Exports of pharmaceutical products from Indonesia have declined due to increasing competition from China on the international market. Chinese pharmaceutical companies dominate export markets supported by China's low production cost environment and the availability of raw materials at home. However, despite this situation, the Indonesian Pharmacy Association (GP Farmasi Indonesia) remains optimistic that Indonesia's pharmaceutical exports can climb in 2017.

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The Salim Group, one of Indonesia's biggest conglomerates (owning leading companies in various sectors of the Indonesian economy), has high ambitions in the nation's banking sector after having acquired a majority stake in Bank Ina Perdana in early March 2017. For the first time in 19 years the conglomerate, founded by Sudono Salim in 1972, is back in Indonesia's banking industry.

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The future of the ambitious land reclamation project in the bay of Indonesia's capital city of Jakarta is highly uncertain now Anies Baswedan has been elected as next Jakarta governor. Baswedan and his running mate Sandiago Uno have repeatedly expressed their objection to the reclamation project, while defeated Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok) was a major supporter of the project.

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A new study conducted by the Better Than Cash Alliance, a partnership consisting of governments, companies, and international organizations, shows Indonesia has now become the world's fastest-growing mobile-commerce market (m-commerce). Growth of online shopping in Southeast Asia's largest economy is attributed to the rising spending power of Indonesia's middle class as well as expanding Internet and smartphone penetration. According to the study, Indonesia's m-commerce market surged 155 percent in 2016.

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