Established in 1946 as the first bank formed and owned by the Indonesia Government, BNI used to be called by its unabbreviated name of Bank Negara Indonesia. In 1955, along with increased capitalization, the Bank's legal status was formally changed into that of a state-owned commercial Bank. This became the foundation for the Bank to provide a better and wider scope of assistance for the country's national business.

By the last quarter of 1968, the bank decide to attach its year of establishment to its name as part of its corporate identity, officially changing the corporate name into Bank Negara Indonesia 1946. The Bank was then widely referred to as ‘BNI 46" for several decades. The simpler name of ‘Bank BNI' was adopted in 1988 along with the change of corporate identity.

BNI legal status was upgraded in 1992 into a state-owned limited corporation with the name of PT Bank Negara Indonesia (Persero), while the Bank decision to become a public company was manifested through public offering of its shares in 1996. A refined corporate identity was introduced in 2004, reflecting positive future prospects after a year of struggle through a period of hardship. A shorter name of ‘BNI' replaced the former ‘Bank BNI', while the year of establishment - ‘46' - was exposed through the logo-mark, as a reinforcement of the pride of being the country's first national bank.

Voluntary initiatives

• Global Reporting Initiative
• UNEP Finance Initiative
• United Nations Global Compact