Maybank: COVID-19 'Employed' To Accelerate Digital Technology Development In Indonesia

President Director of Maybank Indonesia Taswin Zakaria. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - President Director of Maybank Indonesia Taswin Zakaria said COVID-19 was very instrumental in accelerating digitalization or development of digital technology in Indonesia, in addition to having become a disease outbreak.

"COVID-19 allows the adoption of digital technology in all aspects of life to occur in a matter of months or even weeks," said Taswin at the Maybank Indonesia Economic Outlook 2023 event in Jakarta, quoted from Antara, Thursday, March 16.

In fact, organically the adoption of digital technology can take years. Thus, communication, various meetings, worship, and even marriage, which was originally unimaginable, can be done online, but thanks to COVID-19 it is a common thing.

Taswin said digital technology allows the supply chain of goods and services for the lives of many people to continue to function and run well in the midst of social restrictions on society when COVID-19 hits.

During the pandemic, it can be seen that the importance of e-commerce and online delivery roles as market platforms for MSME actors and in ensuring the maintenance of the supply chain of public necessities amidst the Implementation of Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM).

Therefore, various e-commerce figures were born who played a lot of roles and contributed to increasing Indonesia's economic resilience.

Thanks to digitalization, he said Indonesia's economic resilience and sustainability during the pandemic crisis so far is not a coincidence.

The speed of adopting digital technology, especially in providing solutions to social restrictions, is the main driving factor in maintaining national economic resilience.

In addition, at the beginning of the pandemic, the Government of Indonesia was ready and quick to formulate economic rescue measures with a clear priority agenda.

"The transfer of the budget for the health sector and for strengthening the economy of small and medium enterprises has proven to be right on target," he said.

On the other hand, continued Taswin, the successful implementation of vaccinations throughout Indonesia has allowed the full mobility of the community, which ultimately reopens the economic chain for small and medium economic actors.