BRI Appreciates Pegadaian-SMBC Corporation Collaboration, Boosts Grassroots Economic Empowerment
PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk, as the parent of the Ultra Micro (UMi) Holding comprising PT Pegadaian and PNM, continues to strengthen synergies in the inclusive financing ecosystem as an effort to enhance grassroots economics in Indonesia.
This is reflected in the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for strategic cooperation between Pegadaian and SMBC Corporation at the Indonesia-Japan Strategic Partnership Forum themed “Value Co-Creation: Building the Future of Energy, Industry, and Global Supply Chains”, held at The Imperial Hotel Tokyo, Japan, on Monday (30/3/2026).
The forum, organised by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), JETRO, the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo, the Ministry of Investment and Downstreaming/BKPM, Japan’s METI, Keidanren, JCCI, and Japinda, aims to strengthen strategic economic cooperation between Indonesia and Japan. At the same time, the forum identifies new partnership opportunities by leveraging the IJEPA (Indonesia-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement) framework.
This cooperation forms part of the BRI Group’s efforts to expand funding access, including through global financing schemes (offshore financing), to bolster the financing capacity of the ultra-micro segment and SMEs in Indonesia.
BRI Group CEO Hery Gunardi stated that, as the parent of the Ultra Micro Holding, BRI acts as an orchestrator in building an integrated ecosystem connecting BRI, Pegadaian, and PNM.
“This synergy not only expands financial access but also promotes community empowerment through an end-to-end approach, from financing and business mentoring to financial literacy,” he said in a statement on Thursday (9/4/2026).
Hery also conveyed that Pegadaian’s collaboration with global partners is part of the broader Ultra Micro Holding strategy to strengthen funding structures while enhancing global competitiveness.
“BRI continues to drive synergies and transformation across all entities, including Pegadaian, to expand inclusive and sustainable financing access,” he said.
He further hopes that the collaboration will strengthen funding capacity while providing a broader multiplier effect for empowering the ultra-micro segment and SMEs.
As recorded by the end of December 2025, the BRI Group Ultra Micro Holding has reached more than 34.5 million active debtors, with a total of over 187 million micro savings accounts. In the same period, the UMi Holding ecosystem also achieved significant milestones, with 1.4 million PNM debtors successfully upgrading their status.
Additionally, Pegadaian’s bullion services and the Tring digital application further strengthen the BRI Group’s position in the national gold ecosystem. By the end of December 2025, gold savings in the BRI Group ultra-micro ecosystem reached 17.1 tonnes, marking a 65.5 percent year-on-year growth.
The Pegadaian-SMBC cooperation is part of strengthening strategic partnerships between Indonesia and Japan, while supporting the Nawacita and President Prabowo Subianto’s development agenda. In particular, it focuses on expanding sustainable financial access and strengthening the national financial industry ecosystem.
As part of Indonesia’s bullion ecosystem, Pegadaian positions its collaboration with global partners like the SMBC Group as part of the company’s transformation to enhance funding capacity, ESG capabilities, and regional competitiveness, in line with the government’s Asta Cita programme.
The MoU signing between Pegadaian and SMBC took place as part of the Japan-Indonesia Business Forum and was witnessed by President Prabowo Subianto, Danantara CEO Rosan Roeslani, Deputy President and Representative Executive Officer of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc., Yoshihiro Hyakutome, SMBC Group Takeshi Kimoto, Henoch Munandar as President Director of PT Bank SMBC Indonesia, and Ferdian Timur Satyagraha as Director of Finance and Strategic Planning of PT Pegadaian.
Through this MoU, Pegadaian and SMBC agree on strategic collaboration encompassing the provision of credit facilities by SMBC to Pegadaian, including thematic facilities in the form of social loans to support financing for high social impact sectors.
These facilities also serve as an initial foundation for Pegadaian in developing access to foreign funding (offshore loans) to support the company’s sustainable business expansion.