0 Indonesian Banks, ATMs Hung Out to Dry

While businesses are still assessing the economic impact of the massive floods that engulfed the nation’s capital, top banks in Indonesia have announced that some of their automated teller machines and offices in the Greater Jakarta area were damaged in the deluge. Bank Central Asia, the country’s top lender by value, said that its 40 teller-oriented offices were closed on Friday, including the one at its headquarters. BCA’s headquarters are near the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta. 

“Flooded offices and ATMs did not operate,” BCA president director Jahja Setiaadmadja said in a statement on Friday. The capital’s main business district at Sudirman and MH Thamrin streets were crippled by spillover — up to a meter deep — from the nearby Banjir Kanal Barat river on Thursday, after 193-millimeters of rain poured over Jakarta, according to an estimate by the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG). Many workers were unable to reach their offices. 

Bank Negara Indonesia, the fourth largest lender by assets, also said that it had to close 27 of its 478 branches in the capital due to the flood. It also said that 57 ATMs were not working. “That was due to blocked access, power cuts in the area, and some [ATMs] were submerged,” BNI corporate secretary Tribuana Tunggadewi said on Friday. Some of the hardest hit bank branches were BNI and BCA offices in Bendungan Hilir in South Jakarta, Kelapa Gading in North Jakarta, Pluit in West Jakarta and Grogol in West Jakarta. 

Both lenders said customers can still conduct banking transactions at unaffected branches and ATMs or through Internet banking services. Bank Indonesia said that the settlement system of inter-bank nationwide transactions was not affected by the floods. The central bank’s system includes Real Time Gross Settlement (BI-RTGS), which handles transactions of over Rp 100 million ($10,000), National Clearing System Banks Indonesia (SKN-BI), which handles transactions of less than Rp 100 million, and BI-scripless Securities Settlement System (BI-SSSS) for stock and bond transactions. 

Vehicle finance companies expressed concern that customers would delay their payments because of the floods. “Their cars were submerged in floods and need to be repaired,” said Frenkie Natawidjaya, president director of CIMB Niaga Auto Finance.

source : the jakarta globe