Established in 1946 as the first bank formed and owned by the Indonesia Government, BNI used to be called by its unabbreviated name of Bank Negara Indonesia.
Historical records show that on the eve of the 30th October 1946, only a few months after its formal establishment, the Bank distributed the first currency bills ever issued by the Indonesian government, know as ORI, or Oeang Republik Indonesia.
This day is commemorated annually as the National Finance Day, while the date of the Bank’s establishment – the 5th of July – was assigned as National Bank Day.
Following the appointment of the Dutch-inherited De Javasche Bank as Indonesia’s Central Bank in 1949, Bank Negara Indonesia’s role as the circulation and central bank was terminated. The Bank was instead designated as a development bank, and was later given rights to provide foreign reserve services, thus allowing direct foreign transactions.
In 1955, along with increased capitalization, the Bank’s legal status was formally changed into that of a state-owned commercial Bank. This became the foundation for the Bank to provide a better and wider scope of assistance for the country’s national business.
By the last quarter of 1968, the bank decide to attach its year of establishment to its name as part of its corporate identity, officially changing the corporate name into Bank Negara Indonesia 1946. The Bank was then widely referred to as ‘BNI 46” for several decades. The simpler name of ‘Bank BNI’ was adopted in 1988 along with the change of corporate identity.
BNI legal status was upgraded in 1992 into a state-owned limited corporation with the name of PT Bank Negara Indonesia (Persero), while the Bank decision to become a public company was manifested through public offering of its shares in 1996.
BNI’s ability to adapt to environmental, socio-cultural and technological advances is reflected through the continuous refinement of its corporate identity over time, which signifies the Bank’s dedication and commitment to continuous improvement of performance.
A refined corporate identity was introduced in 2004, reflecting positive future prospects after a year of struggle through a period of hardship. A shorter name of ‘BNI’ replaced the former ‘Bank BNI’, while the year of establishment – ‘46’ – was
exposed through the logo-mark, as a reinforcement of the pride of being the country’s first national bank.
Maintaining the spirit of the heroic national struggle that is rooted it its history, BNI strives to provide the best services for the country, to become the Pride of the Nation, today and always.
