TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

WeChat, Alipay yet to have agreements to operate in Indonesia: BI

News Desk (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Fri, January 18, 2019 Published on Jan. 18, 2019 Published on 2019-01-18T13:20:04+07:00

Change text size

Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone

Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
WeChat, Alipay yet to have agreements to operate in Indonesia: BI An illustration shows the smartphone menu icon for Alipay, a popular digital payment platform in China that is owned by the Alibaba Group. (Shutterstock.com/charnsitr)

B

ank Indonesia has said WeChat and Alipay -- two payment instruments from China -- do not have a formal agreement with local banks and therefore cannot operate legally in the country.

BI Deputy Governor Sugeng said three banks were in the process of completing documents to cooperate with the foreign e-wallets -- private lenders Bank Central Asia (BCA) and CIMB Niaga as well as state-owned lender Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI).

He added that BCA and BRI’s documents have not yet been submitted to the central bank. “Meanwhile, CIMB Niaga has completed its document and it has been submitted to BI,” said Sugeng in Jakarta on Thursday as quoted by kotan.co.id.

It was previously reported that BCA and BRI were cooperating with Alipay, which is affiliated to Alibaba Holdings, while CIMB Niaga would cooperate with WeChat, which is owned by Tencent Holdings.

Meanwhile, state-owned lender Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI), which initially planned to cooperate with the two payment instruments, has delayed its plans.

BNI president director Achmad Baiquni said on Tuesday the bank would wait on plans by the three state-lenders to establish a financial technology firm.

Sugeng said after the documents have been submitted to BI by the local banks to seek cooperation with foreign payment platforms, the central bank would check the operational system to see whether it would be safe for local consumers to carry out transactions.

He stressed that if the foreign e-wallets operated in the country without collaborating with local banks they would violate BI regulations.

“We will be monitoring and supervising the process,” Sugeng added. (bbn)

 

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.

Share options

Quickly share this news with your network—keep everyone informed with just a single click!

Change text size options

Customize your reading experience by adjusting the text size to small, medium, or large—find what’s most comfortable for you.

Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone

Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!

Continue in the app

Get the best experience—faster access, exclusive features, and a seamless way to stay updated.