Purbaya plans to inject another Rp100 trillion into the banking system

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Finance Minister (Menkeu), Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, plans to place a further Rp100 trillion of government funds in the banking sector to bolster liquidity in the financial system. The policy is similar to the previous Rp200 trillion injection into the Himpunan Bank Milik Negara (Himbara). However, under this scheme, Purbaya wants the funds to be short-term and flexible. “Perhaps another Rp100 trillion that can go in and out. In other words, not tied to long-term deposits, but short-term and flexible,” Purbaya said at a media briefing at the Ministry of Finance, Jakarta, on Friday. For the new fund injection, the scheme will be made more flexible so it can be withdrawn quickly when the government needs funds to finance state expenditure. Another difference concerns the source of funds. In the previous injection, the budget source used came from the Saldo Anggaran Lebih (SAL), which is not included in the state budget. Meanwhile, for the Rp100 trillion injection, Purbaya plans to use funds from government spending at Bank Indonesia (BI) that have not yet been absorbed. “If the Rp300 trillion is idle, but the additional ones perhaps yes. Rather than kept at BI, the banks do not have access, we move it to there (to the banks) to add money to the economy,” he said. “If later we want to spend it, it can come out immediately. But before use, at least it can help the economy,” he added. Nevertheless, the Finance Minister has not yet confirmed when the placement will be carried out. To date, he has asked the Director General of Treasury, Astera Primanto Bhakti, to study the plan. Earlier reports indicated the Finance Minister extended the placement period of government funds of Rp200 trillion in banks to September 2026. “The placement of Rp200 trillion on its due date of 13 March 2026 will be extended by six months. So banks do not need to worry about losing liquidity, because the government will continue to support liquidity in the market,” Purbaya said. The policy evaluation will be conducted again in September. Previously, the government placed Rp276 trillion sourced from SAL with five state-owned banks in Himbara and one regional development bank (BPD). They were Bank Mandiri, BRI, and BNI each receiving Rp80 trillion, BTN Rp25 trillion, BSI Rp10 trillion, and Bank DKI Rp1 trillion. Of the total, Rp75 trillion was subsequently withdrawn to support expenditure by the central and regional governments.