Purbaya said coordination over regional government deposits is under BI’s authority as the central bank.
“That’s not my job. Let BI collect the data. I only use what the central bank provides,” Purbaya said in Jakarta.
He said differences in recorded deposits are BI’s responsibility because they originate from bank reports.
Some regions, he added, keep funds in low-interest checking accounts instead of higher-yield deposits, which may draw scrutiny from the Audit Board of Indonesia.
“Ask BI. The data comes from their banks. They said they’ll monitor each account. Some claim their funds are in checking accounts, which is even less efficient,” he said.
Data discrepancies have emerged between the Finance Ministry, which uses BI data, and the Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri).
BI recorded regional deposits at 233.97 trillion rupiah (USD14.7 billion) as of Sept. 30, 2025, while Kemendagri’s data from 546 local governments as of Oct. 17 put the figure at 215 trillion rupiah ($13.5 billion), a difference of 18.97 trillion rupiah.
BI Spokesman Ramdan Denny Prakoso said the central bank compiles monthly reports from all bank branches.
“Banks submit end-of-month data, which BI verifies before publishing aggregate figures in the Indonesian Financial and Economic Statistics,” Ramdan said on Wednesday.
Earlier, during a regional inflation control meeting, Purbaya asked Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian to investigate the data gap, saying Kemendagri’s direct access to local cash reports allows a more detailed review.
In Bali, the Badung regional government denied allegations of idle funds, saying disbursement is ongoing for priority projects, staff salaries, and local development.
“Budget absorption will increase significantly in the fourth quarter,” Acting finance chief Ketut Wisuda said, adding that the disbursement process is carried out in stages according to regulations and good local financial governance principles.
“We ensure all programs are running, and budget absorption will rise significantly in the fourth quarter,” he added.
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Translator: Bayu S, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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