GPN Debit Cards Distribution Below Target

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The distribution of the National Payment Gate (GPN) cards falls short, with only 17.6 million cards distributed as per November last year. The figure reflects a mere 15 percent of the target, while the government had expected distribution to reach 30 percent last year.

Muhammad Gumilang, Sr. VP for Consumer Deposit at Bank Mandiri, said one of the difficulties faced by banks was that the distribution of GPN cards is still concentrated in secondary cities, where activations are far more developed compared to big cities, such as Jakarta.

"Customers in primary cities have more needs for their debit cards, such as online shopping, e-commerce transactions and overseas transactions," he said.

The GPN debit cards still do not have these features yet.  "We are pushing for this; to give GPN carsa added values," Gumilang said.

Meanwhile, Bank Indonesia's (BI) executive director for electronification and national payment gateways, Pungky Purnama Winowo, said that there are 150.69 million ATM/debit cards in circulation. There are for 28.5 million (printed) debit cards with the GPN logo, of which 17.6 million had been distributed.

GHOIDA RAHMAH