To Increase Acceleration Of Regional Financial Access, Jokowi Asks OJK To Expand TPAKD

President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo. (Photo by: Setkab)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) requested that the financial services authority (OJK) expand the existence of the Regional Financial Access Acceleration Team (TPAKD). He said, the TPAKD became a forum for coordination between agencies and stakeholders in increasing access to regional finance.

"I have received reports that there are 32 TPAKD at the provincial level and 165 TPAKD at the district / city level. This needs to be improved so that it can reach all provinces and all city districts, and accelerate the expansion of financial access and financing in the regions," he said, during the National Coordination Meeting. TPAKD 2020 virtually, Thursday, December 10.

The former Governor of DKI Jakarta explained that it is important to increase access to finance. Because, this can encourage regional economic development and growth.

Not only that, said Jokowi, increasing access to finance can also promote social justice and improve the welfare and standard of living of the community. Therefore, Jokowi invited OJK to take extraordinary measures, one of which was to be more aggressive in increasing financial literacy.

"Increasing knowledge. Increasing interest, increasing confidence in the financial industry. People understand where to get access to finance and people are starting to actively save in financial institutions," he said.

As previously reported, OJK Member of the Board of Commissioners for Education and Consumer Protection Tirta Segara said that financial inclusion is the right of all Indonesians. Good financial access must be enjoyed to all corners of the country.

Therefore, OJK continues to encourage people everywhere to be provided with access to finance through strengthening the TPAKD, both inclusion and literacy.

Not only that, said Tirta, his party continues to innovate to encourage the effectiveness of the TPAKD. One of them is through a credit program against loan sharks in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Tirta, the program is very effective. This is reflected in the number of TPAKDs that carry out credit against these loan sharks. In fact, the number has even reached 20 TPAKD.

"This is very effective. Because only the period from June to October alone, there are already 20 TPAKD that have been able to finance more than 48,000 debtors. This is extraordinary in my opinion and the credit that has been disbursed is more than Rp.588 billion, around Rp.589 billion," he said at the TPAKD National Coordination Meeting event. 2020 virtually, Thursday, December 10.

Tirta explained, the credit program against loan sharks was formed to reduce the dependence of the community, especially those who were not yet bankable, to borrow funds from loan sharks. This is because loan funds to moneylenders have a higher risk than banks. Especially when the debtor is experiencing payment difficulties.