CEO Insights Magazine

Willy Apriando

Head of Corporate Communication & Marketing

The banking and financial services industry is undergoing a fundamental transformation, driven by digital adoption, changing consumer expectations, data-led personalization, and the rapid growth of alternative ways of working. Digital banking has moved beyond providing convenient transactions to becoming an integral part of how individuals manage income, build businesses, save, and pursue financial goals.

In emerging markets such as Indonesia, this evolution is particularly significant as solopreneurs, gig workers, and digitally active consumers increasingly seek financial solutions that reflect the flexibility of their lifestyles.

Leading this transformation, Willy Apriando, Head of Corporate Communication & Marketing at Bank Saqu, brings a career shaped by an ability to anticipate change and continually reinvent himself. His professional journey began in 2005 as an Art Director in the agency world. Guided by the belief that professionals must disrupt themselves before the market does, Apriando has consistently moved toward emerging opportunities.

When social media began gaining momentum around 2010 through Twitter, blogs, Facebook, and online communities, he transitioned from traditional advertising into digital PR. The move eventually led him to become a Digital Head at a leading global PR agency, managing prominent clients including BlackBerry, Shell, and HP. His exposure to banking, financial services, insurance, and investment clients subsequently sparked his interest in the next major transformation - digital banking.

Recognizing its potential around 2016–2017, Apriando joined DBS, contributing to the launch and growth of digibank in Indonesia before expanding his expertise into digital lending. These experiences equipped him with end-to-end capabilities spanning creative development, communications, digital strategy, activation, execution, and media.

Bank Saqu ultimately brought these diverse experiences together. For Apriando, the opportunity to combine creativity, technology, communications, and financial services while building a digital bank focused on empowering Indonesia's solopreneurs and gig economy represented a compelling next chapter in his professional journey.

What key marketing milestones have helped strengthen Bank Saqu’s growth and market presence?

My most significant milestone has been bringing nearly two decades of marketing experience together to help build Bank Saqu from the ground up. With the trust of Astra Financial and WeLab as the Bank’s shareholders, I contributed to shaping everything from the brand name and design system to the transformation of Bank Jasa Jakarta into Bank Saqu.

My background spans creative development, PR, digital marketing, media strategy, production, and financial services marketing. At Bank Saqu, I can bring these disciplines together under one strategy. This integrated approach has helped us establish a clear identity, strengthen customer engagement, build trust, and accelerate our presence among Indonesia’s solopreneurs.

How are data, technology, and customer insights helping you strengthen engagement and brand loyalty?

 I believe engagement must be as strong as awareness. Capturing attention is only the beginning; building lasting relationship requires a deeper understanding of customers and their evolving needs. As a digital bank, we leverage behavioral data to go beyond demographics and deliver more timely and relevant experiences.

We are also increasingly integrating AI into our marketing capabilities to sharpen personalization enable hyper-targeted campaigns, monitor performance in real time, and enhance creative execution.

By bringing together customer insights, data, and AI, we aim to create experiences that feel intuitive, personal, and genuinely useful– ultimately strengthens engagement and builds longterm brand loyalty.

How do you ensure Bank Saqu’s innovations remain relevant to evolving customer needs?

We begin by deeply understanding our customers— their financial habits, aspirations, lifestyles, and everyday activities. One insight was the growing importance of active lifestyles and community experiences, which inspired Sunrise Society, our early-riser community.

We connect such insights directly with product innovation. Our co-saving feature, Undang Teman, for example, allows people to transparently pool and manage money for shared activities. The same feature can help solopreneurs manage business capital or petty cash with partners.

By designing around real customer behaviors, we ensure our solutions support both personal lifestyles and entrepreneurial ambitions while consistently reinforcing Bank Saqu’s value proposition.

Which trends will shape digital banking and marketing, and how is Bank Saqu preparing for them?

I see three major trends. First, community-led engagement will become increasingly important because digital convenience alone cannot replace genuine human connection. Second, AI-powered personalization and gamification will enable banks to anticipate customer needs and create more engaging financial experience through predictive insights, automated savings, and reward-based journeys.

Third, banking will become increasingly embedded within customers’ everyday activities rather than functioning as a standalone destination. At Bank Saqu, we are preparing for the shifts by strengthening our AI-enabled engagement capabilities, developing more intuitive and gamified experiences, and integrating our solutions more deeply into customers’ daily financial activities and broader ecosystem. Our objective is to combine intelligent technology and digital convenience with meaningful human connections.

What does the “Visionary CMOs in Indonesia 2026” recognition mean to you, and what is your vision for Bank Saqu?

I am grateful for the recognition because it acknowledges not only my journey but also the work our team has undertaken at Bank Saqu. At the same time, recognition establishes a higher benchmark and motivates me to keep progressing. I believe initiatives like this are valuable because they allow marketing professionals to learn from one another and celebrate meaningful industry achievements.

Looking ahead, my ambition is for Bank Saqu to become a digital bank Indonesians are genuinely proud of—one that is recognized, preferred, and used in customers’ everyday lives while continuing to empower active, productive individuals and Indonesia’s growing solopreneur community.

Willy Apriando, Head of Corporate Communication & Marketing, Bank Saqu

Willy Apriando is Head of Corporate Communication & M arketing at B ank S aqu, bringing nearly two decades of experience across advertising, digital PR, marketing, and financial services. Beginning as an Art Director, he later led digital initiatives for global brands and contributed to digital banking growth before helping shape Bank Saqu’s brand journey.