PORTALJABAR, BANDUNG CITY - The Bandung City Government is opening wider access to financing for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through collaboration with Bank bjb.

Bandung Mayor Muhammad Farhan said that access to capital is one of the main needs for MSMEs to develop and increase the scale of their businesses.

"The provision of credit capital by bjb is one of the efforts to ensure that micro-entrepreneurs gain access to the banking world," he said at the Great MSMEs of Bandung City Strong with Bank bjb event at the Multipurpose Building of Bandung City Hall, Thursday (20/8/2026).

According to Farhan, the credit value that MSMEs can access is quite varied, ranging from IDR 5 million to IDR 1.5 billion, depending on the scale of the business and the level of feasibility of each business.

In addition to access to capital, the Bandung City Government also encourages business actors to complete their business legality to make it easier to obtain financing support.

According to Farhan, developing an MSME ecosystem requires the involvement of all parties, from business actors, banks, the public as consumers, to the government as regulator.

"Because we're talking about the environment and its interconnectedness, the first thing we need to build when we want to build an ecosystem is the actors. All the actors are already here, especially MSMEs," said Farhan.

According to him, MSMEs are one of the drivers of the community's economy. Therefore, strengthening micro-enterprises doesn't always have to start with distant markets, but can be built by strengthening markets in the surrounding area.

"Most importantly, display your MSMEs' merchandise in the community first. Do people buy what you're selling? That's crucial because that's what building a market is all about," he said.

Farhan cited the development of several Bandung culinary specialties, such as cilok (traditional fried meatballs), cireng (fried chicken), and seblak (fried chicken), which have now penetrated a higher market segment. He believes this demonstrates the creativity of MSMEs in improving product quality and image.

"Cilok and cireng have entered restaurants. This means that in the last 10 years, culinary entrepreneurs have succeeded in elevating the image of cilok, cireng, and seblak to the culinary world," he said.

He believes that developing MSMEs is increasingly important, as the open unemployment rate in Bandung City remains around 7 percent. Therefore, MSMEs are expected to grow and absorb more workers.

Farhan stated that there are approximately 12,000 registered MSMEs in Bandung City. Their turnover growth is recorded at around 25 percent, while their business assets grow by an average of 10.9 percent.

"What is needed now is the strength of MSMEs, micro, small, and medium enterprises, which must grow large and absorb as much labor as possible," he said.

Meanwhile, Bank bjb President Director Ayi Subarna said that strengthening MSMEs is an important part of Bank bjb's role as a regional development partner.

"As of June 2026, Bank bjb managed consolidated assets of approximately Rp228 trillion, with total loans and financing reaching Rp140.4 trillion. The bank's growth must be in line with the growth of society and the business world," said Ayi.

He revealed that as of July 31, 2026, Bank bjb's People's Business Credit (KUR) disbursement had reached approximately IDR 405 billion. Meanwhile, outstanding MSME financing reached approximately IDR 3.37 trillion.

Ayi said that financing success is not solely measured by the amount of credit disbursed.

"Financing success isn't just about how much credit is disbursed, but also about how well that financing enables businesses to grow, upgrade, and become more independent," he said.

According to Ayi, the activity also serves as a forum for bringing together MSMEs with knowledge of financing, markets, and business opportunities.

"MSMEs cannot grow alone. The government, regulators, banks, and MSME players must work together," he said.

Meanwhile, the Head of the West Java Financial Services Authority (OJK), Darwisman, emphasized the importance of financial literacy and inclusion in MSME development. He stated that access to financing must be accompanied by financial management skills and a strengthened business ecosystem.

"The problem with MSMEs isn't just access to finance. Bankability, capacity, market access, and the ecosystem also need to be strengthened," Darwisman said.

He believes that providing credit without assistance and market access can pose risks for businesses. Therefore, MSMEs need education, assistance, product quality improvements, and market access.

Darwisman also encouraged Bandung City's MSMEs to enter the digital ecosystem so that local products can reach a wider market.

"MSMEs must go modern and digital. Your products won't just be purchased by people in West Java, but will be accessible throughout Indonesia and even the world," he said.

Furthermore, Darwisman reminded MSMEs to avoid loans from loan sharks and "emok" banks. He encouraged the public to utilize formal financing, which offers lower interest rates and safer mechanisms.

"Don't go to loan sharks, don't go to banks. With bjb, especially KUR, the interest is much lower," he said.

Darwisman also appreciated the Bandung City program in empowering MSMEs and handling loan shark practices.

(Bandung City Communications and Information Service/rka)