Belakang Padang Named Frontier Icon of Indonesia’s Digital Economy by Bank Indonesia
Batam, The Gulf Observer: The Riau Islands Representative Office of Bank Indonesia (BI) has designated Belakang Padang Island in Batam City as a frontier icon of Indonesia’s digital economy, highlighting its growing role as a gateway for cross-border economic activity due to its strategic proximity to Singapore.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Deputy Head of the BI Riau Islands Office, Ardhenius, said that Belakang Padang has increasingly emerged as a “window into Indonesia,” where local cultural identity integrates seamlessly with the country’s digital transformation efforts.
“Belakang Padang Island has become an icon of the digital economy in the border region, where local cultures meet digital technology,” he noted.
He added that the island functions not only as a frontier area but also as a bridge facilitating digital economic interactions between Indonesian and Singaporean citizens.
“Our objective is to prove that digitalization is not exclusive to major cities, as it also reaches outermost islands that stand as windows into this country,” Ardhenius stressed.
As part of the initiative, the BI office has launched an activity aimed at promoting broader use of the Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS) to strengthen the digital economy across Belakang Padang and the Riau Islands Province.
“We envision the activity as an educative and inclusive step toward expanding the reach of the benefits of digital payment for the wider public in their daily activities,” he said.
Ardhenius further highlighted the province’s rapid digitalization, reporting that QRIS transactions reached 33.9 million in 2024—an increase of 117.31 percent from the previous year. By late September 2025, the number had climbed to 64.9 million, with a transaction value of Rp7.7 trillion (over US$460 million).
He emphasized that sustained progress will require active public participation to maintain the upward trend in digital payment adoption.
Meanwhile, Head of the Riau Islands Economy and Development Bureau, Zulhendri, expressed appreciation to Bank Indonesia for supporting the provincial government in extending digital economic services to outer islands. He affirmed the government’s commitment to promoting QRIS usage not only in Batam City but also in remote districts such as Natuna, Lingga, and the Anambas Islands.
