proximity to producing neighbours create practical advantages. From there, we unpack Yellow Mountain’s momentum—first-pass drilling returned 113 metres at 1.17% copper equivalent, and high-powered, 3D IP has now mapped three compelling targets, including a never-drilled eastern body that could represent the system’s heat source. James explains how modern assays and structural mapping tighten vectors that old imperial grids simply couldn’t resolve, and why careful fieldwork now will determine whether the area hosts one segmented system or two distinct domains.

Next, we turn to smart capital: iron ore is all about logistics, so Alchemy partnered with Newcam, an active miner with ports, storage, and customers in place. The 40% free-carried structure to decision to mine keeps upside alive while containing risk, and if the option is exercised, it could accelerate timelines on an existing mining lease. On lithium, Roe Hills benefits from aggressive JOGMEC funding, outcropping pegmatites, and clear LCT pathfinders, with a nine-hole RC program now chasing the right structural and thermal window near Global Lithium’s advancing Manna project.

We close with a crisp set of 2026 catalysts: drilling the large Yellow Mountain IP target to validate sulphides at scale, a possible option exercise at Valley Bore that would inject capital and operational muscle, and JV-driven news from Roe Hills and Briar alongside steady gold exploration near Carosue Dam. The through-line is deliberate: de-risk with partners where complexity is highest, and focus internal effort where discovery could be transformational. If you’re tracking ASX exploration stories with real leverage to discovery, logistics, and funding, this one belongs on your list.

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WA’s grid is changing faster than most realise, and the evening peak is where the challenge bites. We sit down with Frontier Energy CEO Adam Kiley to explore how the Waroona Renewable Energy Project—120 MW of solar paired with a 6.9‑hour, 81.5 MW battery—aims to serve the 4 pm to 10 pm window that coal and gas used to cover. With a prime location only 500 metres from the Landwehr Terminal and a connection to 330 kV lines, Waroona is built on strong grid bones that support both Stage One delivery and future expansion.

Adam unpacks the numbers driving confidence: a guaranteed $32 million per annum from WA’s reserve capacity mechanism over the first five years, independent banker‑case models reflecting record‑high wholesale prices, and a clear pathway to 60–70% project debt. We dig into the macro: around 6.6 TWh per year of retiring coal and older gas, plus 3.5 TWh of new demand by 2031, creating an 11 TWh hole on a 22 TWh grid. Rather than waiting on long, costly transmission build‑outs, Frontier’s strategy co‑locates generation and storage at a strong node to shift midday sun into night-time supply when prices and reliability needs are highest.

We also talk execution: updated financials and technical expert reports for lenders, equipment contracting, and the timeline to final investment decision. Then we look at what’s next—an accelerated Stage Two study with similar scale, backed by 830 hectares of controlled land, approvals to amend, and a focus on replicable revenue certainty. If you care about clean baseload, peak-hour pricing, and practical solutions to the SWIS transition, this conversation lays out how firmed renewables can deliver.

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