Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) is placing transaction banking at the centre of its strategy to expand corporate lending, strengthen funding and capture a greater share of the financial activity generated by Indonesian businesses. The approach reflects a change in how banks compete for corporate relationships. Lending remains important, but the ability to process payments, manage liquidity, provide foreign exchange and finance supply chains increasingly determines which institution becomes integral to a customer’s operations. Efransyah Mudani, Wholesale Transaction Digital Channel Division Head at BNI, said transaction banking had become one of the bank’s three largest areas of investment. The objective was to support lending growth with a more sustainable base of current account and savings account (CASA) deposits. In the nine months to September 2026, BNI’s loans increased 22.2% year on year to IDR 992.5 trillion (about $55 billion), while CASA deposits grew 19.6% to IDR 733.7 trillion (about $40 billion). Net interest income rose 13.6% to IDR 33.2 trillion (about $1.8 billion), although net interest margin narrowed by 30 basis points to 3.5%. Fee-based income increased 8.3% to IDR 13.9 trillion (about $760 million). The results indicate growing lending and funding capacity, but do not isolate transaction banking’s contribution. The bank must demonstrate that digital connectivity and deeper customer relationships produce durable deposits, fee income and better risk-adjusted returns. Extending relationships across corporate supply chains BNI is moving beyond financing individual corporate borrowers to serve their suppliers, distributors and customers. Mudani said the bank preferred lending to smaller businesses within established corporate value chains, where payment relationships offer greater visibility into commercial activity and repayment capacity. The approach connects wholesale, commercial, small business and retail customers within the same ecosystem. It can reduce the fragmentation that occurs when a corporate borrower uses one bank for credit but directs collections, supplier payments and operating deposits elsewhere. Mudani said BNI had changed performance indicators to measure not just transaction value but the extent to which payment and financing flows remain within the bank’s network. Relationship managers are expected to develop connected businesses across segments. Weekly reviews involving 17 regional operations examine operating accounts and transactions alongside lending and deposits. He also described approximately 1,700 branches taking on a stronger sales role. The commercial test is whether this broad network increases relationship value rather than simply the number of accounts opened. Retaining more flows can strengthen funding and provide better information for underwriting, but does not automatically make every relationship profitable. Embedding banking in corporate operations BNI is increasingly connecting services directly to corporate systems through application programming interfaces (APIs). Mudani said adoption was spreading beyond technology companies and payment gateways to established conglomerates and state-owned enterprises. He described a port operator whose services required confirmation that funds had been secured before release. An API allowed the banking step to be incorporated into the customer’s operating process, reducing manual intervention and reconciliation. Foreign exchange is another focus. Corporate customers can access rates and execute transactions through their systems rather than rely solely on separate treasury processes. Mudani said the foreign-exchange API had taken approximately two years to develop and implement. The challenge was organisational as well as technical. He described initial resistance within treasury operations over the potential effect of automated, more transparent pricing on margins. BNI also introduced the capability to corporate customers, including at a session with approximately 20 companies, about half of which expressed interest in connecting. For customers, automated execution can improve speed and control. For BNI, it offers a way to retain foreign-exchange activity that might otherwise move to international banks. Whether higher volume offsets narrower margins remains an important measure of success. Linking financing with continuous commerce The same expectation increasingly applies to liquidity information and foreign exchange. Corporate operations may be continuous, but faster execution still requires reliable borrower information, approved limits and controls against fraud. Digital connectivity can accelerate the use of an existing credit facility; it does not replace underwriting. Export proceeds and domestic banking opportunities Indonesia’s Devisa Hasil Ekspor Sumber Daya Alam (DHE SDA) framework governs the placement and use of qualifying natural-resource export proceeds. Bank Indonesia Regulation No. 5 of 2026, effective 1 June, generally directs specified placements towards state-owned banks, subject to applicable exceptions. This creates an opportunity for BNI, but does not mean that every export-related service must move away from private or international banks. The placement requirements are distinct from the broader administration and oversight of strategic commodity exports, including the role described by government statements for PT Danantara Sumberdaya Indonesia (DSI). These arrangements should not be treated as a single regulatory obligation. BNI has also developed an export-proceeds monitoring portal. Mudani said the system, developed in approximately six months, helps customers track receipts and amounts available for permitted use. The opportunity extends beyond compliance to cash management, trade finance and foreign exchange. Nevertheless, deposits placed for regulatory reasons are not necessarily low-cost or long-term funding; the economics depend on their duration, pricing and associated services. Following investment into operating flows Mudani said BNI was working with the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), industrial estates and other organisations to reach companies investing in Indonesia. Its overseas presence, including Singapore and Hong Kong, supports engagement with prospective investors. A new manufacturer may initially need financing, but once production begins it generates recurring payroll, supplier payments, tax obligations, foreign exchange, collections and working-capital requirements. Those flows extend into domestic logistics providers and smaller businesses. BNI is seeking to combine its local reach and regulatory knowledge with the technology and service standards international companies expect. Mudani said it was broadening its franchise beyond state-owned enterprises towards major private conglomerates and their ecosystems. Its domestic advantage must be matched by execution quality to win and retain that business. Cash pooling and relationship intelligence Demand for centralised liquidity management is expanding beyond multinational groups. Mudani cited a hospital group with approximately 20 hospitals seeking better visibility over cash held across its operations. Cash pooling can reduce the need for one entity to borrow while another holds surplus balances, and can deepen the bank’s payment and deposit relationship. Mudani described how BNI is also using a centralised wholesale data foundation and analytical dashboards to help staff prepare for customer discussions and identify relevant services. He wanted relationship managers to provide more informed advice rather than sell products in isolation. Protecting connected corporate customers Deeper system integration also changes the fraud threat. Mudani said attackers were targeting customers’ API credentials, allowing malicious payment instructions to appear authorised even when the bank’s systems had not been breached. BNI has introduced transaction scoring. Mudani said approximately 15 potentially fraudulent transactions had been held or stopped in an initial month. That figure indicates the tool’s use but, without additional data, does not establish its detection rate or the frequency of false positives. Protecting the customer’s credentials and operating environment is becoming integral to maintaining confidence in embedded banking services. Turning scale into returns BNIdirect processed IDR 9,324 trillion (about $512 billion) in transactions in the first nine months of 2026, up 16% year on year. Its reported user base reached 293,000, an increase of 19%. The published figure denotes users; it does not establish the number active during the period. BNI’s strategy links lending with the movement of money and uses domestic capabilities and international relationships to attract more business. But transaction value alone does not measure profitability. Corporate customers expect continuous service, competitive pricing and reliable technology, while fees and foreign-exchange margins remain under pressure. The decisive measures will be the proportion of customer flows retained, the cost and durability of deposits, additional fee income and the risk-adjusted returns from financing the wider corporate ecosystem.
