Banking on warungs

• Bukalapak, the 500-backed e-commerce giant, is looking to turn merchants on its platforms into banking agents, The New York Times reports.
• Here’s how it works: These warung operators will be introduced to a service from PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk, which is one of Indonesia’s largest lenders.
• The partnership is designed to serve consumers without bank accounts, or more than half of the country’s 270 million population, according to the World Bank.
• As a result of the partnership, consumers can deposit and withdraw cash at these shops and perform money transfers and payments.
• The shops, the bank and Bukalapak will each get a share of fees, CEO Rachmat Kaimuddin says.

• Last month, Bukalapak and fellow 500-backed ridesharing company Grab together launched an initiative to empower these MSMEs.
• Named GrabKios, it is designed to provide digital products on the Mitra Bukalapak platform which could be sold by kiosk owners and agents to their customers to continue earning and diversifying income amidst the pandemic.

The top spot

• Despite facing an unprecedented situation spurred by the coronavirus pandemic, 500-backed hotel company RedDoorz has been soldering on, with the introduction of new features such as the Hygiene Pass, a collaboration between RedDoorz and the Indonesian Public Health Expert Association (IAKMI).

• The aim is to create hygiene and sanitation standardization for the industry as preventive measures during the Covid-19 pandemic. The program also aims to boost travelers’ confidence in hotels.
• Its resolve to strive during this difficult period has earned the company the #1 spot for the most considered hotel brand in Indonesia, per latest data from YouGov, the company announced on LinkedIn.

• “We take our role as an industry leader with great care and responsibility. Indonesian travelers are putting a great deal of trust in our efforts as evidenced by our brand being listed as the most considered hotel brand in Indonesia even during this crisis by a YouGov BrandIndex research. This further cements RedDoorz well as the leader in the local hospitality industry,” Adil Mubarak, RedDoorz Vice President of Operations said in a statement.
• Congrats on the award, RedDoorz!

Improving fish and shrimp feeding with IoT

• 500-backed and Indonesia-based eFishery, an IoT startup building smart solutions for shrimp and fish feeding, has been awarded a US$100,000 grant as recognition for its efforts in addressing the challenges resulting from the global pandemic.
• One of the measures eFishery has taken to help fish farmers in Indonesia is by acting as a middleman. For example, it buys fish from farmers in bulk, freezes them, and distributes them to local F&B outlets and NGOs.
• The grant is part of the Unreasonable Impact Covid-19 Response, an initiative set up by Unreasonable Group and Barclays to shed light on companies that have pivoted their businesses to address emerging needs.

• Last week, eFishery with 9 nine other recipients, shared the “stage” at the Unreasonable Impact Global Summit alongside Arianna Huffington, Andrew Yang, Madame Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and Armando “Pitbull” Perez.

• Founded in 2013, eFishery focuses on creating tech-based solutions for fish and shrimp farming, including a smart feeder, cloud-based dashboard and data platform. These help farmers deal with risk management, supply inefficiencies, lack of financing and market access.

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