IAEI East Java's Attitude and Recommendation towards BSI Service Disruption

In order to respond to public unrest over the disruption of ATM and mobile banking services of PT Bank Syariah Indonesia (Persero) Tbk or BSI since Monday, 8 May 2023, IAEI East Java feels it is important to convey attitudes and recommendations to a number of parties. Although today, Friday, 12 May 2023, BSI services are gradually recovering, this does not guarantee that there will be no repeat situations as happened in the previous days. ATM and mobile banking service disruption for up to five days is a long duration and causes customer unrest. IAEI East Java feels the need to be present to help ease and restore public confidence in the Islamic financial industry and Islamic economics, especially in Islamic banking.

As the largest Islamic bank in Indonesia and ranked the 6th largest bank out of around 120 banks in Indonesia, the disruption for almost a week not only shook BSI as a business entity, but also shook public confidence in the Islamic financial industry and Islamic economics. This is indicated by various complaints and comments from BSI customers and non-customers on various social media, including those received by the East Java IAEI board. This case has the potential to harm the Islamic Finance and Islamic Economy movements that have been built by the government and many related parties, including IAEI, which nationally is the largest organisation in the field of Islamic Economics and Finance. Therefore, in response to this, the attitude taken by IAEI East Java is as follows: 

1. Concerned and regretted the disruption of BSI services for almost a week.
2. Encourage BSI, especially at the top management level, to conduct muhasabah by evaluating the culture and operational performance of the organisation that may violate the principles of Islamic finance and economics, both to internal and external parties.
3. Encourage BSI's top management to openly and transparently communicate to the public, including to relevant authorities, regarding the disruption, whether intentional or unintentional, from internal or external parties, followed by strengthening BSI's cyber security.
4. Encourage relevant authorities, especially the Financial Services Authority (OJK), Bank Indonesia (BI), and the Deposit Insurance Corporation (LPS), to take action in order to mitigate risks and consumer protection and restore public confidence in the Islamic banking industry.
5. Encouraging the DPP IAEI together with its network to voice to BSI and related authorities to make various efforts in the context of risk mitigation and consumer protection and restore public confidence in the Islamic banking industry.  

For this reason, IAEI East Java recommends:  

1. To the National Sharia Council of the Indonesian Ulema Council (DSN-MUI) to ask the BSI Sharia Supervisory Board (DPS) for an explanation regarding the culture and operational performance of the BSI organisation that may violate or abandon the principles of hasanah, both to internal and external parties;
2. To OJK, BI, and LPS to help reduce public unrest, especially BSI's customers, by providing public statements guaranteeing the security of customer funds and will immediately restore BSI's services in accordance with the authority and responsibility of each of these institutions.
3. To the Directorate of Cyber Crime (Dittipidsiber) of the Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) of the Indonesian National Police (Polri) to investigate allegations of cyber crime, both computer crime and computer-related crime, on the BSI system.
4. To the public to remain calm and not give statements based on allegations so as not to add to the unrest of BSI customers, and provide solutive input to BSI customers without having to damage their trust in Islamic banking.
5. To Islamic economic and financial activists to continue to provide good explanations to the public that technology also has vulnerabilities, including the potential for cybercrime that can attack any institution, agency, organisation, including those affiliated with or labelled sharia. For this reason, mastery of technology in the digitalisation era is an element that must exist in the Islamic financial and economic ecosystem. 

Thus this press release is submitted for dissemination to the public as a form of contribution to the constructive thinking of IAEI East Java in guarding the economic development of East Java and Indonesia through the development of Islamic economics and finance. 

Contact:  

IAEI East Java Secretariat: [email protected]/[email protected]

General Secretary: Dr Moch. Khoirul Anwar (08123109502)