BRILink Agent expands to five locations in Jayapura, bringing financial access closer

Amid growing public demand for easily accessible financial services, the presence of BRILink Agents has become a solution to bring banking services closer to communities across various regions, while also opening up business opportunities and employment, as seen in Jayapura. One success story comes from Darwin Chandra, a local entrepreneur in Jayapura who successfully developed his modest kiosk into a reliable BRILink Agent network that meets the transaction needs of the community. He started his business with a small kiosk named Hari-Hari, established on 14 February 2011 in the Abepura district of Jayapura City, Papua Province. At that time, the kiosk only sold a limited range and quantity of basic necessities. “At that time, the kiosk only sold daily necessities with a limited number of goods. The most important thing for me was how this business could continue to operate and provide benefits to the surrounding community,” said Darwin. With modest business capital, Darwin ran his business gradually while building customer trust in the local area. For him, maintaining good relationships with customers was the main asset for growing the business. Over time, Darwin observed that the demands of the community continued to evolve. Customers coming to his kiosk no longer just needed basic goods, but also required easy access to financial services without having to travel long distances to a bank branch. The opportunity finally came in 2017, when BRI offered his kiosk a partnership to become a BRILink Agent. Darwin saw this as a chance to expand his business while helping the community obtain banking services that were closer, faster, and more easily accessible. He decided to join as a BRILink Agent and began serving various financial transactions, ranging from cash withdrawals, transfers, bill payments, to other banking transaction needs. That decision became a turning point in his business journey. Within just three months of becoming a BRILink Agent, Darwin successfully achieved the transaction target in the Reward Programme organised by BRI and received a smartphone as a prize. He achieved a similar feat in the following period, which further motivated him to continue growing. “The award became a source of encouragement for me. Moreover, many people need fast, nearby, and easily accessible transaction services. From there, I became more confident to start expanding the service network,” he recounted. Within the last two years, the business that started from a simple kiosk has grown into five BRILink Agent service points spread across several locations, such as Abepura, Kotaraja, and Waena. However, Darwin did not stop at adding service points. He also introduced an innovation in the form of two mobile service units using cars. According to him, the idea was inspired by the ‘jemput bola’ (proactive outreach) concept he had seen in Java. “The idea for this mobile service was inspired by the ‘jemput bola’ concept I saw in Java. I designed the car myself and placed it around the Cenderawasih University area and several other strategic points so that students and the public can carry out financial transactions more easily,” he explained. Darwin’s hard work and consistency in providing the best service eventually paid off. In 2024 and 2025, he won an umrah pilgrimage reward from BRI after ranking seventh nationally and becoming the best BRILink Agent in Papua based on transaction target achievements. “I am grateful for this achievement. But the most important thing is how the business we run can continue to provide benefits, help people transact easily, and open economic opportunities for the surrounding environment. Currently, we serve around 400 to 500 transactions every day, and some service points even operate 24 hours,” he said. Behind the growth of his business, the BRILink Agent managed by Darwin has not only become a place for financial transactions but has also created job opportunities for local residents. Currently, Darwin employs 15 staff spread across various service points, of which approximately 70 per cent are Indigenous Papuans (OAP). On a separate occasion, BRI’s Micro Director Akhmad Purwakajaya stated that BRILink Agents not only act as an extension of banking services but are also capable of driving community economic growth. “Through an entrepreneurial spirit, innovation, and closeness to the community, BRILink Agents support the equitable distribution of financial service access while opening up business opportunities and employment in various regions,” he said. As of March 2026, the number of BRILink Agents has reached 1.18 million, covering more than 80 per cent of villages in Indonesia. For BRI, this achievement reinforces the position of BRILink Agents as the backbone of partnership-based financial services in rural areas, while further expanding public access to banking transactions.