21 April 2015

BTPN RECEIVES UNESCO AWARD


Bandung, 21 April 2015 – The tangible contribution made by PT Bank Tabungan Pensiunan Nasional Tbk (BTPN) to the city of Bandung, its place of birth 57 years ago, through the restoration of the De Driekleur (Three Colors) building, which stands in the area of Dago in West Java’s capital, has received recognition from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

This recognition was affirmed at the 2014 UNESCO Asia Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation in the Honourable Mention category. The award was bestowed thanks to the success of BTPN, in synergy with renowned architect Budi Lim, in restoring De Driekleur. The plaque laying ceremony took place at the De Driekleur building, which is now used as a branch of BTPN Sinaya, the funding business unit of BTPN.

The award was presented in person by UNESCO representative Bernard Zako to Ongki W. Dana, Deputy President Director of BTPN, and witnessed by Prof. Dr. Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti, President Commissioner of BTPN. The event was also attended by representatives of the Bandung City Government.

“We are very grateful to UNESCO for honouring us with this award and we are also proud to be part of efforts to preserve the cultural heritage of Bandung through the restoration of De Driekleur. Moreover, Bandung was the place of BTPN’s inception 57 years ago, and as such BTPN feels obliged to make a contribution to the city,” said Ongki W. Dana, Deputy President Director of BTPN at the Award Presentation event held at the BTPN Sinaya Branch in Dago on Tuesday (21/4).

The restoration process of the De Driekleur building was led by Budi Lim, an experienced architect with expertise in the fields of conservation and restoration. Budi Lim’s expertise in these areas was recognized when he was presented with the highest award at the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards in 2001 after restoring the National Archives Museum in Jakarta. The restoration process of the De Driekleur took about four years.

“Most of that time I actually spent doing research into the building and the materials that were used by the architect who worked on it. We have tried really hard to restore the building to its original state,” said Budi Lim who was in attendance at the event

De Driekleur was built in 1938 by a Dutch architect named Albert Frederik Aalbers. Aalbers, at the time, was considered one of the most renowned architects throughout the Dutch East Indies. Aalbers, along with other young architects of the time, was heavily influenced by the artistic style known as Art Deco.

Art Deco designs have a clear architectural language that reflects the spirit of freedom and progress. In Art Deco buildings, space has a distinct function which always emphasizes quality above quantity. Art Deco is always made on an unpretentious and humane scale.

“For the 4 to 5 years that I studied Aalbers’ De Driekleur building, I noticed a common thread that linked BTPN with the special spirit and soul of the Art Deco movement, in that both take into consideration the interests of the middle and lower sectors of society,” added Budi Lim.

BTPN is now using the De Driekleur building as a branch of BTPN Sinaya, the funding business unit of BTPN which provides personalized service to all its customers, regardless of the value of their savings. In line with the vision of BTPN to become the best mass market bank in Indonesia, with the ability to change the lives of millions of Indonesians, all funds that are collected through BTPN Sinaya are distributed in full to lower income communities as well as to micro, small and medium enterprise entrepreneurs in the form of loans through the other BTPN business units (BTPN Purna Bakti, BTPN Mitra Usaha Rakyat, and BTPN Mitra Bisnis).

Furthermore, Bank Sinaya also offers an opportunity to all its savers and depositors to participate in its mission of empowering the millions of people in the Indonesian mass market through the Sahabat Daya program. This program opens up avenues for savers and depositors to share their experiences and interact directly with mass market customers.

Ongki sincerely hopes that the efforts of BTPN in preserving the cultural heritage of Bandung will have positive benefits for the city’s population. At the same time, customers will also enjoy added comfort while doing their banking activities at BTPN Sinaya.

 “When people come to visit the BTPN Sinaya Dago branch, they will be able to enjoy the well-maintained cultural and historical heritage of the building,” Ongki concluded.

 

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For further information please contact:

 

PT Bank BTPN Tbk
Andrie Darusman – Communications & Daya Head
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

 

Bank BTPN in brief

PT Bank BTPN Tbk (Bank BTPN) is a foreign exchange bank and is a merger between PT Bank Tabungan Pensiunan Nasional Tbk (BTPN) and PT Bank Sumitomo Mitsui Indonesia (SMBCI) in February 2019. Bank BTPN serves various segments in the banking industry, from retail to corporate customers, including retirees, micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSME) and productive underprivileged communities; the consuming class segment; and the corporate segment. Bank BTPN provides the services through business units, such as BTPN Sinaya—a business unit for wealth management, BTPN Purna Bakti—a business serving retirees, BTPN Micro Business—a business unit serving microbusinesses, BTPN Business Banking—a business serving small- and medium-sized enterprises, Jenius—a digital banking platform serving the consuming class segment, and the corporate business unit, which serves national, multinational, and Japanese companies. Bank BTPN also has a subsidiary, namely PT Bank BTPN Syariah Tbk, which focuses on serving productive underprivileged customers. Bank BTPN also regularly provides training sessions and information for customers through the Daya Program—a sustainable and measurable empowerment program—to improve customers’ capacity so they can grow and have a chance to live better.