Astra Financial And WeLab Officially Launches Saqu Bank

Inauguration of Bank Saqu (Photo: Aris Nurjani/VOI)

JAKARTA - PT Astra International Tbk (ASII) through Astra Financial and WeLab Sky officially launched a digital bank, namely Bank Saqu, which was previously known as PT Bank Jasa Jakarta (BJJ) on Monday, November 20.

Bank Saqu is a digital banking service for a productive generation and has a solo preneur spirit which is a new potential strength for the Indonesian economy by presenting adjustable products up to 20 bags (saku), so that it can help customers manage income and various needs.

Astra Director and Director-in-Charge Astra Financial, Suparno Djasmin said the presence of Bank Saqu is a manifestation of our aspiration to provide excellent and leading financial services, especially for the retail and MSME segments and participate in improving the welfare of the community.

"Bank Saqu will support, complement and strengthen the Astra Group's financial services ecosystem, as well as encourage increased financial literacy and inclusion in Indonesia", he said at a press conference at Astra Tower, Jakarta, Monday, November 20.

Suparno said that every new business in the Astra Group is expected to make the best contribution to all stakeholders. In addition, every step of the business unit is always directed according to Astra's ideals, namely to prosper with the nation.

"In the scope of Astra Financial, we want Bank Saqu's presence to become a financial partner for the welfare of the Indonesian people," he explained.

Meanwhile, WeLab Founder and Group CEO Simon Loong said the launch of Bank Saqu was WeLab's second digital banking service in Asia. Bank Saqu's presence is in line with its strategic focus on expanding our presence and providing technology-based financial services, starting in Hong Kong, and now in Indonesia.

Simon added that the development of a bank system with digital services took a lot of time, which was only six months, compared to 18-24 months for similar services. This is due to technology and expertise behind WeLab's experience as Hong Kong's first licensed digital bank.

"Together with Astra, we hope to take advantage of our complementary strength to encourage Bank Saqu's growth and contribute to the digitization of Indonesian banking services," he said.