Banks offer micro finance to Gojek drivers

Bank Tabungan Negara (BTN), Bank Negara Indonesia Syariah (BNI Syariah) Syariah and Permata Bank Syariah are offering Gojek drivers micro financing.

BTN is offering housing loans while BNI Syariah and Permata Bank Syariah provide haj and umrah savings products to the drivers. Gojek drivers can make payments of Rp 20,000 (US$1.49) to Rp 40,000 per day, which will automatically be deducted from their daily income.

"We provide subsidized mortgages and micro mortgages to the drivers. For the subsidized mortgage, the limit is Rp 140 million with a 1 percent down payment and a 5 percent annual interest rate for a 10-year tenor," BTN consumer banking director Handayani said during the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signing in Jakarta on Tuesday.

“With the scheme, the drivers can buy 26-to 36-square-meter houses on plots of land measuring 60 to 70 square meters.”

The micro mortgage program has a credit limit of Rp 100 million, with an annual interest rate of 5.7 percent for 10 years, she said, adding that the micro mortgage program was for renovations or the construction of new houses.

She added that the pilot project involved 1,600 drivers, but only 972 had been approved by Bank Indonesia.  

Meanwhile, for the haj and umrah facility, BNI Syariah president director Abdullah Firman Wibowo said Gojek drivers had to pay Rp 20,000 to 30,000 daily and in two years their balances would reach Rp 20 million, the minimum amount required to register for haj or umrah. (Anton Hermansyah)