To close the gap in serving wSGBs in Jakarta (Indonesia), Athena developed a proof of concept that combines new financial products and business advisory services. Launched in March 2019, BIDUK seeks to demonstrate that flexible, commercially priced, debt products are incredibly well suited to meet the needs of wSGBs in Indonesia (and potentially, throughout Southeast Asia).
Examples of flexible financial products include the introduction of a grace period for principal payments, considering moveable assets as collateral, and having variable repayment schedules based around actual cash flows. These products also reduce the focus typically placed on exit strategies for equity investments, as traditional liquidity events may not be realistic in these markets. Loan sizes for the proof of concept phase range between USD $15,000 and $75,000.
Within the given context, BIDUK will attempt to reduce the credit gap for wSGBs in Indonesia by piloting financial products and developing relationships that will help wSGB run better businesses — thereby minimizing or eliminating barriers to these businesses accessing capital from the formal financial sector.