Artajasa plans KL banking services<\/p>\n
Johannes Simbolon, Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
PT Artajasa Pembayaran Elektronis, an electronic payment
\nservices company, plans to set up an alliance with Malaysian
\nbanks to allow Indonesian workers in Malaysia to transfer and
\nreceive funds through the banks.<\/p>\n
Company corporate development group head Aries Barkah told The
\nJakarta Post on Monday the service, which is scheduled to be
\nlaunched in December this year, would involve eight Malaysian
\nbanks, including Maybank, Bumiputera Bhd and Commerce Assets
\nHoldings Bhd.<\/p>\n
\"The service will be quite helpful for Indonesian workers who
\nhave been facing problems in sending home their wages or bringing
\nmoney into the country,\" Aries said.<\/p>\n
There are about 1.5 million Indonesians working in Malaysia,
\nmost of whom come from rural areas. Many of the workers carry
\ntheir money with them when entering or leaving Malaysia, making
\nthem vulnerable to robbery.<\/p>\n
Others send their wages home through couriers who charge high
\nfees for the service.<\/p>\n
Aries said that in order to get access to the new service,
\nworkers would have to open an account at one of the banks grouped
\nin the ATM Bersama (joint automated teller machine) service
\noperated by Artajasa. There are now 42 members of Artajasa's
\njoint ATM service, including dozens of provincial banks.<\/p>\n
Once the new service is launched in Malaysia, Indonesian
\nworkers will be able to withdraw cash from the ATMs of one of the
\neight Malaysian banks participating in the new service, using ATM
\ncards issued by the Indonesian banks. By showing these ATM cards,
\nworkers can also transfer money through the Malaysian banks back
\nto their banks in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"Two days later the workers can check whether their banks in
\nIndonesia have received the transferred funds, through the ATMs
\nowned by the Malaysian banks,\" Arief explained.<\/p>\n
Arief said Artajasa was mulling a similar alliance with banks
\nin Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Hong Kong, where millions of
\nIndonesians now work or are looking for jobs.<\/p>\n
Artajasa is 35 percent owned by the Welfare Foundation of Bank
\nIndonesia and 65 percent by Lintasarta. Lintasarta is 69 percent
\nowned by telecommunications firm Indosat, in partnership with a
\nnumber of banking institutions who hold a combined 31 percent.<\/p>\n
The firm now operates 5,000 ATMs across Indonesia under the
\nATM Bersama name. Besides dozens of provincial banks, the members
\nof the joint ATM service include foreign banks Standard Chartered
\nBank and ABN AMRO, and large and mid-sized national banks such as
\nPermata, Niaga, NISP, BNI, BRI, Danamon, Muamalat and Bumiputera.<\/p>\n
Aside from withdrawing cash and making payments, people can
\nalso make interbank transfers through Artajasa's ATM network, for
\na fee of Rp 5,000 (54 US cents) per transaction. The transfer
\nservice was launched earlier this year.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/artajasa-plans-kl-banking-services-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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