OJK Condemns Violations in Debt-Collection Practices as Matel Speaks Out

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – There has recently been much coverage of violations of rules by certain debt-collectors. These actions range from the use of violence in debt collection to the use of the Matel (Mata Elang) application. Most recently, there was an incident in which a debt collector stabbed a lawyer in Kelapa Dua, Tangerang. OJK has summoned financing companies that partner with the individuals involved for further investigation. In addition, some debt collectors are using the ‘Matel’ application to target debtors with outstanding payments at multifinance companies. This has drawn scrutiny from OJK. Friderica Widyasari Dewi, Executive Director of Supervisory Conduct for Financial Services Providers, Education and Consumer Protection at the Financial Services Authority (OJK), said the regulator is examining potential violations arising from the deployment of the app. ‘Regarding the application (Matel) we have also coordinated with Komdigi to consider its closure; we will see whether consumer violations are involved here,’ said Friderica, commonly known as Kiki, at the RDKB press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday, 3 March 2026. Kiki emphasised that the regulator will always protect consumers who act in good faith to settle their debts. OJK also condemns behaviours that do not comply with the rules, including violence against customers. She also stated that lending companies bear full responsibility for the activities of debt collectors. ‘Regarding debt collectors who disturb the peace, fundamentally we have imposed numerous sanctions on Financial Services Providers (PUJK) because they are responsible for their employees and third parties working with them,’ In a separate interview, one Matel coordinator, Budi Baonk, asserted that every third party or debt-collection service provider working with a finance company already has a registered company licence with the Ministry of Law and Human Rights (Kemenkum). ‘In other words, the companies that cooperate with the finance sector are legal and official,’ Budi told CNBC Indonesia. For information, Mata elang (Matel) is a term widely used in Indonesia to refer to a group of debt collectors who specialise in pursuing motor vehicle loans (motorbikes/cars) with delinquent instalments. Their modus operandi includes stalking vehicles on the street (including matching licence plates recorded in the debtor data in the application) and then pursuing/seizing the vehicle if they have reached their target.