No Collateral Required: Babel's SMEs Can Access Loans Up to Rp 100 Million

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – The Provincial Government of Bangka Belitung continues efforts to strengthen the regional economy, one of which is by opening financing access for micro, small, and medium enterprise (UMKM) actors.

This policy is aimed at encouraging UMKM to upgrade while reducing business actors’ dependence on high-interest loans that often burden small enterprises.

“We want UMKM to no longer rely on high-interest loans. The government is present to provide solutions so that business actors can easily obtain capital and develop without being burdened,” said Bangka Belitung Governor Hidayat Arsani during a halal certification event on Tuesday (17/3/2026).

Hidayat emphasised that this step is part of the strategy to strengthen the regional economy to become more independent and competitive amid the potential for a global recession due to conflicts in several countries.

According to Hidayat, access to capital has so far been the main obstacle for people who want to start or develop businesses.

“People want to start a business, but it’s hard to get capital, ending up trapped with loan sharks,” said Hidayat, who is often called Panglima.

He added that strengthening the economic sector also runs in parallel with human resource development that has been designed in the local government’s five-year vision and mission.

“This facilitation aims to encourage UMKM to upgrade, increase competitiveness, and be able to penetrate national and global markets,” he explained.

This encouragement aligns with Bangka Belitung’s export performance, which shows a positive trend. From January to December 2025, the region’s total exports grew by 19.73 percent compared to the same period the previous year.

In December 2025 alone, the export value was recorded at 207.83 million US dollars or approximately Rp 3.32 trillion (assuming an exchange rate of Rp 16,000 per US dollar), up 42.65 percent from December 2024.