Jakarta, ResponsiBank – Consumer Fest 2025 was successfully held at the Bhineka Tunggal Ika Auditorium, National Development University (UPN) Veteran Jakarta, on Thursday (November 27, 2025). The festival aimed to raise public awareness of consumer rights, sustainable financial literacy, and build a critical consumer community among young people. The event was organized by civil society organizations within the ResponsiBank Indonesia Coalition, including The PRAKARSA, the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI), and TuK Indonesia in collaboration with the Faculty of Law, UPN Veteran Jakarta.
The festival's highlight was a talk show and exhibition titled "Make Your Money Matter: Realizing Consumer Rights and Protection Through Sustainable Finance." The festival also included a student debate on sustainable finance and consumer rights.
Jati Pramono, Representative of the ResponsiBank Indonesia Coalition and Program Manager of The PRAKARSAIn his remarks, Jati emphasized the importance of the younger generation's role in overseeing the financial system. "Financial issues are not simply a matter of individual discipline, but rather involve power relations within the financial and banking system," he emphasized.
He explained that public funds flowing into the financial sector are not neutral. "These funds can finance the energy transition and green MSMEs, but they can also be used to expand extractive industries that damage the environment," he said. Through the theme "Make Your Money Matter," the coalition encourages young people to question the fate of their money. "We want young people to ask themselves: what is the money they save being used for, and what impact does it have on society?" Jati exclaimed.
Niti Emiliana, Chair of the YLKI Executive Board, revealed an interesting finding from YLKI data regarding consumer complaints. "Although the financial inclusion rate for women and men is almost equal at around 80%, it is women who report the most financial problems," she said.
According to Niti, this correlates with OJK financial literacy data which shows that the level of financial literacy among women (65,58%) is lower than that of men (67,32%).
"The financial services sector has consistently been the top complaint recipient for the past five years," said Niti. For banking, complaints often concern issues such as unethical collection practices. Meanwhile, for online loans (pinjol), the main problem lies in the proliferation of illegal platforms. "According to complaint data, the most common loans are illegal. 47,3% of complaints are about illegal loans. Only 45,2% are legal," she explained.
The Head of the National Consumer Protection Agency (BPKN), Muhammad Mufti Mubarok, revealed that cases of fraud or scam in Indonesia has reached an alarming level. Data shows that three out of every ten people in Indonesia have become victims. scam. "3 out of 10 people are scammed, and the number is increasing," he said.
Mufti confirmed that the financial services sector consistently accounts for the highest number of complaints received by the National Agency for the Protection of Citizens (BPKN), followed by the housing sector. In this context, Mufti emphasized the strategic role of students as agents of change. Therefore, he encouraged students to utilize their potential positively and avoid risky practices such as illegal online loans (pinjol) and online gambling (judol), which can trap them in a "vicious cycle."
Mufti emphasized the importance of a collective fight against scams and encouraged the formation of a community of savvy consumers that includes students. "Literacy is also insufficient at the community level. But we must wage this collective fight, of course, with students and lecturers. These are educated individuals who can truly be at the forefront," Mufti concluded.
Andriyanto Adhi Nugroho, a lecturer at the Faculty of Law at UPN Veteran Jakarta, expressed his support for the importance of transparency in banking regarding the allocation of customer funds. This idea emphasizes that customers have the right to know where their money is being invested by the bank. "From a consumer perspective, it's necessary," Andriyanto emphasized.
He then offered a more progressive perspective, proposing that this transparency should not be viewed merely as a regulatory obligation, but as a standard of service excellence that banks must provide to their customers. Andriyanto argued that if it is viewed as a form of superior service, the Financial Services Authority (OJK) should issue regulations requiring it. Although he acknowledged that implementing it in Indonesia would pose unique challenges, he emphasized the importance of collaboration between all parties, including the community, universities, students, NGOs, and the government, to collectively make corrections and improvements going forward.