BTN (BBTN) Will Not Finance the Merah Putih Village Cooperative

PT Bank Tabungan Negara (Persero) Tbk. (BBTN) has responded to the Financial Services Authority’s (OJK) plans to adjust the provisions of the Bank Business Plan (RBB) to encourage banks to provide greater support for government priority programmes.

BTN states that it participates in supporting numerous government housing programmes, such as KUR Perumahan, KPP, FLPP, corporate financing for housing infrastructure, and others.

BTN President Director Nixon L.P. Napitupulu revealed that the state-owned bank will also engage in food financing. In this regard, BTN will channel financing to state-owned food companies like BULOG and ID FOOD.

“So, of course, we support national interests, and that is indeed our main programme,” said Nixon during the BTN Q1-2026 performance briefing on Wednesday (15/4/2026).

He views the POJK currently being drafted as not new, merely providing more detailed plans for bank support of government programmes in a specific RBB attachment.

Nevertheless, BTN, which focuses on housing financing, states that it will not finance the Koperasi Desa Merah Putih (KDMP). Unlike other state-owned banks, the government has decided not to include BTN in KDMP financing.

“For KDMP, we have been decided not to participate. It’s not that we requested it; we were decided not to join. That’s from the government, from the Ministry of Finance,” Nixon explained.

Previously, OJK Commissioner Chairman Friderica Widyasari Dewi stated that the POJK would direct national banks to channel credit to government priority programmes, such as the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme, three million houses, and the Koperasi Desa Merah Putih (KDMP).

“We are designing an RPOJK for adjusting RBB provisions. Within it, how we also support banks to engage more with government priority programmes,” said Friderica, or Kiki as she is familiarly known, at Menara Bank Mega on Tuesday (7/4/2026).

She stated that this policy could encourage the financial services sector’s contribution to economic growth and national development, strengthen the MSME ecosystem, and increase banking industry credit/financing.

However, Kiki emphasised that financing allocation to government priority sectors is not mandatory, depending on each bank’s risk management and risk appetite.

“Not mandatory, but we encourage it. Everything must align with their risk management and risk appetite. But essentially, OJK now encourages the financial services sector to maintain financial system stability,” she added.