Open Banking: Definition, Benefits, Examples, and Risks

Last updated on February 20th, 2025 at 10:48 am

Open banking is the latest innovation in the banking world that can simplify, accelerate, integrate, and make financial services more practical. Therefore, it's no surprise that many people are interested in this banking service.

So, what exactly is open banking, and what are the benefits it offers? Additionally, what are some examples of open banking services available today? What challenges are faced, and what is the future outlook for open banking in Indonesia? To answer these questions, here is an explanation below!

What is Open Banking?

Open banking is a service that allows you to safely share your banking and financial data with banks, services, and third-party financial applications.

By granting explicit permission, your bank can provide information such as account details, savings reports, and recurring payments to official providers, like budgeting apps or cash flow management tools. This is part of a regulatory reform implemented since 2018, aimed at protecting consumers.

The goal of open banking itself is to foster innovation in financial services, enabling products and applications to connect and provide a better experience for consumers.

Benefits of Open Banking

Open banking offers several benefits for consumers, banks, and partners. Below are the benefits for each group:

Benefits of Open Banking for Consumers

Innovative Financial Services

Open banking allows consumers to access and manage their finances more easily and practically. Consumers can use various financial applications or services from different providers without needing to open a new account. This opens up opportunities for new innovations in financial services, such as personalized financial services tailored to the needs of the consumers.

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Safer, More Convenient, and Practical Transactions

Open banking uses stringent security standards to protect consumer data. This makes financial transactions safer and more secure. Additionally, open banking enables consumers to perform transactions anytime and anywhere, as long as they have internet access.

Accessible Anytime and Anywhere

As mentioned earlier, open banking allows consumers to perform transactions anytime and anywhere. This makes it easier for them to manage their finances, even when traveling or away from home.

Benefits of Open Banking for Banks

Increased Transactions

Open banking can increase the number of transactions made by consumers. This is because consumers can use various financial applications or services to carry out transactions.

Attracting New Customers

Open banking can attract new customers. Consumers can experience a new way of using more innovative, secure, and practical financial services.

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Diversifying Banking Products

Open banking can encourage banks to develop more diverse and innovative banking products. This is to meet the increasingly varied needs of consumers.

Enhancing Customer Satisfaction

Open banking can be a way for banks to delight their customers by offering a range of additional features and services that appeal to them.

Enabling Banking as a Service (BaaS)

Open banking can lay the foundation for the development of banking as a service (BaaS). BaaS enables third parties, such as fintech companies, to utilize banking infrastructure and services to develop their own financial products and services.

Benefits of Open Banking for Partners

Varied Payment Systems

Open banking allows partners to access a variety of payment systems. This makes it easier for partners to offer more diverse and innovative payment services to consumers.

Access to Big Data for Market Analysis

Open banking enables partners to access big data in the financial sector. This can be used by partners to analyze markets and develop more effective business strategies.

High Security Standards

Open banking uses strict security standards to protect consumer data. This provides peace of mind for partners when using consumer data to develop their own products and services.

Overall, open banking can benefit all parties involved—consumers, banks, and partners—by improving innovation, security, and convenience in financial services.

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Examples of Open Banking Services

Several open banking services have already emerged in Indonesia, and this trend is likely to continue to grow over time. Some examples of open banking in Indonesia include several e-commerce platforms, such as Tokopedia and Shopee, offering automatic bill payment services.

These services allow consumers to set up automatic payments for electricity, water, internet, and other bills by linking their bank accounts to the bill provider services. This makes it easier for consumers and helps avoid the risk of late payments.

In addition, several banks like BCA, Mandiri, and BRI have partnered with e-commerce platforms to offer direct payment options using the consumer's bank account balance. This increases convenience for buyers and encourages transactions without the need to top up electronic wallets.

Risks of Open Banking in Indonesia

In principle, the advent of open banking has been positively received by the majority of the public, as it is seen as a fresh approach in the financial sector. However, this doesn't mean that open banking doesn't face challenges. One major issue in Indonesia regarding open banking is the security of consumer data, which remains a source of concern for some people when it comes to implementing open banking.

Open banking requires transparency between banks and digital partners. It is crucial to ensure that consumer data remains protected from potential data breaches.

Conclusion

Overall, the arrival of open banking has been a breath of fresh air for the financial sector and has been well-received by most Indonesians. However, the primary challenge remains the security of consumer data, which still raises concerns among some people.

With ongoing efforts to address these challenges and ensure the availability of secure services, open banking is expected to continue growing, providing greater benefits for society and involving more stakeholders in the financial ecosystem.