Boosting Investment and World-Class SMEs
SERANG — Bank Indonesia’s (BI) Banten Representative Office and the Banten Provincial Government have officially opened Karya Kreatif Banten (KKB) x Banten Investment Forum (BIF) 2026 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Jakarta Bintaro Jaya ballroom in South Tangerang.
The three-day event, running from 9 to 11 October 2026, is focused on strengthening the local SME ecosystem while attracting quality investment to drive inclusive and sustainable economic growth in Banten.
BI Deputy Governor Solikhin M. Juhro said the 3K principles were important for helping SMEs move up the value chain and attracting investors. The first is Kualitas (quality), ensuring Banten SME products are competitive. The second is Konektivitas (connectivity), expanding access to markets, financing and investor networks. The third is Kolaborasi (collaboration), building close partnerships among local governments, banks, businesses and investors.
“Banten has considerable economic potential thanks to its strategic position, strong connectivity and extensive SME market. However, this potential needs to be turned into tangible added value through the realisation of investment and increased SME transactions,” he said on Sunday (11 October).
He said the coordination between BI Banten and the provincial government was reflected in the province’s positive economic performance. In the second quarter of 2026, Banten’s economy grew by 5.49% year on year, exceeding national growth of 5.29%. Investment realisation in the first half of 2026 reached Rp66.3 trillion, or 46.63% of the annual target of Rp142.19 trillion, following a total of Rp130.2 trillion in 2025.
Banten Governor Andra Soni stressed the importance of cooperation among all stakeholders to build an integrated SME ecosystem, from upstream to downstream, and create a favourable investment climate. He said quality investment must go hand in hand with SME empowerment and the recruitment of local workers.
“SME development should focus on building business capacity, product quality and competitiveness, digitalisation, broader access to financing and markets, and stronger partnerships. This is expected to help Banten’s SMEs move up the value chain, connect with wider supply chains and benefit from regional investment growth. Quality investment should not only drive economic growth, but also create jobs, involve local SMEs and improve community welfare,” he said.
BI Banten Representative Office Head Sofwan Kurnia said KKB x BIF 2026 featured a series of interactive events, including an SME showcase, domestic and international business-matching sessions, The Brewtiful Banten Experience, Banten Creative Runway and educational talk shows.
The event also included the signing of Letters of Intent (LoIs), with six domestic and international companies declaring investment commitments: Raybo Co. Limited, PT Winda Industrial Indonesia, PT Tukaka Craftwork Indonesia, PT Mingcheng Knitting Indonesia, PT Dragon Soar Industrial and PT Yuchuang Biotechnology Indonesia.
To strengthen vocational human resources, Modern Cikande and the APINDO Foundation signed a memorandum of understanding for the APINDO Daya programme, which aims to prepare workers for employment.
A joint commitment was also made to accelerate the resolution of investment barriers, involving BI Banten, the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency (ATR/BPN), the Banten Provincial Land Office, the Banten Provincial Investment and One-Stop Integrated Services Office (DPMPTSP), and the governor.
“Going forward, the success of SME development and investment will depend not only on the scale of opportunities or commitments secured, but also on consistent follow-up, the readiness of supporting ecosystems and the ability of all parties to ensure that the economic benefits are widely shared by the people of Banten,” he said.