Mekar Help Center

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GENERAL INFO

What'S In It For Me?

LEARN ABOUT FUNDING A LOAN

LEARN ABOUT PARTNERS

About Loans & Lending Partners

LEARN ABOUT MEKAR

About Mekar

Mekar Funding Risk Disclosure Information

Why should I become a lender?

Mekar offers you a double bonus.

Firstly, Mekar offers you an interest rate which is higher than what you can earn in a bank’s savings account. In Indonesia you can earn 5%-6% on a 12 month time deposit account. With Mekar your annual earnings start at 7% and go up to 12.5%.

Secondly, your money helps small businesses in Indonesia grow, 90% of our loans are for women micro-entrepreneurs. If you save money at a bank it is very unclear how your money is being used by the bank. At Mekar you can choose who, where and what your money is used for.

Where do I register?

Lenders can register on https://mekar.id

Can foreigners without an Indonesian bank account fund loans via Mekar?

Yes, you are welcome to fund loans via Mekar. When you register as a lender in Mekar, Mekar will provide you with a personal account number at Bank BNI in Indonesia to transfer your funds to. You will need to fund a minimum of USD 3000 or Euro 2500 in loans. We have set this minimum amount to ensure you earn enough on your money given the cost of international transfers.

You will be notified by Mekar when your funds have been received, you can then start selecting the loans that you want to finance. You will receive a notification when your loans have been repaid and there are idle funds in your Mekar account. You can then use your funds to finance new loans or transfer the money back to your home bank account. Mekar will charge no extra fees for this but do realize that international bank transfers cost money (about USD 60, back and forth), as does inflation (about 3%-4%) and we will deduct 20% tax on your interest earnings. You will receive a receipt for the tax payments, which you can use to show your own tax office as a proof that the tax has already been paid. Most countries have a ‘double taxation treaty’ with Indonesian.

When can I start funding loans via Mekar?

You can fund loans via Mekar once your registration has been checked. Once approved, you will be notified with your Mekar Account number. Then you are ready to fund loans. It should take 4 to 48 hours between registering and being ready to fund loans.

What is the minimum amount to fund loans in MEKAR?

For the Starter Plan, the minimum amount to fund in any single loan is IDR 100,000. Please note that if a loan of your choice is less than IDR 200,000 short from being fully funded, you will need to fund the entire remaining amount of the loan.

For the Basic/Standard/Advance Compound Plans, the minimum funding amount is IDR 30,000,000. Learn more about long term loan financing in MEKAR by clicking here.

Do I need to fund the entire loan?

MEKAR crowdfunds most loans, which means many individual lenders can contribute their funds to successfully fund a loan in MEKAR. You can still fund the entire loan but you also have the option to fund just a portion of the loan starting from IDR 100,000 or more.

From time to time, you might find short term loans of less than 12 months on Mekar's loan list. Mekar does not crowdfund such loans; you will have to fund the entire loan amount.

What happens if a loan that I have chosen doesn’t fully fund on MEKAR?

If a loan fails to fully fund in the allotted 48 hours funding window, we reset its funding progress and relist it on our loan list. It now has 48 more hours to become fully funded. We also credit your funds back to your Mekar Account. You can then fund the same loan again after selecting it from the loan list or select other loans that are closer to being fully funded to start funding faster.

Where can I find information about the amount of money I have lent and earned?

All lenders have an account with a dashboard. Click here to log into your account and view your dashboard. On the dashboard, you can see the total amount of money you have lent and made. You can also view your remaining principal on any active funding if you wish.

Is my money kept by Mekar?

No, Mekar does not hold your money. The Financial Markets Authority (OJK) does not allow us to. Your money changes places when you transfer/add funds to your Mekar Account, fund a loan and receive repayment from your borrower.

When you transfer money to Mekar, it is kept in a safe “escrow” or Third Party account. Deposits from Indonesia and abroad are held with Bank BNI, one of Indonesia’s four state banks.
When you fund one or more loans, your money goes from your “escrow” or deposit account to the Lending Partner's bank account.
When your borrower makes a repayment, your money is transferred by the Lending Partner to our payment provider Bank BNI.

At each step Mekar ensures that the transactions are modified in your dashboard.

Can I sell a loan and get my money back early?

No, at the moment this is not possible.

Still have questions?

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