OJK: 230,106 Accounts Recorded For Receiving Online Loans In West Sumatra

Head of OJK West Sumatra Yusri. (Between/Ikhwan Wahyudi)

JAKARTA - The Financial Services Authority noted that there were 230,106 accounts of legal online loan recipients in West Sumatra until October 2022. "Of the 230,106 accounts, the remaining unpaid loans reached Rp600.96 billion," said the Head of the OJK representative for West Sumatra Yusri in Padang, Antara, Friday, December 9. Meanwhile, the problem of credit for this legal online loan in West Sumatra is relatively small, only 1.53 percent. "Oustanding online loans in West Sumatra from year to year continues to increase, in 2019 IDR 85.30 billion, 2020 IDR 146.53 billion October 2021 IDR 300.22 billion and until October 2022 to IDR 600.96 billion. He sees that online lending or fintech P2P Lending is quite helpful for people who need financing because it is faster and more practical. However, he reminded people who borrow through online loans to ensure that their financing companies are legal and registered with the OJK. He said that so far his party has received quite often complaints from the public about illegal online loans. "As of October 31, 2022, 350 questions have been recorded in West Sumatra and 6 are providing information to OJK regarding online loans," he said. He saw that the public's need to get a loan had quickly been used by illegal online loan actors. "The characteristics of illegal online loans usually do not have official permits, it is very easy to provide loans, high interest rates, unlimited fines and borrowers get terror and intimidation if they don't pay installments," he said. In the future, through the task force, it is aware that its investment will continue to educate the public so that they are not caught in illegal online loans. He emphasized that before borrowing, people were asked to borrow from fintech registered with the OJK, borrow according to their needs for productive purposes and understand the benefits, costs, interest, timeframe, fines and risks.