REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- State lender Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) has set a target of disbursing loans worth Rp19 trillion to small and medium-sized businesses (KUR) this year, which is more than 50 percent of the national target of Rp36 trillion.
As of October 2013, the bank had extended Rp82.2 trillion in such loans, known as KUR, to 8.9 million borrowers, BRI corporate secretary Muhamad Ali said on Thursday.
"Despite a massive expansion in KUR, BRI will continue to encourage small and medium businesses to shift to commercial credit," he said in a press statement released here on Thursday.
The number of KUR borrowers who shifted to commercial credit at the bank reached more than 823 thousand as of October 30, 2013, while the value of credit reached more than Rp12.8 trillion, he added.
The amount of KUR categorized as non-performing loans (NPLs) accounted for only 2.22 percent of overall KUR, suggesting that the development of small and medium-sized businesses has been effective, he noted.
The availability of competent personnel for handling KUR operations has been important in the bank's success in lending to small and medium business enterprises, he added.
"To date, the bank has around 18 thousand professionals directly involved in ensuring the success of KUR operations. They hold various posts, ranging from chiefs of BRI units and administrative staff members to KUR supervisors and KUR assistant supervisors," he said.
He pointed out that the bank's small and medium sized business network currently covered 7,646 units across Indonesia.
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