Jakarta — The Chief Executive of Banking Supervision at the Financial Services Authority (OJK), Dian Ediana Rae, stated that the government is preparing a financing scheme aimed at promoting equitable access to funding and strengthening the people’s economy.
“The Draft OJK Regulation (RPOJK) on Facilitating Financing Access for MSMEs, which we are currently preparing, provides flexibility for banks to conduct creditworthiness analysis based on their respective risk profiles,” said Dian in a written statement.
This scheme also promotes non-regulatory incentives to optimize and sustain the distribution of credit to the MSME sector, including the Merah Putih Village Cooperatives (Kopdes Merah Putih).
The distribution of credit to Kopdes Merah Putih can be categorized as MSME financing, as long as it adheres to prevailing regulations and maintains good governance principles.
“We encourage banks to develop specific business models and risk assessments for financing village cooperatives. This collaboration is key to building an inclusive and competitive village economic ecosystem,” Dian asserted.
He also emphasized that the presence of Kopdes Merah Putih represents a significant opportunity to strengthen the village-level microfinance ecosystem. Village cooperatives can act as economic aggregators, while rural banks (BPR) can perform localized micro-based intermediation functions.
Furthermore, OJK welcomed the launch of 92 Kopdes as a national pilot project. Dian expressed optimism that the strategic collaboration between Kopdes Merah Putih and BPR will create a complementary synergy to strengthen the people’s financial sector.
Meanwhile, Minister of Cooperatives Budi Arie Setiadi stated that the designation of Kopdes Merah Putih as a National Strategic Project (PSN) marks a significant milestone in the transformation of a cooperative-based economy.
“Kopdes Merah Putih is not merely an empowerment program; it is designed as a business ecosystem with a large-scale and sustainable social impact,” said Budi.
With PSN status, the program receives cross-ministerial support, regulatory facilitation, and accelerated budget realization. Budi added that the establishment of modern cooperatives in every village will open up millions of new job opportunities and reduce economic disparities between regions.
The Kopdes Merah Putih program is designed to serve as the center of village economic activity, from business financing and entrepreneurship training to the management of local production. The government targets the establishment of thousands of active Kopdes over the next five years as the main drivers of the rural people’s economy.
The Merah Putih Village Cooperative is expected to become a new locomotive for village-based economic development. Inclusive financing schemes, flexible regulations, and continuous cooperative capacity building form the foundation of a grassroots economic transformation toward self-reliance.
[w.R]