The Strength Of Bank Syariah Indonesia Before Launching February 1: Have 14.9 Million Customers And 20 Thousand Employees

JAKARTA - The merger of three state-owned Islamic banks to become Bank Syariah Indonesia (BSI) is expected to be a great momentum in optimizing the domestic Islamic market which has not been fully exploited.

Chairman of the Project Management Office (PMO) of BUMN Sharia Bank Merger Himbara Hery Gunardi said the government as the controlling shareholder had high hopes for this strategic move.

"According to the president's direction, on several occasions we have had the opportunity to raise up the giant Islamic finance in Indonesia. Our capital as the largest Muslim country in the world already exists, but it is not maximized, ”he said in a webinar held on Tuesday, January 19.

Hery added that the BUMN Ministry as the parent of the three government banks is targeting several important points which are expected to be realized soon through Bank Syariah Indonesia.

"Minister Erick Thohir wants the merged bank to be included in the top 10 world Islamic banks in terms of asset capitalization in the next four or five years," he said.

Hery, who is also appointed as President Director of Bank Syariah Indonesia, explained several important things related to the readiness of the bank's infrastructure which will be officially released on February 1.

He said BSI would have total assets of IDR 240 trillion (temporary data for December 2020) with a core capital of around IDR 20 trillion. Then, the number of customers is 14.9 million people, and employees reach 20 thousand workers.

Not only that, this financial service institution will utilize 1,200 outlets or branches from the merger of three government Islamic banks. Meanwhile, the automated teller machine (ATM) facility provided for customers is claimed to be 1,785 units.

As previously reported by VOI, the merger of the three state-owned banks involves PT Bank Syariah Mandiri (BSM), PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia Syariah Tbk (BRIS) and PT Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI Syariah). BRIS itself as the only public company was appointed as the parent entity. Meanwhile, the other two will melt into the core arrangement.

However, what is unique is that BSM is known to be the entity with the largest portion of paid-in shares with 51 percent. This is because BSM is the largest sharia bank in Indonesia in terms of asset ownership with an estimated value of IDR 114 trillion as of June 2020.