BI distributes Rp8.34 billion in banknotes fit for circulation to five NTB islands

Mataram (ANTARA) - Bank Indonesia (BI) has distributed banknotes deemed fit for circulation amounting to Rp8.34 billion to five frontier, outermost and most remote islands under the Sovereign Rupiah Expedition programme in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB). ‘We are bringing working capital for exchange totalling Rp8.34 billion in this year’s expedition,’ said Raden Aga Nugraha, Executive Analyst of the Money Management Department at Bank Indonesia, in a statement from Mataram on Tuesday. Aga said the working capital value rose by 3.15 per cent compared with last year’s expedition. The increase is to anticipate the cash needs of residents in archipelagic areas. The Sovereign Rupiah Expedition uses warship KRI Pulau Rimau-724 of the Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL) and runs for a week from 18 to 24 May 2026. The five island groups in NTB targeted for the distribution of banknotes fit for circulation are Pulau Moyo, Pusu Langgudu, Pulau Medang, Maringkik, and Gili Gede. According to Aga, Indonesia’s archipelagic geography is the main challenge in distributing cash to remote areas where banking services are difficult to access. The Sovereign Rupiah Expedition is one of the important instruments in safeguarding the currency’s sovereignty across the unitary state of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI), including archipelagic regions with high geographical challenges. From 2012 to 2025, Bank Indonesia together with the TNI-AL have conducted 150 mobile cash operations to frontiers, outermost and most remote areas (3T) reaching 766 islands across Indonesia. The Commander of the Mataram Navy Base, Asep Tri Prabowo, said they fully support the Sovereign Rupiah Expedition as a form of synergy to safeguard economic sovereignty to remote regions. Bank Indonesia notes that the NTB expedition is the sixth in a total of 18 national activities in 2026. The programme is expected to strengthen an inclusive financial system while supporting regional strategic sectors, such as tourism, agriculture and SMEs, through broad distribution of banknotes and sustainable financial education. The NTB Regional Secretariat Assistant II, Lalu Muhamad Faozal, praised BI and the Indonesian Navy’s consistency in distributing banknotes fit for circulation. ‘The programme proves that public service is delivered fairly to even the most remote areas,’ Faozal concluded.