Research institute Microsave reported that only 0.73 percent of cellphone users in Indonesia have utilized online financial services.
“The figure is lower than those of Malaysia with 5.79 percent and Cambodia with 2.73 percent,” Microsave Country Development Senior Manager Grace Retnowati said on Wednesday, October 12, 2016.
Grace revealed that the number of SIM card users in Indonesia stands at almost 200 million. At least 20 percent of them are cellphone users.
“Mobile device utilization for financial services remains low, although the Internet network coverage has reached 90 percent,” Grace added.
In addition, Grace pointed out that only 36 percent of Indonesian people own bank accounts.
“The awareness level for mobile banking services is only 0.3 percent,” Grace went on.
According to Grace, the digital financial literacy is important for middle-class and low-income people.
“The digital financial services are expected to boost the annual GDP by US$3.7 trillion in 2025 or six percent when compared to the conventional financial services,” Grace said.
Grace suggested that payments made via smartphone would reduce the cost of financial services by 80 to 90 percent.
“The cost efficiency will allow financial institutions to provide low-cost services,” Grace said.