Harsja Kartadjoemena

Harsja is the firm's Counsel in its Intellectual Property, Emerging Business and Technology Practice Group. Harsja represents a diverse range of multinational corporates and startups in a wide array of industries from banking and finance, fintech (digital lending and payments services), to telco, pharmaceuticals, tourism and hospitality, and has extensive experience across the spectrum of financial services and fintech-related regulations, including digital payment services such as e-wallet, e-money, remittance and payment gateway.

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Harsja helps both corporate and startup clients navigate the complexities of regulations in highly regulated industries while emphasizing practical, business-focused solutions and keeping operational realities at the forefront when advising. Many of the transactions on which Harsja advises are cross-border in nature particularly within the context of mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, joint ventures, bond issuance, divestitures, especially debt and equity fundraisings.

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Having spent years working as legal manager and head of legal for various startups, Harsja's practice also covers the whole range of legal issues relating to digital platforms and startup ecosystem, namely negotiating all types of contracts, advising on the fast-evolving legal framework vis-à-vis end-users and public authorities (including personal data protection, consumer protection, and electronic communication law), and dealing with regulators where he guides various startup clients in the development and launch of their products and services and in the implementation of regulatory change projects. He also supports clients in their licensing, governance and compliance arrangements and in their relationships with regulators.

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Among his notable clients and deals, Harsja advised OY! Indonesia, a fintech startup engaged in payment services, in relation to its post-fundraising corporate restructuring and presentation to Bank Indonesia to obtain the mandatory approval for the proposed acquisition of a Category 2 payment gateway company via debt-equity swap, which includes reviewing and negotiating the transaction structures and documentation as well as managing the investor relations aspect of the deal.

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He also counseled Pintarnya, a local employment platform startup that provides AI for job matching alongside financial services for blue-collar workers in Indonesia on its USD 16.7 million Series A fundraising led by Square Peg with continued participation from Vertex Venture and East Ventures. Harsja further assisted Pintarnya in becoming the first VC-backed startup to successfully obtain a pawnshop license from the Financial Services Authority to provide financing solution to blue-collar workers.

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During his tenure at two prominent full-service law firms in Indonesia, one of which is affiliated to a leading global law firm, Baker & McKenzie International, Harsja contributed to the merger process of the three largest Sharia State-Owned Banks into PT Bank Syariah Indonesia Tbk, and successfully assisted MUFG Bank Ltd, the majority shareholder of PT Bank Danamon Tbk, on the operational merger of PT Bank Nusantara Parahyangan Tbk (the merged bank) to PT Bank Danamon Tbk. He was also involved in the acquisition of a multifinance company, PT Verena Multi Finance Tbk, by Mizuho Leasing Co Ltd. In the capital market space, Harsja participated in various local and Singapore-listed bond issuance work in the banking, energy, telco and pharmaceuticals industries.

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Harsja is acknowledged by his clients as an excellent strategic and lateral thinker, combined with a well-trained ability to cut to the core issues and key risks facing clients. With deep knowledge of the clients' business and risk tolerances, his hands-on approach combined with gravitas and a clear, straightforward communication style means that the advice provided is incisive, pragmatic and solutions focused. Harsja foresees the complexities and hurdles and solves them ahead of time and is an expert in distilling advice into the points that clients need to focus on.