Day: October 17, 2021

The Indonesian Fintech Lenders Association (AFPI) has lauded the Indonesian Police’ firm crackdown on illegal online lending firms that have unsettled the public.

“AFPI offers its highest appreciation to the Indonesian Police, for its legal measures taken against illegal online lenders. The move is expected to restore public order,” AFPI Head Adrian Gunadi said in a statement here on Sunday.

The move, he continued, would protect the public from high-interest loan, rude and unethical debt collecting, and the use of customers’ personal data.

In support to the police’ move against the illegal lending firms, the association has expelled PT Indo Tekno Nusantara from its membership on October 15, as the company received orders from illegal online lenders to collect debts.

AFPI has 160 member companies and 43 associates that include debt collecting service firms.

During 2021, the association has received 3,747 complaints on illegal online lending practices, most of them for unethical debt collecting.

According to AFPI, the illegal online lending practices have increased amid the easiness to create web applications; low financial literacy among the public, and gap in financing.

“AFPI whose members are P2P (peer-to-peer) fintech lending companies has called on the public to remain vigilant and avoid the traps of illegal online lenders,” he said.

People should know the characteristic of illegal online lending firms, among others, not registered in the Financial Service Authority (OJK), unclear loan rates and periods, unreliable information on their websites, and requiring many personal data, Gunadi said.

Illegal online lending operations have grown exponentially in the past two years amid the growing popularity of financial technologies apps during the C0VID-19 pandemic.

President Joko Widodo has ordered law enforcers to increase surveillance of illegal lending practices.

Source: Antara News

G20 trade ministers reaffirmed their commitment to contribute to the economic recovery from COVID-19 as stipulated in a joint statement issued at the G20 Trade and Investment Ministers’ Meeting (TIMM) in Sorrento, Italy.

“The pandemic has taught us an important lesson that under Italy’s Presidency, G20 Trade Ministers are capable of being present and agree to return trade as the engine of economic recovery,” Indonesian Trade Minister Muhammad Lutfi noted in his statement received here on Sunday.

Lutfi said that Indonesia is ready to bear the responsibility of G20 Presidency in 2022 while ensuring that all members could recover together and grew stronger next year.

This year’s meeting has also become an opportunity for Indonesia to encourage the world to recover and revive together from the COVID-19, he added.

This spirit became Indonesia’s mission during its G20 Presidency with the primary theme of “Recover Together, Recover Stronger”, he continued.

While opening the G20 TIMM held on October 12, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Luigi Di Maio underscored the challenges of global economic recovery that require concrete action from all G20 members, including in the trade and investment sector.

This is due to the fact that trade is one of the main pillars in economic growth and inclusive development.

Italy, as the chairman of G20 in 2021, prioritizes collective action in trade and investment based on the 3P — People, Planet, and Prosperity — by focusing on resilient, strong, sustainable and inclusive economic recovery

To this end, TIMM discussed several topics related to trade and investment policies: trade and health, trade and environmental sustainability; micro, small, and medium enterprises’ (MSMEs) participation in the world trade; services and investments; the government’s support specifically in the industry sector; and WTO reform.

The discussion was focused on reaching a consensus for the Ministerial Statement that will become a part of G20 Rome Leaders’ Declaration commitment.

Source: Antara News

Trade Minister Muhammad Lutfi has expressed hope that the Indonesia Marketing Association (IMA) consistently supports small and medium-scale industry and marketing professionals to boost the country’s export.

“I offered my appreciation to the IMA for its cooperation to strengthen micro, small and medium-scale enterprises to make them able to compete in export markets. I hope that the IMA can play its active role in improving the quality of marketing professionals to boost Indonesia’s export,” Lutfi said in a statement here on Sunday.

He congratulated the association on the convening of IMA’s national meeting. The biennial meeting has re-elected Suparno Djasmin as IMA’s President.

IMA’s co-founder Hermawan Kartajaya has lauded the performance of the association’s leadership for 2019-2021 term that reflected IMA’s values of innovation spirit, entrepreneurship, and humanity-based digital approach.

IMA’s national meeting was held virtually on Saturday (Oct 16) and attended by some 1,000 members.

The mandate to lead the association would become a momentum of improving achievements and initiatives during the previous term, IMA’s President Suparno Djasmin said, adding that he needs active support from all members.

“In line with our commitment to increasing IMA’s role as a platform to develop networking and knowledge, we have been implementing various programs and digital innovation since 2019,” he said.

IMA has 47 chapters across Indonesia with more than 873 active members. Some 607 of them have bagged the Certified Professional Marketer (CPM).

Source: Antara News

The Indonesian Pavilion at the Expo Dubai 2020 has received more than 50 thousand visitors since this one of the world’s biggest events commenced on October 1, 2021, according to the Indonesian Trade Ministry.

Highlighting the theme of “Creating the Future, From Indonesia to the World”, the pavilion promotes the country’s potency, innovation, and advancement through various weekly themes and business forums.

“We were so excited since our day of arrival here due to the high enthusiasm of visitors,” Director General of the National Export Development at the Trade Ministry Didi Sumedi said.

Within two weeks, the Indonesian Pavilion has been visited by more than 50,000 people, he said in a statement that ANTARA received here Sunday.

Besides introducing more than 300 export-ready products from micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and holding more than 75 business forums, Indonesia’s culture is also promoted through music and dance performances.

Folk songs and traditional dances from various regions in Indonesia, including West Sumatra’s Tari Piring (Plate Dance), and East Java’s Gandrung, and Ngremo Dances are performed at the event everyday, he said.

“The Indonesian Pavilion has become a cure for the homesickness. My family and I visit Indonesia for vacation every year, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we cannot go,” said Benon Patentreger, a visitor.

Patentreger lauded the pavilion partly owing to its vibrant presence as it it shows the beauty of Indonesia’s nature and diversity of its cultural richness.

The Indonesian Pavilion at the Expo Dubai 2020 also showcases the nation’s diverse array of cultures and arts to the world through Indonesia’s National Day on November 4, 2021.

The National Day will be held at Al Wasl Plaza, which is regarded as the most luxurious and strategic location since it was also chosen to be the venue for this event’s opening ceremony.

During the National Day, Indonesia will showcase art and cultural shows that highlight the nation’s cultural diversity and richness in spices and natural resources.

After being postponed in 2020 due to the global pandemic of novel coronavirus disease, the Expo Dubai 2020 is finally held from October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022.

Apart from the postponement, the expo organizers still retained the 2020 branding of the event that highlights the theme “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”.

Source: Antara News

Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas stated that halal certification has been made mandatory for medicine, cosmetics, and consumer goods products starting on Sunday, October 17, 2021, as stipulated in the Government Regulation No.39 of 2021 pertaining to the Implementation of Halal Product Insurance.

“The mandatory of halal certification on drugs, cosmetics, and consumer goods starts to be imposed as the second phase of its mandatory has been commenced from October 17, 2021 to October 17, 2026,” Qoumas informed in a press statement issued here on Sunday.

The staging which is aimed at ensuring the halal-certified mandatory on products, as stipulated in the regulation, can be well-implemented as well as preventing the upcoming difficulties faced by especially business players in maintaining and developing their businesses, he expounded.

The product coverage in halal product insurance is very wide, including foods, beverages, drugs, cosmetics, chemical products, biological products, genetically-modified products, and consumer goods worn, used, and benefited by the public.

“The staging policy is inevitable in implementing the halal-certified mandatory,” he emphasized.

The ministry’s Halal Certification Agency (BPJPH) Head Muhammad Aqil Irham added that the staging of halal-certified mandatory for product is stipulated in details in Article 139 of the Government Regulation (PP) No. 39 of 2021.

The article regulates the halal-certified mandatory on product types to be conducted in stages.

The first stage comprises (a) food and beverage products; (b) raw materials, food additives, and auxiliary materials for food and beverage products; and (c) results of the slaughtered and slaughtering services.

Meanwhile, Article 140 stipulates the staging of halal-certified mandatory on such products to be started from October 17, 2019 to October 17, 2024.

The second phase of the halal-certified mandatory is stipulated in Article 141 of PP No. 39 of 2021, encompassing various types of products, from traditional medicine, health supplement, free drugs, to consumer goods.

“In the anniversary of BPJPH, I urged all related stakeholders, including ministries/institutions, regional administrations, higher educational institutions, mass organizations, and all spheres of community, to welcome the second phasing of the halal-certified mandatory,” he said.

To this end, Irham called on the stakeholders to continue to work in synergy and support halal product insurance to be successfully implemented in Indonesia through a slogan “do charity sincerely, work professionally, and gain results optimally.

Source: Antara News

Digital marketing has enabled many micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Lampung Province to survive, and even book increases in sales in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic, a local government official.

“Several MSMEs that we met are able to increase productions and improve revenues thanks to digital marketing,” Head of Lampung’s Cooperatives and MSMEs Office Syamsurizal Ari said here Sunday.

According to Ari, during the COVID-19 pandemic, travel and public activity restrictions have been imposed but his office continues to encourage local MSMEs to survive and seek new opportunities through online sales.

To this end, the Lampung administration would continue to empower the institutional and human resources of local MSMEs to enable them to have better performance, and to bolster economic growth during the pandemic.

“We offer several programs, including training of how the MSME actors can utilize digital marketing,” he said.

Based on Bank Indonesia’s (BI’s) survey, around 83 percent of 2,970 MSMEs in Lampung got affected by COVID-19 but some 70 percent of the affected MSMEs managed to survive by utilizing digitalization in their marketing.

He also urged the MSMEs not to be fixated on existing platforms since the definition of digitalization is broad.

Therefore, they can use such social media platforms as WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook to publicize or to market their products.

“Our job with other related organizations is to provide the MSMEs with mentorship on how to do product marketing, narration, and visualization together so they can be more ready in this digital era,” he stated.

Source: Antara News