To coincide with this March's Global Women's Day, Indonesian financial technology company Dana and Ant Group launched a program called SisBerdaya, which is a three month program that provides guidance and competition for Indonesian women entrepreneurs to help them improve their business management and digital skills, enable them to remain competitive in the digital economy, while innovating and advancing their business. The plan has received support from the Indonesian Ministry of Women's Empowerment.

Agustina Samara, Chief Personnel and Corporate Strategy Officer, DANA Indonesia

In Indonesia, women have a lower level of digital finance knowledge than men (25% vs 33%), a trend also reflected in the inclusion rate of digital finance. Many studies have linked these numbers to the lack of digital finance education. In the long run, this gap can limit women's opportunities to participate in the small, medium, and micro enterprise sectors and the digital economy. To address this challenge, DANA needs to ensure that its business not only promotes economic growth, but also promotes gender inclusion. Therefore, DANA has developed a number of initiatives with a focus on reducing the gender gap in digital finance literacy.

Indonesian electronic wallet DANA, also known as "Indonesian Alipay"

The first session of SisBerdaya starts accepting applications on March 14, 2023, and applicants can submit applications through the DANA application until April 17, 2023. The activity is mainly divided into two stages: In the first stage, 180 outstanding applications will be selected from the two categories of applications, and expert teams from DANA, Ant Group, and other industry and government partners will be invited to provide guidance and skills training for them for a month. Participants will receive training in learning business management, digital payment and marketing, and sales global strategy to help them master the essentials of digital innovation in daily business and operational management. The training will be conducted online and offline, and on-site seminars will be arranged in the Jabodetabek, Pekanbaru, and Makassar regions to facilitate everyone's participation.

Photo: DANA Indonesia Corporate Communications Fransisca Widyasari (blue shirt), DANA Indonesia Marketing Director Lim Wimawan Kusuma (white shirt glasses).

In the second stage, all participants will submit a business plan and conduct a final review. The top five will gather in Jakarta to participate in the final submission competition in May 2023, competing for a final prize of up to 20 million IDNs.

Indonesian Women in Enterprises

The challenges Indonesian women face in the digital economy due to factors such as geography, social culture, and family responsibilities. Indonesia has many islands, and the level of infrastructure environment and economic development varies among regions. Some female entrepreneurs in remote areas are unable to enjoy the convenience and opportunities brought about by digitization, and have difficulty accessing broader markets and customers. In addition, influenced by Indonesia's traditional culture, there are still some negative attitudes and prejudices against female entrepreneurs in Indonesian society, such as the belief that women should be primarily responsible for household chores and child care, rather than engaging in commercial activities. These concepts greatly affect the self-confidence and decision-making ability of female entrepreneurs, and also increase their work pressure and burden. The SisBerdaya Plan can alleviate the negative impact caused by these factors, and has a positive promoting effect on Indonesian society and economy. It can help women entrepreneurs improve their confidence and ability, increase income and employment opportunities, promote economic development and social equality, and the SisBerdaya Plan can stimulate more women to participate in the digital economy, becoming promoters of innovation and change.

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Since 2015, Ant Group has created 9 local wallets with local partners in 9 countries and regions in Asia through equity participation, among which Indonesia's DANA is one. DANA is a technology finance company based on digital wallets that provides payment platforms and financial services in Indonesia. Since its launch in December 2018, DANA has now over 135 million users in Indonesia. DANA provides users, merchants, and financial institutions with secure, simple, and convenient complete digital transaction solutions. DANA solutions are developed by leading financial technology engineers in Indonesia to enhance and accelerate financial knowledge and inclusiveness in Indonesia. In addition to empowering digital finance, DANA seeks to encourage Indonesian society through influential social initiatives focused on empowering women and protecting the environment.