Prabowo Wants PNM Mekaar Interest Rate to Become 9 Percent

President Prabowo Subianto has ordered a reduction in the interest rate for the Permodalan Nasional Madani (PNM) Mekaar programme. He wants the rate to change from the current 24 percent to below 9 percent.

“This is a political decision; I have already taken it that the interest for Permodalan Nasional Madani, for credit to pre-prosperous families, from 24 percent, we must lower it to below 10 percent, must be below 9 percent,” said Prabowo during a speech at the Attorney General’s Office in Jakarta on Wednesday, 13 May 2026.

Prabowo stated that access to financing for Indonesians has so far been uneven. This is because micro-business actors often receive loans with higher interest rates than large companies.

“Meanwhile, big entrepreneurs, if they go to the bank, might get 10 percent, 9 percent. Imagine, the rich are given 9 percent, while the poor get 24 percent. This is a Pancasila state; I don’t understand,” said the former Minister of Defence.

Prabowo argued that the state must not allow small people to bear a heavier financing burden than the upper economic groups. “Our benchmark is Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution, not just slogans. We want to realise a truly just situation,” he said.

Quoted from the State-Owned Enterprises Regulatory Body (BP BUMN) website, PNM Mekaar is a capital service for underprivileged women micro-business actors. The aim is for them to easily obtain funding access compared to applying for loans at banks.

This programme is run by PT PNM, a subsidiary of PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk or BRI. The PT PNM website states that they are the world’s largest financing and empowerment institution for underprivileged women, with a total service of 22.7 million customers throughout Indonesia.