PERBANAS Chairman Hery Gunardi Outlines Banking Strategy to Weather Global Economic Uncertainty

Jakarta – Amid increasingly complex global economic dynamics, the Indonesian banking industry is seen to remain resilient. However, a number of anticipatory strategies need to be prepared to safeguard financial sector stability and sustainable growth going forward.

This was stated by the Chairman of PERBANAS and also the President Director of BRI, Hery Gunardi, at the CFO PERBANAS forum themed “Driving Acceleration with Accountability” held in Jakarta on Friday, 6 March 2026.

The event was also attended by OJK Deputy Commissioner for Regulation, Licensing and Quality Control Deden Firman Hendarsyah, PERBANAS Honorary Council Chairman Agus Martowardojo, and PERBANAS Supervisory Board Chairman Kartika Wirjoatmodjo.

During his presentation, Hery Gunardi explained that the fundamentals of the national banking industry remain solid as of early 2026. This is reflected in January 2026 credit growth of 9.96% year-on-year (YoY), up from 2025’s level around 9.63% YoY.

Meanwhile, Third Party Funds (DPK) grew by 10.8% YoY. The Non-Performing Loan (NPL) ratio remained around 2.14%. At the same time, the industry’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) remained strong at about 25.9%.

“Some profitability indicators face moderate pressure as operating costs rise. Nevertheless, the banking sector must remain vigilant. Although the industry outlook remains generally quite good, we must stay anticipatory of various potential risks ahead,” he said.

According to Hery, prolonged global geopolitical tensions could push energy inflation and food prices, eroding household purchasing power and slowing economic activity. Simultaneously, economic uncertainty also weighs on the performance of the business sector, potentially increasing the risk of NPLs, which in turn requires banks to be more selective in credit disbursement and to strengthen risk management and asset quality.

Therefore, Hery stated that the banking industry needs to strengthen various risk mitigation steps to safeguard financial sector stability. Some specific mitigation protocols must be prepared by banks.

First, strengthen risk management by conducting sectoral stress tests on portfolios in the transportation, logistics, and manufacturing sectors that are highly dependent on fuel, implementing an early warning system for potential NPL deterioration, and tightening credit discipline and risk-based pricing.