On June 18, 2016 at 21:39 UTC the “Ariane-5” rocket-carrier was launched from Kourou Cosmodrome in French Guiana. The rocket orbited the " EchoStar XVIII” and the “BRIsat” telecommunication satellites. Both satellites were made by Space Systems/Loral in Palo Alto, California, USA. “With the launch of BRIsat, we are proud to be the first and only bank in the world to operate a satellite,” said Asmawi Syam Syamsuddin, CEO of Bank Rakyat Indonesia, BRIsat’s owner. “It’s not only a proud moment for BRI, but also for our country, Indonesia. He said. “We hope that BRIsat will mark a new era in banking and a stepping stone for the financial industry, not only in Indonesia but also the world.” The craft will expand secure banking communications to almost 60 million customers across the Indonesia archipelago, including locations where banking services were previously unavailable, according to BRI.