BRI Partners with Grab to Enable Buka Rekening Digital Saving

BRI has recently reported to partner with Grab as a digital platform to enable online-based account opening (digital saving).

Based on DailySocial observation, the collaboration can be seen from the promotional banners displayed on the main page of the Grab application. From its official website, BRI said that this program is valid from July 14 to July 20, 2020.

Grab adds up to BRI's collaboration with digital platforms in Indonesia. Previously, BRI had collaborated with Tokopedia and Traveloka to introduce BRI Ceria or digital loans for transactions through e-commerce or online travel sites.

BRI is known to aggressively increase the number of customers through digital platforms. A week earlier, BRI had just introduced an online-based account opening through the BRI Open Account platform. This service is accessible through the official website bukarekening.bri.co.id.

This service allows customers to create new accounts without having to visit the bank and directly meet the staff. The company utilizes face recognition and digital signature technology in the KYC process. Potential customers who make online accounts will automatically become BRI internet banking users (BRImo).

"We are targeting to add 1 million new customers through this online account opening channel," BRI's Consumer Director Handayani said in her official statement.

Separately, BRI's Digital Director, Information Technology and Operations Indra Utoyo revealed that this collaboration is quite a big picture of the state-owned banks to move into the "banking everywhere" era.

"Now, there is another way to open an account besides BRImo application. Prospective customers can use partner's platforms, such as e-commerce partners, ride-sharing, fintech, and others. This platform is the front-end of our service," Indra told DailySocial.

Digital saving with digital platforms

In general note,  Indonesian banking is now increasingly open in utilizing digital technology to increase the number of its customers. Not only application-based banking services and Open API, but also offers digital-based account opening.

Some banks already offer online account opening services, however, mostly through mobile banking applications, such as BRI, CIMB Niaga, Mandiri, and PermataBank applications.

In BRI's case, the company utilizes the digital platform as a front-end for digital banking services. To date, BRI has collaborated with Grab, Tokopedia (BRI Ceria), and Tokopedia (BRI Ceria).

This is a proof of Indonesian banks' effort to change the conventional approach to consumers. Moreover, many unbanked segments in Indonesia with limited access to branch offices is quite an obstacle. This has become a strategic collaboration with the support of the application platform and customer base.

"The digital essence is to provide solutions and benefits to customers to make it faster, better, and more efficient. BRI became the first bank to offer a full digital account opening and has been approved by the Financial Services Authority (OJK). Other players still have the KYC process with video calls and meet at physical outlets. "

–Original article is in Indonesian, translated by Kristin Siagian