Bank Sinarmas Holds Socialization and Training for MSMEs Customers in Bengkulu

Bank Sinarmas held outreach and training for MSMEs and customers at the Grage Hotel Bengkulu on Friday (8/11/2024). Present directly at this activity, Bank Sinarmas Lending & Wholesale Banking Director, Ekajaya, along with Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise Business Group Head, Muktiono Wibowo, and Regional Manager of the Palembang Regional Office, Veriyanto Wijaya. Also present to give opening remarks were the Head of the Behavioral Supervision of Financial Services Business Actors, Consumer Protection Education, and Strategic Management Services of the Financial Services Authority (OJK) of Bengkulu Province, Delpa Susianti, as well as the Head of the Bengkulu City Employment Service, H. Firman Romzi, and the secretary of the Cooperatives Service and Bengkulu Province MSMEs, Dedy Candra, who appeared as resource persons. Lending & Wholesale Banking Director of Bank Sinarmas, Ekajaya, said in his speech that Bengkulu is a region that has great potential in developing MSMEs. "The MSME industry has become an important pillar in the Indonesian economy," said Eka.

Based on data, around 97 percent of total employment opportunities are provided by MSMEs. This means that the contribution of MSMEs to the Indonesian economy is very large, but despite this potential, MSMEs also face various challenges, such as limited access to capital, marketing, and business management, which still need to be improved.

"For this reason, today we, Bank Sinarmas, are holding this event as part of our commitment to helping MSMEs overcome these challenges," explained Eka.

The MSME sector itself has become one of Bank Sinarmas' priorities in developing business with financing distribution to the MSME sector reaching 7.5 trillion with a total of more than 37 thousand MSME players spread across all Bank Sinarmas branches in Indonesia, with 3.5 trillion of them being People's Business Credit (KUR) which is a government program. In Bengkulu Province alone, Bank Sinarmas has distributed financing of approximately 900 billion, this distribution was given to 3,679 MSMEs with 2,256 customers having received the KUR program.

In line with what was conveyed by Bank Sinarmas Bengkulu Branch Manager, Sudarman Marbun, this activity is routinely carried out in various cities with 100 customers participating from Kepahiang, South Bengkulu, Central Bengkulu and North Bengkulu Regencies. Apart from Bank Sinarmas, this literacy activity was also presented by experts including those from the Bengkulu Province UKM Cooperative Service and customers who told their success stories after partnering with Bank Sinarmas since 2015.

The activities carried out also aim to increase literacy for the community, where on this occasion there was also outreach regarding the ease of applying for credit by providing UR barcodes so that currently credit applications at Bank Sinarmas can be done digitally.