The role of communities or social network is also highlighted in some studies (Chen, Zhou, and Wan
2016; Freedman and Jin 2017). Dietrich and Wernli (2016) analyze the determinants of P2P loan
interest rates using a unique dataset on loan contracts between borrowers and lenders from
Switzerland. They find that interest rate on loan in P2P lending is significantly affected by loan-
specific and macroeconomic factors. In addition, they also find some discriminations against bor-
rowers as also highlighted by prior works (Barasinska and Schäfer 2014; Pope and Sydnor 2011).
3. Peer-To-Peer Lending in Indonesia: Development and Regulation
The development of technology has reached all sectors of the economy including financial intermediaries,
and this phenomenon is more pronounced in the emerging economies like Indonesia. Several years ago,
Indonesian people should go to the bank to obtain financial services such as opening bank account and
transferring money, while now all of these activities could be performed directly from their smartphones.
In the past, to perform transaction activities in the grocery store, people had to go to automated teller
machine. However, digital fiat currency and e-wallet are widely used nowadays to perform transaction
activities even in the traditional market, and this is more pronounced by the massive campaign of the
central bank (Bank Indonesia) about promoting cashless society.
As the fourth most populous country in the world with total population more than 250 million,
Indonesia have a great opportunity to support the development of fintech particularly P2P lending.
Based on the data from the Indonesia Statistical Bureau (Badan Pusat Statistik/BPS), total internet
users in Indonesia have reached 150 million in 2018 and it is predicted to grow 13% yearly. At the
same time, more than 50 million micro and small and medium enterprises (MSME) in Indonesia do
not have access to the bank (Ministry of Cooperative and Small and Medium Enterprise of
Indonesia). Looking at the fact that 99% of all Indonesian business can be classified as MSME
that contributes to 42% GDP with a total employment of 91 million (Shaban et al. 2014), therefore,
Indonesian government suggests MSME to take advantage of P2P lending development to raise their
capital or to expand their business.
Although P2P lending in Indonesia seems to have a bright prospect as mentioned earlier in the
introduction, however, its development could be considered in its infancy. The formal regulation
about P2P lending in Indonesia was issued by OJK in December 2016 through Peraturan Otoritas
Jasa Keuangan Nomor 77 Tahun 2016 (POJK 77–2016). The regulation is comprehensive as it covers
all aspect in P2P lending. However, although the regulation is applicable for P2P lending users
(lenders and borrowers), the main point of the regulation is intended to control operational aspects
P2P lending platforms. For instance, regarding P2P lending platform ownership, it is mentioned that
foreign ownership cannot exceed 85%. It is also mentioned that foreigners could subscribe to the
platforms as lenders but not borrowers. Another important aspect of this regulation that should be
taken into account is the minimum capital requirements for the platform to operate is IDR 2.5 billion
to be licensed by OJK. Platforms are also not allowed to lend more than IDR 2 billion but there is no
limitation of interest that should be borne by the borrowers. Previously, OJK expect that the allowed
interest is maximum seven times of the benchmark (Bank Indonesia 7-Day Repo Rate) but it then
annulled. The other main point from POJK 77–2016 is that the obligation for the platforms to create
an escrow account (joint virtual account between borrowers and lenders). This means that platforms
are not prohibited to “touch” the fund-flowing from the lenders to the borrowers (when the loan
granted), and vice versa (when the borrowers payback their loan). The profits obtained by the
platforms should be in the form of commission.
All in all, POJK 77–2016 is issued to provide bright future about the practice of fintech in
Indonesia especially in P2P lending activities. In general, this formal regulation could be an instru-
ment to protect the interests of consumers regarding the security of funds and data as well as national
interests related to the prevention of money laundering and funding of terrorism. Ultimately, this
regulation is also expected to promote national financial system stability.
354 W. SANTOSO ET AL.