Government Plans to Automatically Provide Bank Accounts When Citizens Turn 17, What About Customer Consent?

On 8 September 2026, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto stated the government’s plan to provide bank accounts to citizens who reach the age of 17, simultaneously with the issuance of their ID cards (KTP).

According to Airlangga, the accounts would be created automatically with the support of BRI and BSI. Each account is also planned to receive an initial balance of Rp50,000 from the government, which may not be deducted for administrative fees. However, at a media briefing on the same day, Minister of Finance Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa emphasized that the scheme was still under discussion. The amount of the initial funding was also still in the range of Rp50,000–Rp80,000.

If this policy is subsequently implemented, its implementation will need to be considered in light of a number of applicable legal provisions, particularly those relating to account opening, population data, legal capacity, and regulatory authority.

Automatic Account Opening: Where Is the Customer’s Consent?

The first question is how the relationship between the bank and the customer is established if the account is created automatically.

Banks are required to apply the Know Your Customer (KYC) principle, including identifying and verifying prospective customers. This obligation is regulated, among others, under Article 18 of Law Number 8 of 2010 and further elaborated in Financial Services Authority Regulation (POJK) Number 8 of 2023.

On the other hand, a bank account creates a legal relationship between the bank and the customer. Article 1320 of the Indonesian Civil Code (KUHPerdata) requires the existence of agreement for a contract to be valid.

Therefore, if accounts are indeed created automatically, the implementing regulations need to explain how the identity of prospective customers will be verified and how consent to establish a legal relationship with the bank will be given.

NIK Used to Open an Account: How Is Personal Data Protected?

This plan also means that population data, including the Population Identification Number (NIK), will be used for banking purposes.

Law Number 27 of 2022 on Personal Data Protection requires the processing of data to have a lawful basis. Such basis does not always have to be consent; compliance with a legal obligation or the performance of a task carried out in the public interest may also constitute a lawful basis.

However, the use of Dukcapil data must still comply with the limits of the relevant authority and the purposes for which the data may be used. Article 79 of the Population Administration Law requires the state to maintain the confidentiality of individual data and regulates the granting of access rights to authorized parties.

Thus, what needs to be explained is not merely “may the NIK be used?”, but what the legal basis is, what data is provided to the bank, for what purposes, and how access and security are controlled.

Being 17 Does Not Necessarily Resolve the Issue of Legal Capacity

An ID card and legal capacity are two different matters.

The Population Administration Law requires Indonesian citizens who are 17 years old to have an electronic ID card (KTP-el). However, under civil law, Article 330 of the Indonesian Civil Code, in principle, still categorizes persons who are under 21 years of age and have never been married as minors. Article 1330 then regulates incapacity to enter into agreements.

Indeed, the age of majority under various laws and regulations in Indonesia is not always the same. Therefore, it is also inaccurate to state that every person aged 17 is necessarily legally incapable of taking legal action.

In the context of a bank account, what is important is how the legal status of the account holder and their authority to conduct transactions are determined. The implementing regulations need to explain whether the consent of a parent or guardian is required and the extent to which an account holder aged 17 may independently use banking services.

Who Has the Authority to Determine the Rules?

The plan to ensure that the initial balance is not deducted for administrative fees also needs to be considered from the perspective of regulatory authority.

BI and OJK do have authority in the financial sector. However, both are independent institutions with their respective duties and powers. Accordingly, coordination with the government is possible, but regulations issued by BI or OJK must still have a clear legal basis for such authority.

The same applies to administrative fees. PBI Number 10 of 2025 gives BI room to establish pricing policies in the operation of payment systems. Meanwhile, POJK Number 24 of 2025 regulates account management at commercial banks, including policies relating to administrative fees.

Accordingly, it needs to be clear what legal instrument will be used to ensure that the initial balance is not deducted and which authority is empowered to determine this.

Whose Money Is the Rp50,000?

The next question concerns the source of the initial balance.

If the funds originate from the State Budget (APBN), their use must comply with state finance regulations. Law Number 17 of 2003, in principle, requires state expenditures to be included in the APBN, and the APBN is established through the approval of the House of Representatives (DPR).

Therefore, it needs to be explained from which budget allocation the funds originate, who the budget-executing authority is, and how the funds will be distributed to the public’s accounts.

If the source is not the APBN, the legal basis and funding mechanism also need to be clarified. This is particularly relevant given that the program has the potential to cover millions of accounts.

Why BRI and BSI?

The Government is preparing BRI and BSI for the initial stage of providing bank accounts to the public. According to Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto on 8 September 2026, the two banks were selected because they have extensive service networks reaching even remote areas.

However, this does not mean that BRI and BSI will be the only banks involved. Secretary of the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs Susiwijono Moegiarso stated that the involvement of the two banks remains at the pilot stage, meaning that other banks may still be involved in the future.

Accordingly, the legal questions are not limited to why BRI and BSI were selected, but also how the two banks were designated as implementing banks and what legal basis underlies their appointment. If this program is subsequently implemented nationwide, there needs to be clarity as to who will be responsible, how the program will be implemented, and who will bear the costs.

More Than Just Opening an Account

The main issue with this plan may not be whether citizens aged 17 can have bank accounts, but rather how such accounts are lawfully established and used. A bank account is not merely an administrative facility that can be created simultaneously with the issuance of an ID card. Once an account is established, a legal relationship arises between the bank and the customer, together with obligations to protect personal data and the customer’s rights and authority over their funds.

Therefore, the mechanism for automatically opening accounts needs to have a clear legal basis. Banks must still be able to explain how the customer’s identity and consent are obtained, how the NIK is used, and how customers aged 17 acquire the authority to access and use their accounts. At the same time, the use of government funds, the determination of administrative fees, and the selection of implementing banks must also be situated within the respective authorities of each institution.