BI and Navy Sovereign Rupiah Expedition Targets Five Islands Affected by NTT Earthquake
Bank Indonesia (BI) together with the Indonesian Navy has launched the 2026 Sovereign Rupiah Expedition (ERB) to several islands in East Nusa Tenggara affected by earthquakes. The expedition, taking place from 20-26 August 2026, will visit five islands: Riung, Palue, Pemana, Weiwerang, and Lamalera. In addition to providing rupiah currency exchange services, the mission also carries a humanitarian objective by distributing aid to communities affected by the earthquake.
The Mobile Cash Team for the 3T Islands Sovereign Rupiah Expedition departed from the pier of the Navy Regional Command (Kodaeral) VII Kupang on Thursday morning (20/8) aboard KRI Hiu 634. They were seen off by Kodaeral VII Commander Rear Admiral Joni Sudianto and Deputy Head of the Bank Indonesia Representative Office for East Nusa Tenggara Province, Alfin Ari Wijayanto.
According to Alfin, the total amount of rupiah carried in the expedition reached Rp4.3 billion. The money consists of various denominations, with the largest portion being small denomination notes to meet the needs of communities in island and remote areas.
“The Sovereign Rupiah Expedition is essentially BI’s effort to implement the clean money policy, namely withdrawing worn-out notes and replacing them with rupiah notes fit for circulation,” he said.
However, the earthquake disaster conditions affecting several areas in Flores have made this expedition also a humanitarian mission. “This expedition was initially to carry out the clean money policy, namely rupiah exchange in remote areas to withdraw worn-out notes and replace them with fresher notes. However, with the current conditions being felt by our brothers and sisters in Flores, this has become a combo mission,” he added.
According to him, BI is also providing education to the public on how to care for and love the rupiah, as well as bringing humanitarian aid in the form of basic food packages and drinking water.
Alfin said the use of Navy vessels is one of the fastest ways to reach remote islands amid the earthquake response conditions. “With the Navy’s assistance, we see this as the fastest means currently available to reach remote islands. We coordinated with the head office to provide around three tonnes of aid in the form of basic food packages and drinking water,” said Alfin.
He said aid distribution will be carried out in stages. In addition to the aid brought on the expedition, BI has also prepared aid through the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) as well as possible additional aid sent directly from Jakarta to Flores.
Kodaeral VII Commander Rear Admiral Joni Sudianto said KRI Hiu-634 is carrying out two tasks at once, namely supporting the Sovereign Rupiah Expedition and bringing humanitarian aid for communities on the islands affected by the Flores earthquake.
Joni said safety aspects for all personnel have been prepared. KRI Hiu-634 is equipped with rescue boats and life jackets for the ship’s crew and personnel on board.
According to him, the aid transported by the ship includes food, medicines, wearable clothing, and mineral water. The aid was collected from communities around the Navy complex in Kupang, the East Nusa Tenggara Health Office, and Bank Indonesia.
Joni said aid is focused on small islands because those areas were also affected by the earthquake, but the conditions and needs of communities there have not been widely exposed. “These small islands have also experienced impacts. However, because of their remote location, we may not have explored and the impacts on these islands have not been exposed,” he said.
According to Joni, KRI Hiu-634 is being used to reach the five islands because communities in remote areas need sea transportation to receive aid. However, the size limitations of KRI Hiu-634 mean that not all the aid collected in Kupang can be transported in a single voyage, so the aid brought has been adjusted to the ship’s capacity.