The Bank Whose Shares Are Owned By Chairul Tanjung Distributes IDR400 Billion PEN

Bengkulu Bank Building. (Photo: Bank Bengkulu)

JAKARTA - Bank Bengkulu will distribute credit worth IDR 400 billion to help people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of implementing the National Economic Recovery (PEN) program.

President Director of Bank Bengkulu, Agus Salim, said that the credit disbursed came from a government placement fund of IDR 200 billion with an interest rate of 2.84 percent for the implementation of the PEN program.

"The PEN funds have entered and Bengkulu Bank is obliged to distribute loans to MSMEs amounting to twice the government's placement funds. If we receive Rp200 billion then we are obliged to channel Rp400 billion," he said in Bengkulu, quoted from Antara, Wednesday, December 9.

Agus Salim is optimistic that his party will be able to distribute the credit in less than the time limit given by the Ministry of Finance (Kemenkeu), which is six months. According to him, the government placement fund can stimulate Bengkulu's economy so that it returns to vigor, especially in the tourism sector.

This is based on the performance report of Bank Bengkulu for 2020, in which during the past year the Regional Development Bank (BPD), whose shares are owned by the conglomerate Chairul Tanjung, has distributed loans worth IDR 5.8 trillion.

"Yesterday, what we submitted to the Director General of Treasury was Rp. 500 billion and we have calculated that we can distribute the credit multiples of Rp. 1 trillion, but what was approved is Rp. 200 billion, meaning we are optimistic that this can be quickly disbursed," he explained.

Meanwhile, Head of the Bengkulu Provincial Treasury Directorate Regional Office Ismed Saputra said that the placement of the funds was inseparable from the recommendation of the Financial Services Authority (OJK) which assessed that Bengkulu Bank was in a healthy condition so that it was eligible to receive the placement of PEN funds.

Data from the OJK Representative of Bengkulu stated that as of September 2020 the total assets of Bank Bengkulu had grown by 24.84 percent. Likewise, the bank's third party funds grew 37.27 percent and total credit increased by 12.44 percent. In addition, the number of non-performing loans or NPL of Bank Bengkulu fell 1.03 percent.

In its performance report, Bank Bengkulu claims that up to November 2020, the company managed to book total assets of IDR 8.304 trillion.

In addition, Bank Bengkulu recorded a total net profit of 133 percent, which reached Rp140 billion in value, credit disbursement of Rp.5.83 trillion and third party funds of more than Rp.7 trillion.