The pandemic has driven us to improve innovation, adaptation, and capability
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno supports the use of digital wallets as part of the efforts to digitalize micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Indonesia.

"The pandemic has driven us to improve innovation, adaptation, and capability, not just in conducting online transactions but also in creating creative content for a sustainable business," Uno stated at the DANA Connect online seminar as quoted from a press statement here on Monday.

Uno remarked that one of the strategies to boost innovation and to transform is by going digital. He opined that those who have not undergone digital transformation will bear the brunt of the pandemic.

According to the ministry's data, MSMEs' contribution to the nation's gross domestic product have risen, from 60 percent to 63 percent, on account of digital transformation conducted by MSMEs.

Based on Indonesia's E-Commerce Association's (idEA's) data, 13.7 million MSMes have gone digital. These figures constitute 12.5 percent of Indonesia's total MSMEs.

To this end, Uno emphasized the importance of collaboration to assist MSMEs in entering the digital platform, including 34 million enterprises in the tourism and economic sector.

"Which is why we hope that DANA would be the engine in bringing about collaborative transformation to help the MSMEs' digital transformation. Perhaps, later, Bank Indonesia can be involved," the minister noted.

MSMEs currently face three challenges, all of which can be addressed through the use of a digital wallet.

The first is access to qualified human resources that can be handled through digital literacy programs, such as DANA Connect.

The second pertains to market access that the use of digital wallet can facilitate by connecting MSMEs with the broader market.

The third is financing access wherein digital wallets can help by connecting MSMEs with the digital finance ecosystem, including banks.

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Translator: Natisha A, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Sri Haryati
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