HARIANEXPRESS – Indonesia is developing a system to automatically provide bank accounts to citizens turning 17 years old to expand financial inclusion and improve social assistance distribution.
Coordinating Economic Affairs Minister Airlangga Hartarto announced the plan on Tuesday following a cabinet meeting regarding financial literacy and inclusion. Under President Prabowo Subianto’s direction, state-owned lenders Bank Rakyat Indonesia and Bank Syariah Indonesia are developing digital applications linked to civil-registration data.
The proposed platform uses citizens’ National Identity Numbers to create accounts integrated with the Home Ministry’s Population and Civil Registration Agency. Citizens reaching 17 will ideally receive their national identity cards alongside active bank account numbers.
The accounts will connect to Bank Indonesia’s national payment infrastructure to facilitate standardized QRIS transactions. This unified financial database will also serve as a major distribution channel for government cash assistance.
President Prabowo instructed the National Council for Financial Inclusion, including Bank Indonesia, the Finance Ministry, and the Financial Services Authority, to finalize regulatory and technical frameworks. Data from the Financial Services Authority and Statistics Indonesia shows national financial inclusion has reached 93.62 percent, while financial literacy stands at 63.57 percent.
