BI Strengthens Rupiah Sovereignty at Entikong Border
Bank Indonesia (BI) continues to strengthen the sovereignty of the Rupiah in the Indonesia-Malaysia border area through the 2026 ‘Lentera Batas Negeri’ (Archipelago Banking Services) programme at the Entikong Cross-Border Post in Sanggau Regency, West Kalimantan. Deputy Head of Bank Indonesia’s West Kalimantan Representative Office, Reynaldi Akbar Ariesha, stated that the activity is a strategic effort to expand central banking services to the frontier, outermost, and remote (3T) regions, while simultaneously enhancing financial literacy, digitalising payment systems, and driving economic growth for border communities. He noted that border areas hold a strategic position as Indonesia’s front porch and a gateway for cross-border economic activity, thus requiring stronger and more inclusive financial service support.
Through Lentera Batas Negeri, BI ensures that border communities gain access to fit-for-circulation Rupiah currency, education on the ‘Love, Pride, and Understand Rupiah’ (CBP) programme, and the utilisation of digital payment systems such as QRIS and QRIS Cross Border. As of June 2026, Bank Indonesia West Kalimantan has conducted mobile cash services at 12 underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost (3T) locations, with a total currency exchange value of Rp2.78 billion. Additionally, through the Sovereign Rupiah Expedition programme, BI has reached five of West Kalimantan’s outermost islands, facilitating currency exchange services worth Rp15.6 billion. In the education sector, BI Kalbar has held 74 CBP Rupiah socialisation events throughout 2026, attended by over 22,000 participants from various backgrounds.
The 2026 Lentera Batas Negeri programme builds on the success of a similar event held at the Aruk Cross-Border Post in Sambas Regency in 2025. The initiative involves synergy with the West Kalimantan Provincial Government, Sanggau Regency Government, the National Border Management Agency, banks, and other relevant agencies. During the event, the public accessed various services, including currency exchange, mobile cash services, CBP Rupiah education, QRIS Cross Border, consumer protection, and a low-cost food programme that distributed 1,000 food packages to help maintain price affordability and control inflation. The programme also featured a Nusantara Border Market involving 23 MSMEs fostered by the Sanggau State-Owned Enterprises House, which sold 131 products with a total turnover of Rp4.54 million. Through the Integrated Cash Service Synergy (Silakas) programme, the public also received integrated services such as immigration services, sub-district vehicle registration, transport safety socialisation, and free health checks. BI also established a Border Rupiah Corner as an interactive educational facility on the authenticity features of Rupiah currency, the role of Bank Indonesia, and the development of digital payment systems. A Business Matching session for MSMEs connected business actors with potential buyers, distributors, investors, and financing institutions to expand partnership opportunities. Regarding payment digitalisation, the use of QRIS in West Kalimantan continues to show a positive trend, with the number of QRIS merchants reaching over 539,000 as of May 2026, predominantly micro-enterprises. BI views this growth as reflecting the increasingly widespread adoption of fast, secure, and efficient digital transactions, including support for cross-border transactions through QRIS Cross Border in the border region. Through this collaboration, Bank Indonesia is optimistic that strengthening Rupiah sovereignty, improving financial literacy and inclusion, and expanding payment system digitalisation will bolster the economic resilience of border communities while reinforcing the role of border areas as Indonesia’s economic front porch.