OJK: SMEs Need More Than Just Financing
The Financial Services Authority (OJK) has assessed that strengthening SMEs requires a holistic approach that does not focus solely on SME financing, but also on financial literacy regarding products and services of financial institutions, mentoring, business capacity development, and market access expansion.
Dian Ediana Rae, Head of the OJK’s Banking Supervision Executive, stated that strengthening SME financing through the People’s Business Credit (KUR) scheme and supply chain integration represent two complementary sides of the same coin.
“KUR plays a strategic role, particularly in reaching SMEs that lack credit history or whose business scale does not yet allow them to enter supply chains, whilst simultaneously serving as a gateway for SMEs to build credit history so they can eventually integrate with the broader industrial ecosystem,” she said in a written statement on Tuesday, 17 March 2026.
Dian acknowledged that SMEs need support to connect with large company supply chains, both in domestic and international markets, reflecting practices in various countries.
According to her, this commitment has been formalised in OJK Regulation No. 19 of 2025, which explicitly encourages collaboration between SMEs and large enterprises as part of the supply chain ecosystem, whilst requiring financial institutions to provide easier, faster, cheaper, and more inclusive access to financing.
“OJK continues to coordinate with relevant ministries and institutions regarding SME connectivity with large enterprises,” she noted.
She explained that OJK monitors SME connectivity with large enterprises through the financing distribution patterns of financial institutions. OJK has recorded that the trend in supply chain financing is showing an increase, indicating strengthening connectivity between SMEs and large enterprises as business partners.
“Banks already possess various products and services related to financing schemes for SMEs connected to supply chains,” she said.
Going forward, OJK will continue to strengthen coordination with relevant ministries and institutions to realise synergies in policies supporting the SME development ecosystem, including promoting consistent implementation of OJK Regulation No. 19 of 2025, facilitating development of more innovative supply chain-based financing schemes, and supporting incentive policies for large enterprises actively engaged in empowering their partner SMEs.
“OJK is optimistic that with strong synergy between regulators, the financial services industry, government, and businesses, the national SME ecosystem will become increasingly robust and able to contribute significantly more to the national economy,” she concluded.