History

Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) was first established in Purwokerto, Central Java, in 1895 by Raden Arya Wirjatmadja. The bank, which was called Hulp-en Spaarbank der Inlandsche Bestuurs Ambtenaren, or Support and Savings Bank of the Indegenous civil servants, is the first state-onwed bank in Indonesia. After undergoing several changes during the post-independence era, Bank Rakyat Indonesia was transformed into PT. Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) on August 1st 1992, in which 100% ownership of the bank was in the government of Indonesia.  On November 10th, 2003, BRI became a publicly listed company and the government divested 30% of its shares to the public. Since the Go Public, the price of BRI’s shares have always increased and are now included in the Blue Chips shares belonging to the LQ45 group. With the public controlling 43% of its shares, BRI’s shares are actively traded in the capital market. Today, BRI stands out as a strong bank in the midst of the Indonesian economy from the villages to the cities.

Vision

The growth of BRI is regarded as the beginning of Indonesian rural banking. After 115 years of operation, the bank  still focuses its business on microbanking which  making banking products and services accessible for the poor in Indonesia.  This strategy is in line with its  vision  “to become a leading commercial bank that always prioritizes customer satisfaction”.

Mission

To achieve the vision, the bank  has decided on three missions that have to be undertaken, namely:

• Performing the best banking activities focusing on providing services for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises to support Indonesia’s economy.
• Providing excellent services for customers through widespread network, supported by professional HR by implementing GCG.
• Providing optimum added values for all stakeholders

Achievement

As a public bank which  performance must satisfy the stakeholders, BRI has performed  very well. As of December 2010, BRI’s profit was  USD 13   billion. This profit mostly comes from the Units.  Furthermore , the bank  has become the largest bank in Indonesia for five consecutive years in term of profit.

At present, BRI has roughly 70,000 employees, approximately 40,000 of whom are BRI Unit personnel serving micro customers throughout Indonesia. As of December 2010, the bank has built  6971  network offices throughout Indonesia. Through this vast network, BRI runs its business—providing banking products and services for micro as well as corporate customers across the country—to create better economy of Indonesia. Qualified human resources, continuous training and development, robust risk management and internal control system, enhanced management information system, quality service, and incentive program for both employees and customers are some other factors contributing significantly to this success.