BNI to Acquire Banks

Monday, 26 November, 2007 | 16:22 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Batam: PT Bank Negara Indonesia Tbk. (BNI) is preparing to acquire several consumer-based private banks also small- and medium-scaled enterprises.

Bien Subiantoro, BNI's Director of Syariah Commercial and Business, said that the acquisition will be begun this year and last until 2008.

One of the banks to be acquired is a bank whose head office is in Denpasar, Bali, and the negotiation process with the bank is almost completed.

“There's a possibility that late this year it'll be completed,” he said, however refused to name the bank.

“What is clear is the bank has a strong micro credit network in Bali, with a market segment under Rp50 million,” he said after opening the “Capacity Building Socialization and Training of Partnership and Environment Reservation Program” event in Batam last week.

In addition to this bank in Denpasar, another bank being aimed at is a private bank based in Semarang.

BNI's Managing Director, Sigit Pramono, previously made a similar statement.

Since the beginning, the bank he leads has decided to grow through two paths, organic and anorganic.

Through the anorganic path, bank consolidations are carried out through mergers or acquisitions.

Bien went on to say that acquisitions were carried out to strengthen BNI's plan to add to the financing portion for non-corporate credit.

This consisted of financing for small- and medium-size business credit; consumers and syariah.

BNI has set a target of disbursed credit to finance this segment to be 60 percent.

The remainder will be channeled for corporate credit.

By to the end of this year, BNI's non-corporate credit is targeted to be around Rp17.5 trillion, a 24 percent increase compared to last year's Rp13.8 trillion.

Bien said he was optimistic that this target will be met.

The reason for this was that up to September, disbursed credit had already reached Rp16.5 trillion.

DEWI RINA