"Over the past few years, SOEs are stepping up as catalysts and have developed visionary initiatives and strategic collaborations to transform Indonesia's digital financial services in various aspects," he remarked at the ASEAN-Indo-Pacific Forum (AIPF) 2023 here on Wednesday.
Indonesia is hosting the AIPF in Jakarta on September 5-6, 2023. The forum aims to strengthen inclusive cooperation and collaboration between ASEAN countries and partner nations in the Indo-Pacific Region.
The forum raises the theme of "Implementation of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific."
According to the deputy minister, SOEs have a significant contribution to Indonesia's economy, accounting for 18 percent of the 2021 budget.
Roeslani assessed that with the significant reach of SOEs, particularly in underserved areas, SOEs are crucial players in fostering financial inclusivity through digital finance.
Roeslani explained that Indonesia's state-owned banks, namely Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI), Bank Mandiri, and Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI), launched a digital lending platform to enable individuals, with no traditional credit history, to access financial services.
He further highlighted that these initiatives are making a significant impact on financial inclusion.
The deputy minister cited as an example that BRI's digital loans had risen by 146 percent from 2021 to 2022, providing more than US$125 million to millions of seekers of digital loans in the first three quarters of 2022 alone.
Furthermore, various SOEs have extended the payment system for their core services through electronic money (e-money) platforms.
According to Roeslani, state-owned banks, such as Bank Mandiri, BRI, BNI, and Bank Tabungan Negara (BTN), have built digital banking solutions.
He noted that users of BNI's mobile banking have grown 59.6 percent year-on-year to 7.8 million users in 2020.
The AIPF is a flagship event organized by Indonesia as part of its ASEAN chairmanship in 2023. The vision of Indonesia's ASEAN chairmanship is to build a resilient, adaptive, and inclusive ASEAN, among others.
Related news: Digital finance transformation encourages inclusion in ASEAN: Ministry
Related news: SOEs targeting cooperation worth US$50 bln from AIPF
Translator: Martha Herlinawati, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2023
