Nofie Iman

Financial technology or commonly known as fintech is relatively a new thing in Indonesia. This article is attempting to capture the dynamics of such technology in Indonesia. This paper was aimed to help researchers and academics who are interested in studying the phenomenon of fintech more broadly. This study is descriptive and exploratory by nature. Data were gathered from secondary sources, as well as interviews with practitioners, policy makers, and users. Data were collected during the period from 2016 to 2018, which was divided into several different stages. The results of the study show that fintech is more than just a phenomenon, it cannot be compared to other start-ups, and has the potential to fundamentally change the business and economic landscape.

This research examines the way in which traditional banks are competing against the emerging fintech startups. This study identifies driving factors and uniqueness that illustrate the peculiar characteristics of incumbents, analyzes their internal readiness and capabilities, and examines their strategic response against fintech startups. In doing so, this paper examines Small Town Bank (STB)1, a regional bank in Indonesia, regarding its ability to innovate. Data are obtained from primary sources through internal and external questionnaires, as well as secondary data. The results of the study indicate that, in general, the bank already has a reasonably good innovation readiness, but there are several aspects that need to be noted, namely: optimization of current services, consolidation, and internal restructuration. Concurrently, while fintech has a very broad and massive technical and managerial impact, it does not mean that incumbent banks and traditional financial services cannot compete.