JAKARTA - When residents pay MRT tickets with one card, fill up the transportation balance from their mobile phones, pay local taxes, pay RT neighborhood dues, to buy tourist tickets in one ecosystem of interconnected services, they are not only using banking services. They are interacting with the digital infrastructure of a city.
Such a model has become part of life in a number of global cities. Now, a similar concept is being built in Jakarta through the transformation of Bank Jakarta, a bank owned by the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government. This BUMD is positioning itself not only as a regional financial institution, but as a city bank or city ecosystem bank.
In the midst of Jakarta's efforts to transform into a global city after the enactment of Law Number 2 of 2024 concerning the Special Capital City of Jakarta, the need for integrated financial infrastructure is increasingly important. Modern cities not only need roads, transportation, and internet networks. Modern cities also need payment systems, public services, and interconnected digital transactions.
This is where Bank Jakarta's position becomes interesting.
Bank Ibu Kota
Unlike national banks that compete to expand their customer networks throughout Indonesia, Bank Jakarta has an advantage that many of its competitors do not have. This bank is right in the heart of the capital city ecosystem and is directly connected to various economic activities, transportation, public services, and the community.
Through the JakOne Mobile application, Bank Jakarta combines mobile banking and digital wallet services in one platform. The available features not only include fund transfers, BI-FAST, bill payments, deposits, QRIS, and virtual accounts, but are also connected to various urban needs that are difficult to find at other banks. One example is JakCard.
This electronic money card not only serves as a means of payment, but also as an entry point to various city services. JakCard can be used on public transportation networks such as TransJakarta, MRT Jakarta, LRT Jakarta, to various tourist destinations, museums, sports facilities, parking areas, and public activity centers in Jakarta and its buffer areas. For residents of the capital, this card is in practice part of daily mobility.
The high use of JakCard, quoted from the 2025 Annual Report of Bank Jakarta, shows that the integration of the service is increasingly accepted by the public. In 2025, the number of cards in circulation reached 13.37 million cards, an increase of 11.51 percent compared to 2024 which was recorded at 11.99 million cards. The value of transactions using JakCard also jumped to Rp. 181.96 billion in 2025, growing 38.87 percent compared to Rp. 131.03 billion in the previous year.
This figure shows that JakCard is no longer just an electronic money product, but has evolved into one of the payment instruments that support transportation, tourism, and public service activities in Jakarta.
Another advantage is seen through the Jakarta Tourist Pass which integrates the needs of tourists in one digital ecosystem. Users can obtain information on tourist destinations, activity schedules, location maps, digital payments, and JakCard balance replenishment through one application. This concept makes Bank Jakarta not only a financial services provider, but also part of the urban tourism experience.
Meanwhile, the JakErte feature brings digitalization to the level of the residents' environment. The head of the RT and the community can manage payment of dues, environmental administration, correspondence, and the dissemination of information on residents' activities digitally. This step shows that financial services are no longer limited to individual transactions, but have begun to enter the social space closest to people's lives.
For the business world, Bank Jakarta also provides a Cash Management System (CMS) service that allows companies to manage finances in real time, including payroll, mass transfers, autodebits, liquidity management, to various corporate payments. These features show that the city bank concept is not only targeting residents, but also supporting business activities that are the driving force of the city economy.
These advantages make Bank Jakarta have a unique position. If national banks compete to become banks for all of Indonesia, Bank Jakarta has the opportunity to become a bank that understands the needs of Jakarta more deeply than anyone else.
In recent years, the number of Bank Jakarta customers has shown a relatively stable growth trend, from around 4.1 million to more than 4.8 million customers, according to the Bank Jakarta Year Report 2025. This growth reflects the continued strength of Bank Jakarta's role in the capital's economic activity while providing a large user base to expand digital services based on the city's ecosystem.
This strength is born from the long history of the company. Bank Jakarta was established on April 11, 1961 as the first regional development bank in Indonesia, growing in tandem with the development of Jakarta as the capital city of the country.
On its journey, this bank has undergone several name changes and institutional status, ranging from PT Bank Pembangunan Daerah Djakarta Raya, then became PD Bank Pembangunan Daerah DKI Jakarta, PT Bank Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta Raya, to PT Bank DKI.
The new milestone occurred on June 22, 2025, coinciding with Jakarta's 498th anniversary. At that time, the company officially introduced a new call name, Bank Jakarta. This rebranding is not just a change in visual identity, but part of a long-term transformation strategy to support the implementation of the Special Regional Law of Jakarta, strengthen the company's competitiveness, and prepare for the steps leading up to the Initial Public Offering (IPO).
The transformation also marks a change in the company's direction. If for decades it is known as a regional development bank, now Bank Jakarta wants to play a broader role as a link between various urban ecosystems.
This commitment, according to Bank Jakarta President Director, Agus Haryoto Widodo, is carried out through strengthening governance and the principle of prudence which is the foundation of the company's long-term growth.
"This is part of the company's transformation to build a Bank that is increasingly healthy, prudent, and trustworthy," said Agus, on an occasion.
Jakarta Partner
Bank Jakarta itself has set a vision to become a key partner in realizing Global City Jakarta through digital capabilities, ecosystem orchestration, and human capital excellence. To realize this vision, the company is implementing the 5.0 Transformation program which includes business strengthening and support for the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government, digitization of services and operations, human resource development, updating organizational structure and work culture, as well as strengthening governance, risk management, and compliance.
However, this great opportunity also comes with a number of challenges.
As a city bank, Bank Jakarta's success is not only measured by asset growth or company profits. More importantly is how far the ecosystem that is built is really used by the community. Currently, many residents still know JakCard only as a transportation card or JakOne Mobile as a regular banking application, without understanding that these various services are actually part of one integrated city ecosystem.
Another challenge comes from the very rapid development of the digital banking industry. Bank Jakarta still needs to strengthen the user experience, improve integration with other digital platforms, expand cooperation with the fintech ecosystem, and develop artificial intelligence-based services and open banking to be able to compete with global modern bank standards.
But it is precisely in the midst of these challenges that the greatest opportunities lie.
While many banks compete to be the largest nationally, Bank Jakarta has the space to be the most relevant to its own city. Not many banks have direct access to public transportation, tourist services, community residents, local government transactions, and urban economic activities in one ecosystem.
This optimism was also conveyed by the company's management, which sees Bank Jakarta's role in the future not only as a financial intermediation institution, but as a driver of the urban ecosystem.
"Through various initiatives, Bank Jakarta is optimistic that it can continue to accelerate, and take a bigger role than just a bank, namely an enabler of Jakarta's growth as a global city," said Bank Jakarta Corporate Secretary, Arie Rinaldi.
This commitment is also reflected in the company's efforts to improve the quality of services to the public and stakeholders.
"It is a pride for us to be able to continue to provide the best service, and contribute to the development of the City of Jakarta," said Agus Haryoto Widodo.
In the end, the future of Bank Jakarta may not be determined by the number of branch offices or the size of assets owned. The future will be determined by its ability to integrate with city life.
When citizens use one ecosystem to travel, transact, pay public services, manage communities, travel, and run businesses, Bank Jakarta is no longer just a bank.
It's turning into the city's own digital infrastructure.
If the transformation is successfully implemented consistently, Jakarta has the opportunity to have something that no other city in Indonesia has: a city bank that grows together with the city, serves its citizens, and becomes one of the foundations towards Jakarta as a global city.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
