Newcomer to Digital Banking, Superbank Focuses on MSME Financing

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - PT Superbank Indonesia (Superbank) will focus on financing and developing Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and related ecosystems. Superbank is a newcomer in the digital banking business. The bank, which was previously known as Bank Fama, has transformed into a digital bank because it sees a large business opportunity in this sector.

Superbank's Chief Business Officer, Sukiwan said that the potential for digital banks in Indonesia is still very large. "The growth of digital banks in Indonesia is extraordinary, the banking sector in general is always growing," he said at the Journalist Workshop held by Superbank, Wednesday, April 5, 2023.

However, this condition is inversely proportional to digital bank funding, which is still very small compared to conventional banks. "Bank funding is IDR 7,000 trillion, almost IDR 8,000 trillion. Whereas in digital banks it’s only IDR 50 trillion,” said Sukiwan. This is an opportunity that can be tapped into. So we can grow big."

Sukiwan explained that Superbank will focus on MSME and retail financing, especially those from the Superbank ecosystem, namely Emtek, Singtel and Grab. This is because these segments are rarely touched by conventional banks, which mostly choose customers who are already banked.

"We will not focus on bank products, but on customers' daily lives. We hope that all banking services can be carried out in the ecosystem," he explained.

Banking products, said Sukiwan, such as loans, savings, and so on are the basics of banking. In this case, Sukiwan said that Superbank wants to focus more on products launched that can later be integrated into the ecosystem.

Superbank’s Finance Director Melisa Hendrawati added that her party is trying to get as much market insight as possible so that the products that’s launched later will meet the needs of customers, especially MSMEs and the ecosystem.

"For us as a bank that will run digital services, we can't just be bankers. For us the most important thing is not the product, but whether the solution is right for access to financing, access to loans and working capital that customers really need," said Melisa on the same occasion.

Most banks in Indonesia, said Melisa, are focused on corporations and MSMEs which have become large, because according to her these banks do not have ecosystem data. "So we feel that with the strength of our ecosystem, our products can be relevant," she added.

This article has been published on Tempo.co with the title "Newcomer to Digital Banking, Superbank Focuses on MSME Financing".

Reporter: Hanifah Dwijayanti
Editor: Agung Sedayu