6 Indonesia
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTIONThe Indonesian bank is embracing digital initiatives to better serve its customers in Indonesia and abroad.BRI:
DELIVERING WORLD-CLASS SERVICE
For over a century, PT Bank Rakyat
Indonesia (Persero) Tbk (BRI) has
responded to the changing needs of
consumers and businesses by leveraging
innovation and technology to stay at the
leading edge of Indonesia’s financial
services sector.
Among its many groundbreaking
achievements, BRI was the first to provide
self-service banking in the country
through its BRI Hybrid Banking service in
- To ensure that more people have
access to banking services across the
vast Indonesian archipelago, it was also
the first to offer a sea-floating banking
service in 2015. And last year, it became
the first bank in the world to own and
operate its own satellite.
This commitment to innovation and
the tireless work of its employees have
helped propel BRI to become one of
Indonesia’s largest and most profitable
banks, offering a comprehensive range
of banking products and services to its
ever-growing customer base. The results
speak for itself: BRI has been Indonesia’s
most profitable bank for more than a
decade. In the third quarter of 2017, BRI
registered a net profit of IDR
20.5 trillion, (over US$1.5 billion)
up 8.2% over the previous year.Committed to Inclusion
BRI was started in 1895 in Pur-
wokerto, Central Java, by Raden
Aria Wiriatmaja. Initially it helped
manage mosques’ cash, which
was to be distributed to the pub-
lic using a simple scheme.
Since its early years, BRI has
focused on supporting micro,
small and medium enterprises
(MSMEs), and was a pioneer of
microfinance in Indonesia. BRI
works closely with Indonesian
MSMEs to support them in their
mission to become regional
champions. While that commit-
ment to small businesses contin-
ues, the bank has also expanded
its offerings to cover a wide
range of customer segments.
Today, BRI’s businesses include its
microbusiness program, retail business,
corporate business, international
business, treasury and capital market
supporting services. Its subsidiaries are
engaged in Sharia banking, agribusiness,
remittance, insurance and financing.On the consumer banking side, BRI
is committed to providing more people
with easier access to banking. Indonesia
has a high number of people who are
not yet served by banks, with only 36%
of the population aged 15 and above
possessing a bank account, according to
the 2014 Global Findex report.
To overcome this issue, BRI has
launched a number of initiatives, including
Agent BRILink and Floating Teras BRI, to
reach segments of the population without
access to such services.
Agent BRILink utilizes a network of
agents to broaden the bank’s reach to
underserved regions across Indonesia.
Agents are selected from existing
microborrowers who have a good financial
track record and a permanent shop with
regular customers. There are currently
more than 138,0 0 0 BRILink agents offering
customers a place to conveniently conduct
their banking transactions.
For BRI, this innovative distribution
system has several benefits. It accelerates
the process of gathering low-cost funds,
increases the number of customers
and supports the growth of fee-based
income. Over the longer term, Agent
BRILink will also drive the bank’s
operational efficiency.BRI President Director, SuprajartoAgent BRILink is an innovative service to boost financial inclusion.