Pintarnya, an employment and financial services platform based in Indonesia, has raised US$16.7 million in a series A funding round led by Square Peg, with participation from Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India and East Ventures.

Founded in 2022, Pintarnya connects job seekers with employment opportunities and offers access to secured loans through partnerships with asset-backed lenders.

The company said its platform serves over 10 million users and 40,000 employers and has facilitated more than 8 million employment matches.

Pintarnya reported that over 200,000 users have accessed credit through its financial services network, with collateral options such as gold, electronics, or motor vehicles.

The new funding will be used to enhance Pintarnya’s platform and expand access to its financial services across Indonesia.

🔗 Source: Pintarnya

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Employment platforms unlock financial access for Indonesia’s massive underserved workforce

Pintarnya’s evolution from job matching to financial services directly addresses Indonesia’s $234 billion finance gap, where only 19% of the country’s 64 million small businesses have access to formal financial services1.

The company’s approach of using employment data for credit assessment tackles a core challenge in Indonesian lending—traditional banks struggle with irregular income streams that make conventional credit scoring ineffective.

With over 200,000 users already accessing credit through their platform, Pintarnya demonstrates how employment history can serve as alternative credit data for workers typically excluded from formal banking.

This model becomes particularly valuable in Indonesia, where 97% of the population relies on micro, small, and medium enterprises for their livelihoods, yet most lack the banking relationships needed for traditional loans1.

2️⃣ Integrated platforms capture more value by solving interconnected problems

Pintarnya’s expansion beyond job matching reflects a broader trend where Indonesian platforms integrate multiple services to better serve their users’ complete needs.

The company’s 8 million successful employment matches create a unique data foundation that traditional financial institutions lack, enabling them to assess creditworthiness based on actual work history rather than just banking relationships.

This integrated approach makes business sense in Indonesia’s context, where digital platforms like Tokopedia generated 10.3% of all new jobs in the country during 2018, showing how employment and financial services naturally intersect2.