Jakarta. Pawnshop Pegadaian recently took part in empowering Indonesian micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) at the recent bazaar campaign BerKRIYAsi in Makassar.

Pegadaian also partnered with other state-owned enterprises (SOEs), namely Bank Tabungan Negara, Perusahaan Gas Negara, Angkasa Pura, Semen Indonesia, and Biro Klasifikasi Indonesia for this bazaar. As many as 86 MSMEs sold handicraft goods from Makassar, Toraja, and other nearby regions. This includes wearables, home decors, footwear, bags, souvenirs, and many more. The BerKRIYAsi bazaar also had workshops, talk shows as well as live music performances. The bazaar also came packed with tons of discounts and vouchers.

The event also received praise from the South Sulawesi’s handicrafts council and the provincial government. 

Pegadaian’s President Director Damar Latri Setiawan said that his company would give full support for activities involving local MSMEs. As a company that is in the non-banking financial sector, Pegadaian strives to help MSMEs level up by providing them with financing and mentoring programs.

“Pegadaian seeks to boost people’s economy and prosperity, including those of the MSMEs. We won’t just focus on financing, but we are committed to educating and mentoring these MSMEs through our [GadePreneur] mentorship initiative. We also wish to help with their promotions,” Damar was quoted as saying in a press statement.

“We hope that this BerKRIYAsi bazaar can be a platform for the MSMEs to promote their products so people become more aware and proud of using local products. This way, we can support MSMEs to level up and even reach the global markets,” Damar said.

Loto Srinaita Ginting, an expert staff at the SOE Ministry, said that the ministry had made some initiatives to support MSMEs. The support might come in the form of state-owned companies’ corporate social responsibility programs, the so-called Rumah BUMN, microloans, and other financing products by SOEs. 

“We hope that the SOEs’ financing support can help prevent MSMEs from being trapped in illegal online loans,” Loto Srinaita Ginting said.

Other forms of support include the PaDi UMKM digital platform and bazaars. The ministry and SOEs have planned 12 MSME bazaars so far this year across 7 Indonesian major cities:

Jakarta, Bandung, Medan, Denpasar, Balikpapan, Makassar, Labuan Bajo. The final MSME Bazaar will take place in Labuan Bajo and Jakarta next month. The bazaar visitors make their payments using the PaDi UMKM platform.