DIGIVESTASI - Minister of Communication and Informatics Budi Arie Setiadi has asked online lending service providers (Pinjol) to focus more on financing the micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sector.

He highlighted that access to capital is still a challenge for the development of MSMEs, considering that many people do not have access to financing from formal financial institutions such as banks.

"The essence of digitalization is to make people more productive. Regarding online lending, it's just a matter of method, through online. We encourage pinjol to target the productive," said Budi Arie in Jakarta, Thursday (1/8/2024).

However, Budi Arie assesses that the problem of capital is actually not a big issue for MSME players. According to him, creativity is the most important thing in running a business to attract the attention of financiers.

"Regarding capital, as long as the idea is good, I'm sure capital is not an issue," he added.

In addition, Budi also encouraged MSME players to optimize the internet in penetrating the digital market. Based on data from the Indonesian Internet Service Providers Association (APJII), internet penetration in Indonesia in 2024 will reach 79.5%, or 221 million people using the internet.

Budi Arie assessed that the high internet penetration in Indonesia has changed people's lifestyles, including shopping activities that can now be done through gadgets.

"We launched the Level Up MSME program, the goal is to encourage MSME players to use digital devices. This program provides assistance to improve the capabilities of MSMEs through training workshops," he concluded.

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