JAKARTA (TheInsiderStories) - PT Bank Neo Commerce Tbk (IDX: BBYB), the lender owned by financial technology firm AkuLaku, prepares a limited public offering and rights issue program by offer 5 billion shares to meet the capital requirement by the regulator. The company will seeks an approval from the shareholders on May 28 to run the program.
If approved, the corporate action plan will be carried out within 12 months starting June. Currently, the shareholders of the lender were PT Akulaku Silver Indonesia 24.98 percent, PT Gozco Capital 20.13 percent, PT Asabri 16.83 percent, Yellow Brick Enterprise Ltd., 11.1 percent, and public 26.96 percent.
As reported, Bank Neo plans to become a digital bank and committed to comply all the requirements from the Financial Services Authority (FSA). President director, Tjandra Gunawan, said that the company has started the transformation to become a digital bank.
He continued, more than 90 million Indonesians still do not have access to banking services and there are also 62.9 million micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) who have not been connected with financing and banking institutions to support their businesses. He rated, the presence of the digital bank is important to solve these problems.
He explained, beside released the new shares in this year, in 2022, the lender also prepared a corporate action plans to bring the capital of the bank increase to Rp3 trillion (US$206.95 million). Until the third quarter of 2020, the core capital was Rp1.08 trillion, which came from the rights issue in July 2020 worth of Rp150 billion.
Recently, Financial Services Authority (FSA) required the paid-up capital of digital bank at least Rp10 trillion. Its expecting the new Indonesian Banking Development Roadmap in 2020 – 2025 will be released in mid of this year. According to the chief executive, Heru Kristiyana, there are two digital bank categories in the roadmap.
The categories separate as full digital bank and the transformation of an existing bank into a digital bank. Other requirements must fulfill by the banks are a realistic, implementable business model, using safe technology, a prudent management, sustainable digital business, and understanding risk mitigation to anticipate digital risks such as cybercrime, he adds.
Then, the protection of customer data, have a directors who are competent in the IT field, also contributing to financial inclusion and others. The concept of digital banking in Indonesia has been prepared since five years ago. One of the initiators is PT Bank BTPN Tbk (IDX: BTPN).
On August 11, 2016, the medium lender launched a digital banking innovation application called Jenius. A year after the Jenius launched, DBS Indonesia formed a Digibank, followed by PT Bank Bukopin Tbk (IDX: BBKP), PT Bank Permata Tbk (IDX: BNLI), and PT Bank Danamon Tbk (IDX: BDMN).
One of the largest bank, PT Bank Central Asia Tbk (IDX: BBCA) will also plans to convert PT Bank Royal becomes BCA Digital Bank in this year after acquired the lender for Rp988 billion at the end of 2019. A similar stepped taken by the senior banker, Jerry Ng, together with Patrick Walujo, founder of Northstar Capital.
After acquired 37.65 percent of PT Bank Artos Indonesia Tbk (IDX: ARTO), they have planned to convert the entity as a digital bank with brand “Bank Jago”. The state lender, PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia Tbk (IDX: BBRI) also considered to convert one of its subsidiaries, PT Bank BRI Agroniaga Tbk (IDX: AGRO) to become a digital bank.
The latest one, Singapore’ Sea Limited, has proposed to FSA to make PT Bank Kesejahteraan Ekonomi as a digital bank to support its e-commerce firm, Shopee, businesses in Indonesia and Taiwan. Indonesian banks is gearing up to face the challenge in digitalization and modernization of banking service to meet the needs of millennial generation.
The digitalization was expected can slash the operational cost for banks and engage customers widely across nation through its technology. Indonesia’ population more than 270 million and millennials are projected around 58 percent of the total society by 2027. The utilization of the digital revolution in the economic activities is estimating could boost the economy to grow by 7 percent in annual basis.
Akulaku had acquired PT Bank Yudha Bhakti Tbk in 2019 and changed the name to Bank Neo.
US$1: Rp14,500
Written by Editorial Staff, Email: theinsiderstories@gmail.com
