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The landscape of Indonesia’s financial sector has undergone a profound transformation over the past several years, catalyzed by rapid technological advancements, shifting consumer behaviors, and an aggressive regulatory push toward financial inclusion. At the heart of this revolution is the emergence of digital banks—financial institutions operating entirely or predominantly through digital channels without traditional branch networks. However, as the market becomes increasingly saturated, regulatory scrutiny has tightened. The Financial Services Authority of Indonesia, universally known as Otoritas Jasa Keuangan (OJK), has recently issued a stern warning to industry players: digital banking must transcend superficial marketing and transient promotional campaigns.

OJK has explicitly urged the digital banking industry to refrain from treating digitalization merely as a promotional gimmick. Instead, regulators are demanding concrete innovations that deliver tangible value propositions and effectively reach underserved and unbanked segments of the population. This pivotal directive underscores a broader regulatory shift from mere quantitative expansion—measured by user sign-ups and app downloads—to qualitative sustainability, profitability, and deep market penetration. As Indonesia strives to build a resilient and inclusive digital economy, the expectations placed upon digital banks have never been higher.

The Core Regulatory Stance: Beyond Marketing Fluff

The warning from OJK was delivered by Dian Ediana Rae, the Chief Executive of Banking Supervision at OJK. Addressing stakeholders within the financial ecosystem, Dian emphasized that businesses operating in the digital banking sphere must capitalize on the momentum of the digital era to establish genuine differentiation from conventional banks.

According to Dian, the existence of a digital bank should not be reduced to flashy user interfaces, temporary cash-back offers, or superficial promotional gimmicks designed solely to capture headlines or temporary customer acquisition metrics. Rather, digital banks are expected to leverage technology to solve real financial friction points.

This regulatory philosophy challenges the prevailing operational models of several new entrants in the market. In the early rush to capture market share, numerous digital banking startups relied heavily on high-interest savings rates, zero-fee transfers, and aggressive referral bonuses. While these strategies successfully attracted millions of price-sensitive customers, they frequently failed to foster long-term customer loyalty or sustainable revenue streams. OJK’s stance makes it clear that the era of growth-at-all-costs driven by marketing gimmicks is drawing to a close, replaced by a mandate for substantive financial engineering and sustainable business models.

Chronology and Evolution of Digital Banking Regulation in Indonesia

To understand the weight of OJK’s recent warning, it is essential to examine the chronological progression of digital banking oversight in Southeast Asia’s largest economy. The journey of digital banking in Indonesia can be categorized into three distinct phases: the exploratory boom, the regulatory codification, and the current phase of consolidation and maturation.

1. The Exploratory Boom (2019–2021)

The groundwork for digital banking was laid as fintech companies began capturing significant market share in payments and peer-to-peer (P2P) lending. Traditional banks recognized the threat and the opportunity, leading to the acquisition of smaller, legacy banks to transform them into digital-first entities. This period was characterized by rapid experimentation. Investors poured billions of dollars into digital banking ventures, driven by the immense potential of Indonesia’s large unbanked and underbanked population, estimated at over 50 million adults.

2. Regulatory Codification and Guidelines (2021–2023)

Recognizing the systemic risks and the need for standardized supervision, OJK issued formal guidelines governing commercial banks through digital channels. In August 2021, OJK released POJK No. 12/POJK.03/2021 concerning Commercial Banks. This regulation formally established the legal framework for digital banks, distinguishing them based on whether they are established as new entities or transformed from existing conventional banks. During this period, OJK permitted fully digital operations provided institutions met stringent minimum capital requirements, robust cybersecurity standards, and risk management protocols.

3. Maturation and Performance Scrutiny (2023–Present)

As the novelty of digital banking wore off, regulators began evaluating the financial health and operational viability of these institutions. While top-tier digital banks backed by major tech ecosystems or large conglomerates began showing promising metrics, several smaller players struggled with high customer acquisition costs, sluggish loan growth, and mounting net losses. This current phase is defined by strict regulatory oversight, with OJK demanding that digital banks prove their long-term viability, capital adequacy, and genuine contribution to the national economy rather than relying on unsustainable promotional burn rates.

Market Dynamics: Moving Beyond Conventional Offerings

A central pillar of OJK’s critique is that digital banks cannot simply replicate the products and services offered by traditional brick-and-mortar institutions while merely shifting them to a smartphone screen. Simply offering basic savings accounts, standard time deposits, and consumer credit through a mobile application does not constitute a true digital banking business model.

Dian Ediana Rae pointed out that the industry must design innovative financial schemes capable of reaching layers of society that have yet to obtain adequate access to formal banking services. This includes micro-entrepreneurs, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in remote regions, gig economy workers, and agricultural communities who operate largely on cash and lack formal credit histories.

Traditional banks often find these segments unprofitable due to the high operational costs associated with physical branches and manual credit assessments. Digital banks, equipped with advanced data analytics, alternative credit scoring models, and streamlined digital onboarding processes, are uniquely positioned to bridge this gap. However, achieving this requires more than just developing a sleek mobile application; it demands deep integration into digital ecosystems, such as e-commerce platforms, ride-hailing networks, and agricultural supply chains, where everyday economic transactions occur.

Data and Industry Realities: The Performance of Digital Banks

The financial data surrounding Indonesia’s digital banking sector reveals a nuanced picture of high potential tempered by operational hurdles. According to banking statistics published by OJK and Bank Indonesia, digital banks have experienced exponential growth in total assets and third-party funds (deposits) over the past five years. Total customer accounts managed by digital-first platforms have surged into the tens of millions.

However, profitability remains a critical challenge. While a handful of market leaders—supported by robust ecosystems such as GoTo, Sea Group, and major local conglomerates like BCA and Bank Aladin—have successfully transitioned into profitable operations or narrowed their losses significantly, many others continue to face bottom-line pressures.

The data indicates that reliance on high-interest promotional campaigns to attract deposits has driven up the Cost of Funds (CoF) for many digital banks. When interest rates fluctuate or promotional budgets dry up, these digital banks often experience high customer churn rates. OJK’s warning serves as a direct macroeconomic intervention to curb unsustainable interest rate wars and encourage prudent financial management.

Broader Implications and Strategic Imperatives for the Industry

The supervisory directive issued by OJK carries profound implications for the future trajectory of Indonesia’s financial technology and banking sectors. Financial analysts and industry observers have noted several key takeaways from the regulator’s stance:

1. Shift Toward Embedded Finance and Ecosystems

To survive and thrive without relying on gimmicks, digital banks must integrate deeply into the daily digital lives of consumers and businesses. This involves moving away from standalone applications toward embedded finance—where banking services are seamlessly woven into non-financial platforms, such as supply chain management apps for farmers or inventory platforms for mom-and-pop stores (warung).

2. Enhanced Credit Risk Management

With OJK pushing for broader market penetration into underserved segments, digital banks must refine their risk models. Expanding credit access to the unbanked inherently involves higher risk profiles. Therefore, institutions must invest heavily in advanced machine learning algorithms, behavioral analytics, and alternative data sources to assess creditworthiness accurately without relying on traditional collateral.

3. Consolidation and M&A Activity

As regulatory compliance costs rise and the tolerance for loss-making operations diminishes, smaller digital banks lacking strong financial backers or clear differentiation may face increased pressure. Industry consolidation through mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is widely anticipated. Stronger conventional banks or foreign financial institutions may acquire smaller digital players to absorb their technology stacks and customer bases.

4. Consumer Protection and Financial Literacy

True financial inclusion goes hand in hand with financial literacy. OJK’s emphasis on substantive business models implies that digital banks must also take responsibility for educating their users. Transparent fee structures, clear terms and conditions, and responsible lending practices are paramount to ensuring that digital banking does not lead to predatory debt traps for vulnerable populations.

Conclusion

Otoritas Jasa Keuangan’s explicit warning against treating digital banking as a mere promotional gimmick marks a watershed moment for Indonesia’s financial sector. As the industry matures past its exploratory infancy, the regulatory message is unequivocally clear: future success will not be measured by viral marketing campaigns or the sheer volume of transient accounts, but by sustainable innovation, prudent risk management, and meaningful contributions to national financial inclusion.

For digital banking executives and institutional investors, the mandate is set. The coming years will separate fleeting digital experiments from resilient financial institutions capable of driving genuine economic empowerment across the archipelago. By embracing substantive technological solutions and targeting the true pockets of the unbanked economy, Indonesia’s digital banking sector can fulfill its promise as a cornerstone of modern, inclusive economic prosperity.