Indonesian migrant workers looking to send money home from Hong Kong now have one more option, as Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) opens ATMs in the city.
The four new machines, two of which have been installed at the BNI Remittance Office in Causeway Bay and two of which have opened at the branch in Admiralty, will allow workers to withdraw cash and make direct transfers to Indonesia.
The bank, owned by the Indonesian government, has begun approaching communities in Hong Kong in a bid to increase its customer base from its current number of around 4,000.
According to data from the Bank of Indonesia, remittances sent to the country by Hong Kong-based migrant workers reached USD589 million (HKD4.6 billion) last year. BNI claims to control about five percent of that total, meaning around USD29.45 million (HKD228 million) came into the country through its channels in 2013.
Indonesian Consulate General figures suggest that of the 170,000 Indonesians in Hong Kong, as many as 153,000 are migrant workers. They are paid an average salary of HKD3,500 and typically send around HKD1,000 of that home every month.
