The high ownership of (banking) accounts by women was encouraged by non-cash social aids from the government that designated women as benefit recipients and they opened banking account for the recipients
Jakarta (ANTARA) - More women opened bank accounts during the pandemic due to social aid disbursal by the government, assistant deputy for gender equality policy formulation at the Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry, Muhammad Ihsan, has said.

"The high ownership of (banking) accounts by women was encouraged by non-cash social aids from the government that designated women as benefit recipients and they opened banking account for the recipients," he noted.

However, ownership of banking accounts does not automatically make women more prosperous, he said at a webinar entitled 'Non-Cash Transaction, Easy, Fast, and Affordable', accessed from here on Thursday.

"Supports from various parties are required so that women can be economically independent through productive activities," he explained.

Reaching the 90-percent financial inclusion target by 2024 would require a financial education, literacy, and inclusion strategy, Ihsan opined.

The strategy should help create a literate and financially inclusive society that can ultimately support economical development in Indonesia, he elaborated.

By owning an active account, women can track their financial history, which can be used to access financial institution services, he added.

"For micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) owned by women, this history is very important in order to access credit from various financial institutions," he expounded.

Earlier, on June 9, 2020, the Women Inclusive Finance National Strategy (SNKI) was unveiled to ensure that all women have the requisite knowledge, skills, resources, and opportunity to achieve economic empowerment, Ihsan said.

Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Bintang Puspayoga was appointed as a member of the Inclusive Finance National Board.

It is expected that applying an inclusive finance national strategy could reduce the gap between genders, cities and villages, as well as the poor and rich, Ihsan added.

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Translator: Anita Permata D, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Suharto
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