The growing presence of illegal money changers in Bali has once again drawn attention. Unlicensed foreign exchange services are seen as harmful to tourists and damaging to the island’s reputation as a world‑class destination.
In response, Bank Indonesia is intensifying efforts to curb illegal money changers in Bali, which have repeatedly caused losses for both visitors and locals.
The central bank’s initiatives include education campaigns, public outreach, and collaboration with traditional villages and law enforcement — all aimed at safeguarding trust in Bali’s tourism sector.
Another step is the launch of moneychangerbali.com, integrated with the Bali Provincial Government’s official portal lovebali.baliprov.go.id.
This platform provides information and guidance for tourists and residents, listing all licensed money changers approved by Bank Indonesia.
“Bank Indonesia also offers a complaint channel for illegal money changer activities through the BI‑PATROL portal,” explained Erwin Soeriadimadja, Head of Bank Indonesia’s Bali Representative Office.
Second‑Highest Number of Money Changers in Indonesia
Erwin noted that Bali has the second‑largest number of money changers in Indonesia, after Jakarta. Currently, 601 licensed operators are active on the island.
“This includes 140 headquartered in Bali, 440 branch offices, and 21 operating in partnership with hotels,” Erwin said during a media discussion at Bank Indonesia’s Bali office in Denpasar, Thursday (March 5).
Despite the large number of licensed providers, Erwin acknowledged that unlicensed operators remain. These illegal money changers often use tricks to shortchange customers.
“For example, a tourist exchanging 100 US dollars should receive around Rp1.6 million. But due to certain schemes, they may end up with only Rp1.4 million,” he explained.
Bank Indonesia urges tourists and locals to use only officially licensed money changers.
Authorized outlets can be identified by a green logo reading “Authorized Money Changer” and a license certificate issued by Bank Indonesia.
Sources : IndoBaliNews, NusaBali
Feat Image : via B.I Bali