Indonesia Orders Closure of Over 31,000 Bank Accounts Tied to Online Gambling

Indonesia’s Financial Services Authority (OJK) has directed the country’s banks to block and shut down 31,382 accounts suspected of being connected to illegal online gambling activities, an increase from the 30,392 accounts previously flagged by regulators.

Authorities have repeatedly warned that online gambling poses serious risks to financial stability, disrupts household finances and undermines the wider economy. Although many gambling platforms are operated from outside Indonesia, officials say they depend heavily on domestic banking systems to handle payments and transfers, placing banks under heightened regulatory oversight.

The latest move forms part of a broader enforcement campaign that has continued throughout 2025. In October, OJK instructed banks to block 27,395 accounts following similar findings provided by the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs. At the time, OJK’s Head of Banking Supervision Dian Ediana Rae said: “In addressing the extensive economic and financial impact of online gambling, OJK has instructed banks to block approximately 27,395 accounts.”

Those measures were based on information supplied by the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs, combined with OJK’s own supervisory assessments. Banks were also ordered to close any additional accounts linked to the same national identification numbers and to enhance their monitoring systems to detect suspicious or unusual transaction patterns.

Alongside financial enforcement, the government has stepped up digital controls. Between 20 October 2024 and 16 September 2025, the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs took down more than 2.8 million items of harmful online content, of which 2.1 million were directly related to gambling. Officials said the content was largely hosted on websites, file-sharing services and major social media platforms.

Despite the tighter restrictions on gambling-related financial activity, OJK said Indonesia’s banking sector remained resilient throughout 2025. Credit growth stood at 7.74 per cent year on year in November, rising from 7.36 per cent in October, with total outstanding credit reaching IDR 8,314.48 trillion (US$493.6 billion). Investment lending recorded the strongest expansion at 17.98 per cent, followed by consumer loans at 6.67 per cent and working capital loans at 2.04 per cent. Third-party funds (DPK) increased by 12.03 per cent to IDR 9,899 trillion (US$587.7 billion).

Liquidity levels and capital adequacy ratios remained comfortably above regulatory thresholds, indicating that banks were able to absorb stricter compliance requirements without constraining lending activity or deposit growth.

OJK said the combination of firm action against illegal gambling and continued banking sector stability showed that financial institutions were capable of managing risks while still supporting economic growth. Regulators added that their approach aims to protect customers, reinforce the strength of the financial system and reduce the social and economic damage caused by illicit gambling by targeting the financial channels that support it.

The authority also stressed the need for close cooperation between regulators, banks and digital agencies, noting that gambling networks frequently adapt by shifting platforms and payment methods. Enforcement efforts and transaction monitoring are expected to intensify further in 2026, keeping gambling-linked financial activity under sustained scrutiny.

By fLEXI tEAM