JAKARTA – Business consolidation process among the State-Owned Bank Association or SOBA (Himbara) shows positive indicators to the customers.

Recently, directors of some state-owned banks have indicated to reduce transaction tariff at their automatic teller machines (ATMs). The reduction is expected to be lower than initial estimation.

Initially, the state-owned banks estimated that the transfer fees among SOBA’s ATM Link may be decreased by 50% to IDR4,000 per transaction.  Meanwhile, inter-bank’s cash withdrawal tarif among the SOBA has potential to decrease bu 90% to only IDR500 per withdrawal. “The transaction tariffs may decline”, said President Director of Bank Mandiri Kartiko Wirjoatmodjo.

Meanhwile, President Director of Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) Asmawi Syam said that currently SOBA and Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises are reviewing the feasibility for further reducing ATM’s transaction tariff.

Currently, SOBA manages 58,362 units of ATM in all over Indonesia, and plans to consolidate 10,000 units of the ATM by October 2016.

SOBA and PT Telkom Indonesia have agreed to form switching company, which will consolidate the ATM network and electronic data capture (edc) of the four banks. SOBA estimates that the formation of the switching company may save IDR6.8 trillion per year.

(MUHAMMAD FARID/Translator)

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Editor: Mesti Sinaga