Indonesian Bullion Bank Customers Skyrocket in a Year: Govt

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesians’ interest in bullion bank services has grown significantly since their launch in early 2025. The latest data show that the number of customers has risen from 3.2 million in February 2025 to around 5.7 million today.

The bullion bank program was introduced after President Prabowo Subianto officially launched the service on February 26, 2025. In the initial phase, the government granted permission to the State-owned Pawnshop Company (PT Pegadaian) and the state-owned Bank Syariah Indonesia (BSI) to operate gold-based storage and financing services.

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto explained that the volume of gold pawned through Pegadaian has increased sharply over the past year, from 94 tons to 144.7 tons.

“The number of people who have taken advantage of (gold-based) loans has also increased by 38.5 tons or IDR 102 trillion (approx. USD 6.02 billion).

Similarly, at BSI, it has also increased, now reaching 22 tons,” said Minister Airlangga at the launch of “AKSI KLIK” and “AKU BISA SEJAHTERA,” which was held online in Jakarta on Friday, March 6, 2026, as quoted by Antara.

Airlangga noted that the surge in gold purchases has also influenced national inflation dynamics. He said this trend is related to the growing public interest in hedging assets.

He added that when the bullion bank was launched, the global gold price was around USD 3,000 per troy ounce. Now, the value has increased to around USD 5,000 per troy ounce amid global uncertainty due to geopolitical conflicts.

“These achievements cannot be separated from the role of ministries and institutions cooperating with Bank Indonesia (BI) and the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs to promote financial literacy and welfare,” said Minister Airlangga.

Meanwhile, the 2025 National Survey on Financial Literacy and Inclusion conducted by the Financial Services Authority (OJK) and the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) shows that Indonesia’s financial inclusion index has reached 92.74 percent. This figure is higher than the financial literacy index, which remains at 66.64 percent.

Minister Airlangga said that this level of inclusion has exceeded the average of Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries. However, the government still faces challenges in improving public understanding of financial management.

“Financial inclusion has made significant progress. The literacy gap still exists, and we will continue to strive to help people manage risks, especially those related to cash flow and future financial planning,” said Minister Airlangga. ***