Jakarta, Jan 13: Indonesia’s financial regulator has ordered banks to block more than 31,000 accounts suspected of links to illegal online gambling, stepping up efforts to protect the financial system from unlicensed betting activities.
The Financial Services Authority (OJK) said it had instructed banks to freeze 31,382 bank accounts, up from 30,392 previously identified using data from the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs.
The directive was announced during an OJK press conference on January 9. Banks have also been told to investigate the flagged accounts and shut down any additional accounts linked to the same National Identification Number (NIK).
“Banks have been instructed to carry out investigations into the flagged accounts and to close any additional accounts under the same National Identification Number (NIK),” said Dian Ediana Rae, OJK’s head of banking supervision.
OJK has also mandated enhanced due diligence measures across the banking sector to prevent gambling-related networks from regaining access to the financial system, combining immediate account blocking with longer-term monitoring.
The crackdown forms part of broader efforts to curb unlicensed online gambling, which authorities say often operates offshore while relying on domestic banking channels to process transactions.
Despite the increased scrutiny, Indonesia’s banking sector has remained stable. By November, credit growth exceeded 7.77% year-on-year, with total outstanding credit reaching 8,314.48 trillion rupiah. Investment loans grew 17.98%, compared with 6.67% growth in consumer loans and 2.04% in working capital loans, while foreign funds mobilised rose 12.03% year-on-year to 9,899 trillion rupiah.
OJK said liquidity and capital levels across the banking system remain well above regulatory requirements, indicating that the enforcement measures have not disrupted broader financial sector performance.
