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BRI to provide banking services to Lion Air
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Lion Group co-founder Rusdi Kirana (left), Lion Air president director Edward Sirait (second left), Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) organizational director Kuswiyoto and BRI president director Asmawi Syam (right) sign an agreement at the offices of BRI in Jakarta on Nov. 15. (JP/Anton Hermansyah)
B
ank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI), the country’s biggest lender, will provide banking services such as customer management, payroll and electronic payments to Lion Air.
BRI president director Asmawi Syam said after the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Tuesday that the airline would benefit from the bank's advanced technology, including in satellites. Meanwhile, BRI can also access Lion Air's value chain such as travel agents and other airline supporting business.
"We can give loans to the travel agents and other airline vendors," he said at his office in Jakarta.
Asmawi said the bank would also participate in the airline’s plan to build a small and medium enterprise (SME) center in Manado, North Sulawesi. The bank is interested in re-branding the building to become “BRI SME Center”.
Lion Air president director Edward Sirait said the SME center would be built nearby the 170-room Lion International Hotel.
This is in accordance with the company's plan to increase the number of flights between the city and China.
"We hope to attract 4,000 Chinese tourists a week. It is a big opportunity for SMEs in Manado to sell their handicraft to tourists," Edward said.
Currently, the airline serves direct flights to Manado from six cities in China, namely Changsha, Chongqing, Macau, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Wuhan. (evi)
