Bank BRI
A state-owned enterprise, and one of Indonesia’s oldest banks, Bank Rakyat Indonesia (or People’s Bank of Indonesia) is setting a new standard for corporate social responsibility in the country with its partnership and community development programme under chief executive Suprajarto Suprajarto, particularly for its public sector.
With its ‘Proud to be Indonesian’ tagline, BRI has sunk roughly $10 million back into the community in the period 2017/18, providing much-needed natural disaster relief, educational assistance and health improvements.
BRI’s Indonesia Lestari programme has focused on conservation, notably mangroves and restoring wildlife habitats, while its Indonesia Sejahtera initiative aims to eradicate poverty. Throughout 2017, BRI’s total budget for the latter was Rp32.09 billion ($2.2 million).
As a state-owned enterprise, BRI says it is duty-bound “to assist the economic empowerment of the community.”
Through its partnership programme, the bank is making thousands of low-interest loans and disbursements designed to encourage and generate small businesses by helping with working capital and fixed assets. In 2017, BRI allocated around $15 million in partnership loans to more than 3,000 smallholdings in agriculture, fishery and animal husbandry.