Jakarta (Antara Bali) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands discussed the development of financial inclusion in Indonesia, among numerous issues, at a meeting here on Thursday.
"As the queen can coordinate with both the United Nations, the World Bank, and also with prominent foundations, we discussed how to encourage the development of our financial inclusion to make it faster," President Jokowi remarked in a press conference at the Merdeka Palace.
According to the president, Queen Maxima has also reviewed some digital financial applications, such as e-kiosks and Mutual Cooperation Electronic (E-Warong), and an application for savings accounts for students.
During the meeting, President Jokowi and the Dutch queen also discussed ways to improve banking access for micro, small, and medium enterprises; farmers; and fishermen.
"We also seek technical assistance from the UN through Queen Maxima," the head of state noted.
President Jokowi said they also discussed digital financial technology, which is supported by the youth of Indonesia.
During her visit to the Fintech Festival & Conference at the Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE), Queen Maxima also selected two men to assist in the development of financial technology in Indonesia.
"Yesterday, she met some good young kids who have developed applications or software related to financial technology," Jokowi noted.
Queen Maxima paid a courtesy call on President Jokowi in her capacity as the UN Secretary-Generals Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development.
During the three-day visit to Indonesia, Maxima has been reviewing the application of digital financial inclusion in Bogor, West Java, and attended the Fintech Festival & Conference at the ICE in Tangerang.
Earlier, the queen also met Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi at the Foreign Ministry building on Tuesday evening. During the meeting, Maxima lauded the development of inclusive financing in Indonesia.
Queen Maximas visit commenced with a trip to SMP Negeri 1 to review the student savings program, or Simple program, managed by PT Bank Negara Indonesia Tbk.
During the visit, Queen Maxima engaged in a dialog with one of the students related to the Simple program to seek more information on its benefits.
The queen also shed light on how to make transactions relating to the Simple savings account. Some students enthusiastically heard her explanation.
Following her visit to SMP Negeri 1, Queen Maxima later met a BRILink Smart Agent on Jalan Achmad Sobana in the Bantarjati area.
She then witnessed the implementation of E-Warong belonging to the Business Group (KUBE) in Sempur Village. (WDY)
