Because the Change From Retail to Wholsesale

DENPASAR – Bank Andara is so new in Bali Island. This bank is a metamorphose of Bank Sri Partha, which had been acquired by several foreign investors. And then the owner and the new management changed the bank’s name to Bank Andara. Though, they still want to appear as one of financial institutions that can improve the economics of Bali population.

Bank Andara Director Irianto Kusumadjaja answered to this newspaper yesterday said, the bank acquisition process has been happened in 2008. And then there was a change in the name last April. The acquisition is now already complete. That includes employee, asset and share ownership.

 “From more than 500 ex-Sri Partha employees, there was only 5 percent that was kept to Bank Andara management. The rest of them got resigned according to the regulation,” said Irianto Kusumadjaja.

Irianto said, Bank Andara is lean, compared as Bank Sri Partha was. Only at least 100 were employed. This is because of the fundamental change in the new management, which from retail (as Sri Partha) to be a wholesale bank. This means the bank only serve microfinance institutions (MFI), such as rural banks (BPR), cooperatives and village credit institutions (LPD).

“We are not only distribute credits to the clients (BPR, Cooperatives and LPD, Red), but also providing technology and trainings. So that their work will be more efficient and growing,” he said.

If BPR and the others had reach the efficient performance because of good technology and management support, it was expected that the bank interest rate that will be applied to the people will go lower. Then the people who get benefit from BPR credits, cooperatives and LPD loan can grow their small business. For a home industry the maximum credit to be given was Rp 5 million.

Explained by Bank Andara Director Irianto Kusumadjaj, their party was on BPR market in cooperation with Branch Perbarindo. From about 140 BPR, part of them were already become Bank Andara client. The maximum loan for a BPR was Rp 1 billion. While Bank Andara also receive deposito from clients about Rp 100 million at minimum.