Indonesia eyes fintech regulation to avoid ‘loan shark-like’ practices

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Indonesia’s financial regulator said it was considering setting a cap on interest rates and the size of loans offered by fintech firms, in a move aimed at minimizing the risk of defaults.

The emergence of these peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platforms, offering loans ranging from as little as a few hundred dollars to several thousands, has so far been welcomed by Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s biggest economy where tens of millions of people have little or no access to bank credit.

More than 300,000 people have borrowed from these firms, with total loan distribution reaching 3 trillion rupiah ($218 million) as of January, versus 247 billion in December 2016, according to data from the Financial Services Authority (OJK).

Photo courtesy of Water.org.

Source: Reuters (link opens in a new window)

Categories
Finance
Tags
cryptocurrency, financial inclusion, fintech, microfinance, mobile finance, regulations