The Pulse of Sharia Economy that Surpasses Numbers and Discovers Meaning in the Regions
There is one tendency that we often overlook in the world of planning: we too quickly trust numbers, as if graphs and tables are sufficient to explain a far more complex reality. As soon as an indicator appears to improve, we are tempted to conclude that the problems are easing, when only the surface has changed, not the underlying pulse.
Numbers, in essence, only knock and open the door. They give us permission to enter, but they never manage to answer all the questions alone about the direction we want development to take, and the values we truly strive for within it.
Take, for example, one indicator that is now beginning to receive attention in regional development documents: the ratio of sharia banking assets to Regional Gross Domestic Product (PDRB).
On paper, it seems simple, a comparison, a measure. But behind it lies a far more fundamental question: is the regional economy truly moving in tandem with the sharia financial system, or is it merely brushing the surface?
This is where a change in perspective begins to feel tangible. In the National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) 2025–2029, the state is no longer merely chasing growth, but starting to assess the quality of the engine driving it. Is it inclusive, is it healthy, and no less importantly, we need to know if it aligns with the broader direction we aim for: making Indonesia the centre of the global sharia economy.
Thus, this indicator is not merely a measuring tool. It is a mirror that can show which regions are genuinely building a sharia economic ecosystem, and which are still stuck at the narrative level.
When Administrative Instruments Become a Path to Transformation
Interestingly, the path to strengthening this indicator does not always come from dramatic major policies. Instead, it emerges from something that seems simple, such as the way local governments pay for expenditures.
The Regional Government Credit Card (KKPD), initially designed to improve the efficiency of regional cash management, opens up new spaces that are not widely realised. It reduces cash transactions, speeds up regional spending, and leaves a neat digital trail. A step that, at first, feels more like an administrative reform than an economic transformation.
However, when KKPD is connected to the Indonesian Credit Card (KKI) ecosystem, its meaning begins to shift. Regional spending is no longer just a fiscal transaction, but becomes part of the broader flow of the national payment system. It is at this point that an important question arises: what if that flow runs through sharia banks?