BRI Transforms Migrant Worker Customer into Successful Entrepreneur in Taiwan

Jakarta - Migrating abroad took Sri Purwanti on a long journey. The woman from Cilacap, Central Java, arrived in Taiwan more than a decade ago as an Indonesian Migrant Worker (PMI). Now, hard work and the courage to build a business have led Sri to become a halal culinary entrepreneur with a growing business in the heart of Taipei, the capital of Taiwan.

Sri is a BRI customer who successfully turned her income earned while working abroad into capital to build an economy. Through disciplined saving and financial management, she gradually accumulated capital until she finally dared to start a halal culinary business.

The business has now grown into Kedai Sri Rahayu, an Indonesian restaurant located at No. 36, Aiguo E Rd, Zhongzheng District, not far from the Taipei Grand Mosque. The eatery has become a place for the Indonesian diaspora and the Muslim community in Taipei to enjoy a variety of authentic Nusantara cuisine.

Sri’s journey to building a business began with an experience very close to her daily life as a migrant worker. When she first arrived in Taiwan, finding halal food that suited Indonesian tastes was not easy. She saw this difficulty as a need also felt by many other Indonesian workers.

“When I first became a migrant worker, finding halal food was incredibly difficult. From there I thought, other worker friends must feel the same difficulty. I was determined to set aside part of my income, save little by little, and learn to manage finances,” Sri recalled.

For Sri, success in building a business did not happen overnight. The capital used to start the business was collected little by little from her earnings in Taiwan.

Along the way, Sri utilised BRI banking services to support her financial management. As a BRI customer, she used banking services to save while also supporting financial transaction needs between Taiwan and Indonesia. From the savings accumulated through hard work abroad, Sri then made the important decision to open a small-scale halal culinary business.

The business, originally started to answer the need for halal food among Indonesians in Taiwan, gradually gained customers. Sri maintained Nusantara flavours while ensuring the halal status of the food she served.

Today, Kedai Sri Rahayu is not only a restaurant but has also developed into a shop providing various Indonesian food products and ingredients. Rows of packaged foods, seasonings, and Nusantara spices fill the shelves inside the shop.

The menu offered has also become more diverse, ranging from satay with peanut sauce, ayam penyet with shrimp paste sambal, beef tendon meatballs, Palembang pempek, assorted fritters, to typical Indonesian drinks such as iced cendol, iced orange juice, and sweet iced tea.

This growth has brought Sri’s business significant achievements. Gradually, Sri has been able to realise her dream of creating jobs for many people, not only in Taiwan but also in Indonesia.

Amid her business growth, Sri’s financial transaction needs have also changed. High mobility as an entrepreneur has made easy access to banking services increasingly important. Now, Sri actively uses BRImo Taiwan to support her financial transaction needs while in Taiwan.

The presence of BRImo Taiwan provides convenience for Sri to remain connected to BRI services digitally from the country where she works and develops her business. Various transaction needs can be carried out more practically via mobile phone.

BRI Corporate Secretary Dhanny revealed that Sri Purwanti’s journey reflects the great potential of Indonesian people to grow and move up in class, including those working and building lives abroad.

“For BRI, Mrs Sri’s story is not only about the success of building an Indonesian culinary business in Taiwan, but also about how a migrant worker was able to manage the fruits of her hard work, seize opportunities, and then grow into a strong entrepreneur. We want more Indonesians abroad to have the same opportunity to develop and advance,” said Dhanny.

According to him, the financial service needs of Indonesians abroad also continue to grow along with the increasingly diverse economic activities of the diaspora and migrant workers. Therefore, BRI continues to strengthen services that can maintain their connectivity with the financial ecosystem in Indonesia, one of which is through BRImo Taiwan.

“We hope the presence of BRImo Taiwan will bring BRI banking services closer to Indonesians in Taiwan. Not only to meet daily transaction needs, but also to be part of their financial journey, from working, saving, sending the fruits of their labour to family, to preparing and developing a business. Mrs Sri’s story is an example that with hard work, good financial management, and increasingly easy access to financial services, migrant workers have great opportunities to advance,” he added.