Apindo Backs Indonesia Open Network, Sees It Becoming New Lever for National MSME Performance

JAKARTA, Investortrust.id — The Indonesian Employers Association, or Apindo, views the Indonesia Open Network, or ION, as a critical lever to elevate national MSME performance. By integrating public policy, business execution, and open digital infrastructure into a unified ecosystem, ION is expected to convert MSME readiness into genuine economic scale.

Unlike traditional standalone platforms, ION functions as an open digital trade layer. It utilizes shared protocols that allow MSMEs to connect seamlessly across banking apps, telecom platforms, and corporate systems. This eliminates the need for repeated onboarding, which significantly lowers operational costs and expands market reach for small business owners.

Apindo Chairwoman Shinta W. Kamdani emphasized that the potential for direct MSME impact was the primary driver for the group’s early support. During the Indonesia Economic Forum 2026 event in Jakarta on Thursday, Feb 5, 2026, she stated that the system primarily benefits MSMEs and expressed her firm belief that it will be a game changer for the Indonesian economy.

The 2026 forum, themed The Big Unlock, serves as a curtain raiser for ION agenda. Shinta explained that the concept focuses on unlocking large-scale economic participation by removing the structural frictions, such as limited financing and market access, that have historically hindered millions of businesses.

Currently, MSMEs serve as the backbone of the Indonesian economy by contributing over 60 percent of the GDP and absorbing nearly 97 percent of the total workforce. While they also account for over 60 percent of total investment, their contribution to exports remains stagnant at approximately 15 percent.

Despite various capacity-building programs, Shinta warned that readiness does not automatically equal scale. She cited Apindo data showing that only 12.4 percent of retail MSMEs have fully adopted digitalization, while only 32.5 percent are satisfied with current digital infrastructure policies.

To address this, Shinta introduced a core formula where scalability is the result of readiness multiplied by open digital infrastructure. In a closed system, MSMEs are often trapped in platform-specific silos and forced to re-onboard repeatedly, whereas an open infrastructure allows a business to onboard once and operate across all systems.

Apindo continues to strengthen MSME foundations through its Pentahelix ecosystem, which involves collaboration between industry, academia, and government. Key initiatives include the UMKM Merdeka program for industry internships and digital adoption, the UMKM MyClass mentoring program available in all 38 provinces, and the FinLab Success Accelerator for boosting digital financing.

Shinta concluded by noting that ION allows government policy, business execution, and digital infrastructure to move as one system, ensuring Indonesian MSMEs successfully integrate into global value chains rather than just going digital.