Jakarta. KB Bank recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the Muhammadiyah-affiliated university ITB Ahmad Dahlan for a partnership on improving financial literacy and inclusion via the “Star Edu” program. 

As part of this agreement, KB Bank -- which is part of South Korean banking giant KB Financial Group (KBFG) -- will also provide seamless financial services integration with the Muhammadiyah ecosystem. This includes banking, securities, insurance, credit cards, investments, and specialty credit services. 

KB Bank will introduce a series of financial solutions specifically designed to meet specific needs such as education financing, health financing, entrepreneurship, and social, religious, and community activities. The partnership also encompasses empowerment via digital platforms, among others, through the development of co-branded digital payment solutions, mobile banking applications tailored to the needs of the Muhammadiyah community, and payment systems for education and health services.

The bank also seeks to expand its reach to the unserved segment of the Muhammadiyah community by giving them access to financial services. 

“KB Bank is proud to be in this program. Hopefully, this can help people get well-informed on the basics of managing their finances so they can make wiser financial decisions in the future,”  KB Bank’s vice president director Robby Mondong said. 

KB Bank will hold “Beyond Excellent Trainers”, a training program on general banking for ITB Ahmad Dahlan’s lecturers. KB Bank’s management will be the trainer in these training sessions. 

ITB Ahmad Dahlan’s rector Yayat Sujatna said that the training would take place on March 18-20. About 200 lecturers and practitioners will participate in the program. 

“Hopefully, the lecturers in this program can become trainers for other Muhammadiyah-affiliated campuses. So we can share this with others, which becomes massive and nurtures the educational atmosphere in Muhammadiyah universities,” Yayat said. 

KB Bank’s strategic director Jung Ho Han also commented on the partnership. 

“To help Muhammadiyah universities, we have a huge scope of financial products. Going forward, we wish to support them to grow even better. We will ask our subsidiaries and affiliates also to help the Muhammadiyah ecosystem,” Jung Ho Han said.