Pegadaian and OJK Encourage Young Generation to Achieve Financial Independence Safely
PT Pegadaian (Persero) and the East Java Financial Services Authority (OJK) are encouraging the younger generation to manage their finances healthily, enabling them to achieve financial independence safely.
“The younger generation has great potential to become drivers of economic growth in the future. However, this potential needs to be supported by the ability to manage finances wisely from an early age,” said Pegadaian Director of Network and Operations Eka Pebriansyah at the Airlangga University campus in Surabaya, East Java, on Thursday.
Eka emphasised that young people such as university students still receive money from their parents, but the habit of managing it must be formed early, especially in the digital era which presents many challenges and potential risks.
He said young people need to understand how to manage personal budgets, regulate cash flow, recognise the importance of emergency funds, plan long-term finances, and understand various investment instruments that can be selected according to their respective financial goals.
“We want students not only to be able to make sound financial decisions, but also to become agents of financial literacy who bring a positive impact to their surrounding environment,” said Eka.
Senior Officer of Pegadaian (Persero) Surabaya 1 Area Eko Ngardiyanto gave an example that young people can choose to manage their finances well, one of which is through gold investment because it is a powerful instrument against inflation, making it a hedging choice for the future.
“It is time to independently manage your own cash flow. Saving gold can start from just Rp10,000. Starting small and taking small steps can be useful for the next 5-10 years,” said Eko.
Meanwhile, Assistant Director for Supervision of Financial Services Business Actors’ Conduct, Education, and Consumer Protection at OJK East Java Indrawan Nugroho Utomo said the younger generation has a great opportunity to build a better financial future amid the rapid development of digital technology, as access to various financial services and instruments is becoming easier.
On the other hand, Indra reminded that the convenience of the technological era still needs to be scrutinised because there are many forms of online crime, ranging from illegal online lending, online gambling, phishing, to carding.
Moreover, according to him, many students are not yet wise in their financial management, one example being the use of paylater services that are aggressively promoted on e-commerce platforms.
He said paylater is actually legal, but if payments are not made properly it will affect the Financial Information Service System (SLIK) because many people are uncontrolled and end up defaulting.
“Financial criminals do not recognise holidays and target young people such as students who have low literacy. The challenge is the low understanding of financial management, investment risk, and the proliferation of various financial offers that are not necessarily suited to individual needs or risk profiles,” he said.