OJK Asks Students In DIY To Improve Literacy And Financial Inclusion

Photo: Doc. Antara

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Financial Services Authority (OJK) has asked students in the Special Region of Yogyakarta to increase financial literacy and inclusion, so that they can play a role in boosting the share of the Islamic economic market in the country.

"Statistically, we still need to continue to increase the level of financial literacy and inclusion, especially since the share of the sharia sector in our financial sector is still around 10 percent. This requires hard work," said the Chief Executive of the Financing Institution, Ventura Capital Company, Micro Financial Institution, and other Financial Services Institutions (PVML) OJK Agusman at the Sunan Kalijaga UIN Campus, Yogyakarta, DIY, quoted from Antara, Saturday 30 September.

In the Sharia Financial Access Business and Education Forum for SMEs for Santri, Agusman stated that as the largest Muslim country, with 86 percent of the population of Islam, Indonesia has great potential to move Islamic MSMEs and the sharia economy in general.

The growth of the Islamic finance industry in Indonesia, according to Agusman, is relatively good because from a domestic point of view, Indonesia's total Islamic financial assets have reached IDR 2,450 trillion as of June 2023 or grew 13.37 percent year on year (yoy).

However, the performance of Islamic finance in Indonesia has only been able to record a market share of 10 percent.

"This is our task together because it is only one-tenth," he said in front of the students as well as students in DIY.

Therefore, OJK will continue to improve education on financial literacy and inclusion through various facilities, especially for students in Indonesia.

Agusman hopes that the Sharia Financial Access Business and Education Forum for SMEs in DIY can be replicated to be held in all regions in Indonesia.

This activity is a series of "Road To Month Financial Inclusion 2023" (Road To BIK 2023) held by OJK.

"We, the regulator of the Islamic financial services industry, the government, and academics, are expected to optimize this excellent momentum to achieve our target, especially October 22, which is Santri Day," said Agusman.

The founder and coach of Indonesian Santripreneur KH Ahmad Sugeng Utomo assessed that education related to financial literacy is needed by students, especially those interested in entering the entrepreneurial sector.

According to him, joint collaboration, including with OJK, is needed to introduce Islamic finance to students.

"Thank you for being facilitated to get to know more about Islamic finance, so we all collaborate in a clear action, face globalization, and digitization. This is very important for all of us," said the man who is usually called Gus Ut.

In addition to presenting a number of materials related to financial literacy, the "Sharia Financial Access Business and Education Forum for MSMEs for Santri" also took place to hand over Islamic KUR financing assistance for a number of students MSMEs in DIY.