..moving forward, various government assistance programs will be disbursed directly into citizens' bank accounts.Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Prabowo Subianto has instructed his cabinet to ensure that every Indonesian citizen has a bank account, as part of efforts to boost financial inclusion and literacy across the country.
The directive was highlighted during a limited cabinet meeting at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Monday, which addressed various economic issues, including national financial inclusion and literacy.
"Our discussions with the president centered on bank account ownership among the public," Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto told the press after the meeting.
He noted that a joint survey by the Financial Services Authority (OJK) and Statistics Indonesia (BPS) shows that Indonesia's financial inclusion rate has reached 93.62 percent, while financial literacy stands at 63.57 percent.
According to Airlangga, the figures are relatively strong compared with those of other OECD member countries.
As part of the initiative, President Prabowo instructed state-owned banks, particularly Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) and Bank Syariah Indonesia (BSI), to prepare bank accounts for the public.
Airlangga revealed that, to expand bank account ownership, population and civil registration data will be integrated with Bank Indonesia's system, particularly its payment and gateway infrastructure.
"This is being prepared so that our financial literacy and inclusion can reach optimal levels, well above what we have achieved so far," he said.
The minister added that, moving forward, various government assistance programs will be disbursed directly into citizens' bank accounts.
In line with the 2025–2045 National Long-Term Development Plan (RPJPN), the OJK aims to raise the national financial inclusion rate to 98 percent by 2045.
OJK Board of Commissioners Chair Friderica Widyasari Dewi noted on August 28 that students still lag behind the national average in financial literacy and inclusion, making them a primary target of OJK's initiatives.
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Translator: Genta Tenri, Raka Adji
Editor: M Razi Rahman
Copyright © ANTARA 2026
Facts Only
* President Prabowo Subianto instructed the cabinet to ensure all Indonesian citizens have bank accounts.
* The directive was issued during a limited cabinet meeting at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Monday.
* Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto spoke to the press following the meeting.
* Financial inclusion in Indonesia is 93.62 percent.
* Financial literacy in Indonesia is 63.57 percent.
* Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) and Bank Syariah Indonesia (BSI) are instructed to prepare accounts for the public.
* Population and civil registration data will be integrated with Bank Indonesia's payment and gateway infrastructure.
* Government assistance programs will be disbursed directly into citizens' bank accounts.
* The Financial Services Authority (OJK) targets a 98 percent financial inclusion rate by 2045.
* OJK Board of Commissioners Chair Friderica Widyasari Dewi identified students as a primary target for literacy and inclusion initiatives.
Executive Summary
President Prabowo Subianto has launched a national initiative to achieve universal bank account ownership in Indonesia to enhance financial inclusion and literacy. This strategy involves integrating civil registration data with Bank Indonesia's payment infrastructure and utilizing state-owned banks, specifically BRI and BSI, to facilitate account creation. A primary goal of this shift is to transition government assistance disbursements directly into citizen bank accounts.
Current data indicates a gap between Indonesia's financial inclusion rate of 93.62 percent and its financial literacy rate of 63.57 percent. While these figures are noted as strong relative to OECD members, the OJK aims to push inclusion to 98 percent by 2045, with a specific focus on students who currently trail the national average. The initiative aligns with the 2025–2045 National Long-Term Development Plan, though the specific timeline for the full integration of registration data and disbursement shifts remains unspecified.
Full Take
The strongest version of this narrative is one of modernization and efficiency: moving social safety nets from cash or fragmented systems to direct digital transfers reduces leakage, lowers administrative costs, and brings marginalized populations into the formal economy.
The paradigm driving this is "financialization as empowerment." It assumes that access to a bank account is the primary bottleneck to economic mobility. However, the gap between inclusion (93.62%) and literacy (63.57%) suggests a systemic pattern where the tools of finance are distributed faster than the knowledge required to use them safely. This creates a vulnerability where citizens are "included" in the system but lack the agency to navigate it, potentially exposing them to predatory lending or mismanagement.
The integration of civil registration data with bank gateways represents a significant shift in the relationship between the state and the individual. While it streamlines service delivery, it centralizes financial surveillance and creates a single point of failure for identity and asset management. The benefit accrues to the state through tighter control over disbursement and to state-owned banks through a massive influx of new depositors. The cost is borne by the citizen in the form of increased data exposure and a forced dependency on formal banking for basic survival aid.
Patterns detected: none
Bridge Questions:
1. What safeguards exist to prevent the integration of civil data from being used for purposes beyond financial inclusion?
2. If literacy lags significantly behind inclusion, how does the state prevent "inclusion" from becoming a gateway to debt for the financially illiterate?
3. What alternatives exist for citizens who cannot or will not participate in the formal banking system?
Counterstrike Scan: A coordinated influence campaign would frame this as a "war on poverty" to mask the expansion of state surveillance and the forced capitalization of state banks. The current content does not match this pattern; it is presented as a standard administrative and economic policy update.