TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) CEO Achmad Baiquni, said that there is little possibility for state-owned banks to not be able to pay back loans from the China Development Bank (CDB). "Possibilities [of a default] is very unlikely compared to [state-owned banks] total asset value," Achmad said during a meeting with Commission XI of the House of Representatives on Tuesday, March 15, 2016.
Achmad explained that the US$ 3 billion loan given by the CDB to BNI is only 2.9 percent of the bank’s total asset value of Rp. 478.7 trillion. Combined with assets from another state-owned bank, the Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI), which has a total asset of Rp 845.9 trillion, the number is just 1.4 percent of both banks total assets.
Achmad said that the loan was made to fund government infrastructure projects.. However, Achmad hinted at the possibilities of fund utilization for sectors other than infrastructure. "In disbursing credits, we prioritize standard operational principle, and prudential principle," Achmad said.
Bank Mandiri CEO Budi Gunadi Sadikin, said that the bank prioritizes loans for low-risks customers, specifically, the bank's long-time customers. "We focus on several names," Budi said.
In addition, Budi stated that Bank Mandiri will be focusing on loans for the infrastructure sector, although other sectors are also open for possibilities. "The CDB loan is intended for three [sectors], actually, industrial sector, infrastructure sector, and trade," Budi explained.
DIKO OKTARA