Maybank Indonesia and YKAN Collaborate on Women's Empowerment and Forest Conservation

PT Bank Maybank Indonesia Tbk and Yayasan Konservasi Alam Nusantara (YKAN) have launched an initiative to empower women cocoa farmer groups in Kampung Merasa, Berau Regency, East Kalimantan. This effort is part of their commitment to strengthening the role of women in sustainable development.

The program aims to support women farmers in implementing sustainable agricultural practices that improve livelihoods while preserving the tropical rainforests of Kalimantan. Through agroforestry approaches and intensive training, women cocoa farmers are guided to manage land productively while protecting surrounding forests from land conversion.

“We believe that empowering women is key to creating sustainable change. This commitment has long been part of Maybank internally, and through this collaboration, we aim to support women communities in Kalimantan who not only protect the forest but also serve as resilient local economic drivers,” said Maria Trifanny Fransiska, Head of Sustainability at Maybank Indonesia, during the launch of the ‘Women Cocoa Farmer Empowerment Program in Kampung Merasa’ in Jakarta, Thursday (26/11).

Maria highlighted that this is the first time Maybank Indonesia has supported a women’s group in practicing sustainable cocoa farming in Kampung Merasa, while also protecting forest areas. The program is one of Maybank Indonesia’s initiatives to support sustainable financing in the country and to develop funding for eco-friendly projects that contribute to community welfare and nature conservation.

YKAN Executive Director Herlina Hartanto noted that, as the country with the third-largest tropical forests in the world, Indonesia faces major challenges in balancing conservation and economic needs. Land clearing for various commodities often sacrifices forest ecosystems, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, community-based approaches, such as Social Forestry and sustainable cocoa management, offer promising solutions, as seen in areas of Berau.

Herlina expressed appreciation for the collaboration between Maybank Indonesia and YKAN in improving community welfare while conserving Kalimantan’s tropical rainforest. “Over the next three years, with Maybank Indonesia’s support, we aim to directly benefit 100 women and engage 500 community members in active green decision-making. Additionally, this cooperation is expected to protect at least 100 hectares of forest in Kampung Merasa from land-use change,” she explained.

Unique Cocoa from Protected Forests

Dina Riska, YKAN’s Community Development Manager, explained that fermented cocoa from Kampung Merasa has distinctive honey and citrus notes, influenced by the surrounding banggeris forests—a favorite nesting site for honey-producing bees. “This is what makes Merasa cocoa unique. We have been assisting farmers there since 2019, including through an Internal Controlling System (ICS) to help the community consistently produce premium-quality cocoa and connect with markets,” said Dina Riska.

In 2021, Merasa farmers submitted cocoa samples to the Indonesian Coffee and Cocoa Research Center in Jember for national selection, where the winner would represent Indonesia in the biennial Cocoa of Excellence competition in Paris. Although they did not win, Merasa Cocoa reached the top 8, giving them leverage to collaborate with local artisan chocolate maker Pipiltin Cocoa.

“We were very interested at that time, and in 2022, we officially launched Merasa cocoa as our signature, under the Single Origin (SO) Kampung Merasa 74% line with a bitter profile. Merasa Cocoa became the first cocoa beans from Kalimantan processed by Pipiltin Cocoa,” said Riza Amala, Head of Sales at Pipiltin Cocoa.

Riza added that Pipiltin committed to purchasing all harvests from Kampung Merasa. However, limitations in skills and recurring floods in Merasa have made it difficult to meet demand.

Irmaya Banewang, a representative of the women cocoa farmer group in Merasa, expressed her excitement for the training and mentoring from Maybank and YKAN. She noted that demand for their fermented cocoa products continues to grow. “This motivates us even more. We also hope that with this support, young people in the village will see that cocoa farming has a future—that we can prosper without destroying the forest. For us, the forest is not just a source of livelihood, but a part of life that must be protected,” she said.

About Maybank Indonesia

Maybank Indonesia is one of Indonesia’s leading banks with a regional and international network under the Maybank Group. It offers comprehensive products and services to individual and corporate customers through Community Financial Services (Retail and Non-Retail Banking), Global Banking, and automotive financing via its subsidiaries, WOM Finance (for two-wheelers) and Maybank Finance (for four-wheelers). The bank continuously develops Digital Banking services through M2U (App and Web), M2E for corporate customers, and other digital channels.

As of September 2025, Maybank Indonesia operates 278 branches including 20 Sharia branches and one branch in Mumbai, India; 22 Mobile KCPs and 669 ATMs (including 26 Cash Recycle Machines/CRMs), interconnected with more than 20,000 ATMs in the PRIMA, BERSAMA, ALTO, and CIRRUS networks, and linked to 3,500 Maybank ATMs in Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei. It manages customer deposits of IDR 131.21 trillion and total assets of IDR 197.96 trillion.