PT Bank Negara Indonesia (Persero) Tbk, or BNI, welcomes the government's plan to withdraw IDR200 trillion in excess reserves and place them in national banks. This policy, announced by Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, is seen as a stimulus to drive economic growth by strengthening liquidity and credit disbursement to the real sector.
BNI Corporate Secretary Okki Rushartomo explained that this strategic government move can provide additional liquidity for banks. This is expected to optimize the banking intermediation function in channeling financing to productive sectors that are government priorities.
“BNI welcomes every government policy aiming at strengthening national economic growth. Placing funds in banks will certainly increase liquidity and be a positive stimulus in supporting financing in the real sector," said Okki in a written statement.
Okki emphasized that BNI is committed to disbursing credit in a healthy and productive manner, in line with the government's agenda to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth. "BNI is committed to continuing to disburse credit in a healthy and productive manner, in line with the government's priorities," he affirmed.
Nevertheless, the effectiveness of this policy will heavily depend on the technical rules and further implementation by the regulator. Some key aspects that require clarification include the fund placement scheme, governance, duration, risk mitigation, and disbursement priorities to specific sectors.
This policy of withdrawing excess reserve funds is seen as the right step to strengthen banking intermediation and support the acceleration of national economic recovery. With stronger liquidity, banks are expected to be more aggressive in funding strategic projects that drive economic growth.