New App Aims to Help Indonesia’s Poor. Requires iPhone 17 Pro Max
An Indonesian startup has launched a financial inclusion app for the underbanked... exclusively for iPhone 17 Pro Max users.
JAKARTA — A new fintech app designed to “uplift underbanked Indonesians” launched this week, exclusively on iOS, and specifically optimized for the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Developed by Empatha, a Jakarta-based startup with a mission to “democratize financial literacy,” the app promises to revolutionize how poor Indonesians budget their monthly incomes… assuming they own Apple’s latest flagship device, have access to high-speed Wi-Fi, and speak fluent English.
“We really wanted to be inclusive,” said co-founder Kevin Mahendra Putra-Klein. “But Android’s interface just didn’t feel premium enough for the vision.”
The team behind Empatha held all their user testing sessions in Canggu, where they engaged a highly representative sample group: other founders, their interns, and three digital nomads.
“This app isn’t just about saving money,” said co-founder Samantha Wijaya. “It’s about feeling wealthy. Like, psychologically. That’s why we designed the dashboard to resemble a Louis Vuitton wallet.”
In a dusty village in Central Java, news of the app’s release spread quickly… via word of mouth, since 3G reception remains spotty and nobody owns an iPhone.
“It’s good to know rich people still think about us,” said Pak Slamet, a cassava farmer who once saw an iPhone in a viral TikTok video. “Maybe one day I will download this app. First, I’ll get electricity. Then maybe shoes.”
The app’s features include a “Wealth Whisperer” chatbot, budgeting prompts, and a goal-setting tool that defaults to “Travel to Lisbon for Web Summit.” Users can also create custom savings categories like “Crypto Portfolio,” “Wellness Retreat Fund,” and “Emergency Botox.”
When asked about accessibility, the team clarified that Android support was coming “eventually,” right after their Series B and an offsite in Iceland.
“To be honest,” said Samantha, “if someone doesn’t have an iPhone, are they really in our target demographic? I mean, what kind of user chooses not to pay $1,600 for a phone?”
Criticism quickly mounted online, with some calling the app “tone-deaf,” and “digital colonialism.”
Tech influencers have rushed to defend the company, arguing that Empatha is disrupting poverty in bold new ways, especially in how it redefines what “local relevance” means.
“Look, empathy is scalable,” said VC advisor and part-time podcast host Reza Tanuwidjaja. “You don’t need to be poor to help poor people. You just need a UX designer who’s watched ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ more than once.”
As for the future, Empatha plans to introduce a wearable device that buzzes whenever users “feel financially insecure,” and a beta program where poor people can apply to be studied.
For now, the app remains available only in English, but a Bahasa version is on the roadmap pending partnerships with McKinsey, and an ayahuasca ceremony in Ubud.
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