Many street-based money changers, colloquially known as inang-inang,\nhave disclosed that their supply of currency for exchange originates\nfrom informal suppliers referred to as \u201cbosses\u201d. These bosses provide\nlarge quantities of new banknotes as capital, which are then circulated\nby field workers.<\/p>\n
Based on monitoring by CNBC Indonesia in the areas of Old Town and\nAsemka in West Jakarta, traders are frequently accompanied by several\nindividuals serving as the boss\u2019s \u201cright-hand men\u201d. However, the boss\u2019s\nrepresentatives do not always remain in close proximity to the traders;\nrather, they return to monitor operations at intervals of several\nminutes to several hours.<\/p>\n
Irma, one of the street money changers, explained that she does not\noperate with her own capital. Instead, she receives a loan of money from\nher boss, which she exchanges for customers. Subsequently, the money\nborrowed is returned, and the profit from the exchange is split evenly.\n\u201cThe money comes from my boss, I don\u2019t know who the person is, but we\nuse a lending system from the boss. Later, when we go home, we return\nwhat we borrowed. Whatever remainder we have, that\u2019s what we take home,\u201d\nIrma told CNBC Indonesia on Thursday (12 March 2026).<\/p>\n
Beyond this arrangement, if customers do not carry cash, the boss\nprovides the option of transferring funds to a bank account belonging to\nthe boss\u2019s network. Once the funds to be exchanged, along with the\nservice fee, are transferred, the traders provide new banknotes to the\ncustomer. \u201cIf they don\u2019t bring cash, we can arrange a transfer to the\nbank account of our boss,\u201d Irma added.<\/p>\n
Similarly, Yeni operates solely as an intermediary for street-based\ncurrency exchange services. The fee structure and commission scheme are\ndetermined entirely by her boss. \u201cI\u2019m just a trader. I have my boss who\nmonitors my activities, so the money exchange results are first handed\nover to the boss, and then it\u2019s divided up,\u201d said Yeni.<\/p>\n
However, she does not know details about her boss, as she is merely\ninstructed to exchange currency with members of the public. \u201cI don\u2019t\nreally know who the boss is. I\u2019m just acting as the intermediary,\u201d she\nsaid.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/street-money-changers-reveal-suppliers-of-new-currency-notes-known-as-boss-1773316406", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }