Lombok Zone – The Governor of West Nusa Tenggara, H. Lalu Muhamad Iqbal, alongside Indonesia’s Minister of Creative Economy, Teuku Riefky Harsya, has reached a significant agreement to position NTB as a national benchmark for implementing creative economy financing through the People’s Business Credit (KUR). This agreement emerged during a meeting held on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, at the Ministry of Creative Economy’s office in Jakarta.
During the meeting, Governor Iqbal was accompanied by key officials, including the Head of the Communication, Information, and Statistics Office of NTB, the Head of NTB’s Tourism Office, and the Head of the Regional Development Planning Agency. They discussed enhancing access to financing for creative economy players, including a collaboration plan with Bank NTB Syariah to facilitate local funding.
Governor Iqbal emphasized the importance of the creative economy as a future sector that promises new growth opportunities, particularly for the youth. He stated, ‘If this financing scheme for the creative economy operates effectively in NTB, it can serve as a national model. NTB is ready to be a policy laboratory for the development of the creative economy in Indonesia.’
The discussions also highlighted the need to strengthen the KUR scheme for the creative industry, focusing on intellectual property. This approach allows creative entrepreneurs to access funding through intangible assets like trademarks, copyrights, and registered creative works.
Minister Teuku Riefky Harsya noted that the central government recognizes NTB’s potential to lead as a model region for intellectual property-based creative economy financing. ‘NTB has a clear vision for the development of the creative economy, making it ideal for becoming a national role model for implementing KUR, particularly in partnership with Bank NTB Syariah,’ he said.
The proposed scheme enables curated creative entrepreneurs to secure funding of up to hundreds of millions of rupiah. The intellectual property held by these entrepreneurs will play a crucial role in credit assessments, thereby increasing financing access that has traditionally been challenging for many in the creative sector.
Beyond financing, the meeting also focused on bolstering the creative economy ecosystem in NTB. The NTB provincial government is keen to foster creative events based on intellectual property, aiming not only to host events but also to produce creators with marketable intellectual property at both national and international levels.
Governor Iqbal outlined a vision for NTB’s development that extends beyond tourism. This vision emphasizes the integration of tourism, the creative economy, digital technology, renewable energy, and international connectivity. He believes the development strategy for the Bali-NTB-NTT regions should pivot towards regional integration rather than just inter-regional collaboration.
In terms of enhancing the digital ecosystem, the NTB provincial government is promoting the development of digital talent through educational programs in information technology and multimedia connected directly to industry needs. Plans also include establishing a global technology education model in Lombok.
Moreover, the development of the Mandalika area is set to become a hub for the digital economy. One concept discussed includes establishing a data center in eastern Indonesia, supported by renewable energy sources, particularly solar energy, which has great potential in NTB.
According to Governor Iqbal, the future of Mandalika’s development should not solely focus on hotel investments and sports events but also on building a vibrant digital economy ecosystem and a community of digital nomads to stimulate year-round economic activities.
This meeting marks the first step towards strengthening collaboration between the central and local governments to bolster a more robust creative economy ecosystem, encompassing talent development, financing, and enhanced digital infrastructure. With the support for creative economy financing through KUR, along with the strengthening of the digital ecosystem and creative industries, NTB is poised to set a national example for inclusive, sustainable, and innovation-driven creative economy development.
