On 3rd June 2016, Perbanas Institute in cooperation with Bank BNI (Bank Negara Indonesia) hosted a public lecture session on the theme of “The Role of Banks within the National Economy in Facing Global Competition” for its postgraduate students. Rector of Perbanas Institute Prof. Dr. Ir. H. Marsudi Wahyu Kisworo accompanied Bank BNI’s Director of Finance and Credit Risk Dr. Rico Rizal Budidarmo at the event which took place at the auditorium of the institute’s Unit III building. Dean of the Perbanas Postgraduate School Dr. Sri Wahyuni along with a number of senior level lecturers of the School also attended the class. Through the public lecture session, attendants were provided with direct insight into the current state of Indonesian banks in addition to potential challenges amidst the ongoing ASEAN Economic Community (AEC).
During the event, Dr. Rico Rizal Budidarmo highlighted five areas which require a higher level of attention from local banks given Indonesia’s role in the AEC including capital funding, funding mismatch, and a marginal decrease. A bank has the potential to bolster its positioning to attain the Qualified ASEAN Bank (QAB) qualification by having a strong capital structure therefore categorising it as regionally competitive. As such, there is a necessity for national banks to increase their competitiveness by offering products that are innovative in boosting efficiency when implemented in banking operations. Furthermore, banks throughout Indonesia are encouraged to optimise electronic banking systems – an area of focus frequently emphasised by Perbanas Institute within its curricula – as the country moves towards a digitised era.
As Indonesia’s leading higher education institution in banking and finance, Perbanas Institute continues to undertake a number of measures to equip its students with industry insight in order to provide solutions to further develop Indonesia’s banking sector.