DPR Commission VII Urges Stronger MSME Mentoring to Gain Bank Trust

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy Chair of Commission VII of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), Chusnunia Chalim, has urged the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to strengthen training and mentoring for MSME players so they can upgrade and gain the trust of the banking sector. According to her, the commission has received many aspirations from MSME players who run successful businesses but are rejected for bank credit due to various factors, such as having no collateral, no financial reports, or lacking complete business legality. As a result, Chusnunia stated in Jakarta on Tuesday, MSME players turn to informal loans, loan sharks, and high-interest online loans. “I propose that the Ministry of MSMEs conduct more training so that MSME players can manage their finances properly to gain the trust of banks, and this programme must be visible in the 2027 budget,” she said. Currently, she noted, only about 30 per cent of MSME players in Indonesia have access to bank credit. Bank lending to MSMEs was recorded at Rp1,485 trillion, driven by relaxed regulations from the Financial Services Authority (OJK) which exempts the recording of loans below Rp1 million to expand financing access. Additionally, she mentioned that OJK data shows that until 2024–2025, more than half of the national MSME credit distribution is still channelled on the island of Java. Therefore, Chusnunia proposed that the Ministry of MSMEs form a task force to help assess and sort the eligibility of MSME players to obtain capital support from banks. “Currently, the issue of eligibility is still determined by the banks; the Ministry of MSMEs should act as a parent helping these MSME players,” she said.