Pursuing a master’s degree in management and marketing in Australia will support my goals and aspirations to boost Indonesia’s economic conditions by increasing financial inclusion and literacy, as well as improving the implementation of green banking. One of the points in Indonesia’s National Long-Term Development Plan is to strengthen the national economy through the creative economy. As someone who has worked at a state-owned financial institution focused on rural economic development and MSMEs for the past five years, I recognize that Indonesian society has tremendous potential to push this development. However, The World Bank revealed that Indonesia has the fourth-largest unbanked population in the world with 48% of the total population do not have access to financial system, hindering the economic development of Indonesian individuals and creative economy players. I realize that overcoming these various obstacles requires a deeper understanding of strategic planning and market research. Developing strategies in financial services that meet community needs, especially in the digital era, is necessary to increase access to safe financial services.
Furthermore, sustainability should be a crucial focus, especially for a country with massive natural resources like Indonesia.However, I’m seeing a gap remains between the green banking framework enforced by the government and its implementation by financial institutions in Indonesia. This gap presents an opportunity to improve this situation. Studying Economic sustainability will be my door to create this change within my community and professional work.
Based on these needs, I feel that further education can bridge the knowledge gap that I currently have. This opportunity provides not only academic benefits, but also the opportunity to connect with the international community, which provides an opportunity to widen my network that can supports my efforts to improve my country’s economy through finance.