BRI Officially Launches Kick-Off Desa BRILiaN 2026 to Drive Village 5.0 Transformation
PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk, or BRI, in collaboration with Universitas Jenderal Soedirman (Unsoed), officially launched the Desa BRILiaN 2026 Programme through the Kick-Off Desa BRILiaN 2026 Batch 1 event held on Thursday (7 May). The programme, themed ‘Village 5.0: Synergy of Technology and Human-Centred Leadership in Building a Resilient and Sustainable Future Village Ecosystem’, aims to drive village transformation by strengthening innovation, technology, and community capacity. The Kick-Off event was attended by Indonesia’s Minister of Villages and Disadvantaged Regions, Yandri Susanto; BRI Micro Director Akhmad Purwakajaya; Unsoed Rector Akhmad Sodiq; General Director of Village Economic and Investment Development at the Ministry of Villages, Tabrani; and Unsoed’s LPPM Chair Elly Tugianti. Minister Susanto stated that the ‘Build Village, Build Indonesia’ concept aims to strengthen grassroots economic pillars, where villages are no longer merely development objects but become primary drivers of Indonesia’s economic growth. This aligns with the Desa BRILiaN Programme, which is not just a training initiative but a movement transforming villages into ecosystems adaptable to technological advancements while rooted in local social and cultural strengths. BRI Micro Director Akhmad Purwakajaya said the Desa BRILiaN 2026 Programme is a village empowerment initiative based on social entrepreneurship and incubation, to be conducted in two batches from May to November 2026. ‘Through the Desa BRILiaN Programme, BRI aims to encourage villages to become more innovative and competitive. We believe village transformation depends not only on infrastructure development but also on human capital quality, governance, and the ability to sustainably manage local potential. With structured capacity-building and mentoring, villages are expected to become new economic growth centres that add value for communities,’ he added. The Desa BRILiaN 2026 Programme comprises three main phases: empowerment through two-month online training; assistance via intensive mentoring for top villages; and graduation with appreciation and awards for outstanding villages. Content includes legal partnership aspects, village fund governance, BUMDes and village cooperative financial management, as well as thematic sector development such as tourism, agriculture, and processing industries. Participants are expected to achieve concrete outcomes, including village fund management strategies, digital financial reports, tourism village development, and innovations based on local potential. BRI has opened opportunities for villages across regions to join the Desa BRILiaN 2026 Programme via registration at nearby BRI branches. As of March 2026, the Desa BRILiaN Programme has been joined by 5,245 villages in Indonesia, with key sectors developed including tourism, services, processing industries, trade, agriculture, and livestock.