MUFG and Bank Danamon reaffirm optimism for local business outlook in Indonesia 2021 Summit and Business Matching Fair

Press Release / 24 February 2021

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Jointly-hosted thought leadership summit underscores cautious optimism for post-pandemic growth in Indonesia, while annual client business matching fair point to potential recovery in FMCG and Healthcare sectors 

Jakarta, 24 February 2021. MUFG Bank, Ltd. (MUFG) and PT Bank Danamon Indonesia Tbk (Bank Danamon) begun the year with two key events as part of their ongoing collaborative commitment towards providing high-quality, value-added services to clients.

The first was the Indonesia 2021 Summit, a one-day thought leadership for clients of the two banks attended by more than 1,100 participants held virtually on 23 February. This is followed by the Business Matching Fair on 24-26 February, a three-day virtual networking platform that connects Indonesian corporates with MUFG’s client network across Japan and Southeast Asia.

Entitled “The Future is Now – Leading in the Era of Disruptions”, the Indonesia 2021 Summit underscored how the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic was a shared global experience that has the ability to create a “better normal”.

Speakers at the Summit shared their hopes for a post-pandemic era where governments and the private sector should collaborate further to promote long-term growth and social cohesion through investments in R&D and technological innovation with access to healthcare, digitalization and infrastructure.

Guest speakers also concluded that the Indonesian corporate sector and domestic consumer market have remained resilient, and with the country’s vaccination programme gathering pace, the country’s economy is well-positioned to accelerate its recovery. Most importantly, as global corporates continues to pivot towards Asia and shift their supply chains closer to ASEAN, Indonesia can capitalize on its strategic location to lead this re-alignment in the region and transform its economy from one that is dependent on natural resources to a knowledge-based, value-added services economy.

The Summit featured distinguished speakers such as the Indonesia’s Minister of State-Owned Enterprises Erick Thohir and Professor Joseph E. Stiglitz, a Nobel Laureate in Economics (2001).

The optimistic outlook is also played out at the second MUFG-Bank Danamon Business Matching (BM) Fair, which saw strong interest from companies in, among others, the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) and healthcare sectors in attendance. This points to ongoing optimism of companies, both foreign and local, on the resumption of domestic demand and economic recovery even as Indonesia makes good progress in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than 260 virtual networking meetings were held during this year’s business matching fair. In attendance were 120 small-to-medium enterprises and large corporates from Indonesia, Japan, and across ASEAN. BM is commonly-practiced by banks in Japan, and MUFG has taken this concept further by connecting its Japanese clients with companies across Asia. To date, MUFG has held more than 20,000 BM meetings in Japan and across major cities in the region.

“The Indonesia 2021 Summit and Business Matching Fair are a reaffirmation of not only MUFG’s long-term commitment to supporting clients in Indonesia, but our ability to leverage our powerful regional network and deep relationships with market leaders such as Bank Danamon to help them maximize opportunities and overcome challenges. We hope the insights shared and relationships developed throughout this week will be useful in helping clients build greater resilience in their businesses and navigate the current markets with greater confidence,” said Daisuke Ejima, Executive Officer, Country Head of MUFG Bank Indonesia.

“2020 is a year full of challenges for companies and corporate players. Strong resilience is needed in order to increase productivity during the ongoing pandemic, as well as build a strong foundation for growth for this year. These two events are a token of appreciation from MUFG and Bank Danamon for our valued customers who have placed their trust in us. We hope what is conveyed in this summit, as well as opportunities explored in the Business Matching Fair, will provide valuable insights to help companies as well as entrepreneurs in designing strategies to grow, and also create new business opportunities that will support the long-term  recovery of the national economy, "said President Director of Bank Danamon, Yasushi Itagaki.

For further information, please contact:

Matthew Hanzel
Corporate Communications Liaison for Indonesia
MUFG Bank, Ltd., Jakarta Branch
Email: matthew_hanzel@id.mufg.jp / corporate_communications@id.mufg.jp

Rezadharana Idris
External Communications Specialist
PT Bank Danamon Indonesia Tbk
Email: Corporate.Communications@danamon.co.id