Supported by the Indonesian Association of Moslem Intellectuals (ICMI) and a group of Moslem
entrepreneurs, the founding of Bank Muamalat also won the support of the general public, evidenced by a Rp 84 billion pledge for the purchase of the Bank's shares on the date when the Articles of Association was signed. Thereafter, in a special meeting commemorating the founding at the Presidential Palace in Bogor, West Java, additional pledges from communities in West Java were raised to reach a total of Rp 106 billion.On October 27, 1994, barely two years from its founding, Bank Muamalat received its license to operate as a Foreign Exchange Bank. This recognition strengthened the Bank's position as the fi rst and leading sharia (Islamic) bank in Indonesia with a growing array of products and services.
In the late 90s, Indonesia was hit by a financial crisis which devastated most of the national economies in the Southeast Asia region. The national banking sector collapsed under the burden of corporate debt overhang, which also impacted Bank Muamalat. In 1998, our Non-Performing Financing (NPF) ratio exceeded 60%. The Bank endured a loss of Rp 105 billion, which brought our equity to its lowest level ever of Rp 39.3 billion, less than a third of our original paid up capital.
In an effort to strengthen its capital base, Bank Muamalat solicited for a potential investor, which was responded positively by the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders of Bank Muamalat on June 21, 1999, IDB offi cially became one of the shareholder of BMI. Thus, the period between 1999 and 2002 represents times of challenges as well as triumphs for Bank Muamalat. During this period, Bank Muamalat succeeded in reversing its fi nancial fortunes from loss back into profi tability. This is achieved through the dedicated hard work of the entire Muamalat Crew, supported by strong leadership, astute business strategy, and strict adherence to the principles of sharia in all aspects of its banking practice.
Through these diffi cult times, however, Bank Muamalat persevered and was triumphant. Starting with the appointment of a new management board which was composed exclusively by personnel promoted from within the Bank's own ranks, Bank Muamalat proceeded to deploy a fi ve-year business plan which emphasizes on (i) non-reliance on further additional capital from shareholders, (ii) not resorting to a cutback from the existing personnel of the Bank, while also ensuring that any cost-effi ciency measures taken do not impinge on the rights of the Muamalat Crew, (iii) recovery of employee self-confi dence as the fi rst-year priority for the new Management of the Bank, (iv) second-year priority on building a new foundation of business growth through the strengthening of work discipline within Bank Muamalat, and (v) developing milestones in business achievements through the creation and pursuit of business opportunities in the third and succeeding years. With the Grace of Allah Rabbul Izzati, this plan ultimately brought Bank Muamalat to a new era of growth entering 2004 and onwards.
Presently, Bank Mumalat provides services to excess of 2.5 million customers through 275 outlets spread across 33 provinces in Indonesia. The network is also supported by alliance, through more than 4000 Online Post Office/SOPP, 32,000 ATMs, as well 95,000 debit merchant across the country. Besides, BMI is currently the first and only Indonesian bank running its full branch in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. To improve accessibility to customers in Malaysia, BMI works on cooperation with the Malasyian Electronic Payment System (MEPS) network, so that BMI can be accessed in more than 2,000 ATMs in Malaysia. As The First Purely Sharia Bank in Indonesia, Bank Muamalat committed to deliver banking services that not only comply to sharia, but also competitive and accessible to the public. The appreciation is continue to come from the government, mass media, national and international institutions through more than 70 prestigious awards received by BMI in the last 5 years including as The Best Islamic Bank in Indonesia 2009 by Islamic Finance News (Kuala Lumpur), as The Best Islamic Financial Institution in Indonesia 2009 by Global Finance (New York) as well as The Best Islamic Finance House in Indonesia 2009 by Alpha South East Asia (Hong Kong).
Now Bank Muamalat Indonesia is opening position for Muamalat Officer Development Program. Detail announcement please find at the image below:
