• Indonesia's BI Rate Cut Not Enough to Boost Household Consumption?

    The decision of Indonesia's central bank (Bank Indonesia), last week, to cut its key interest rate (BI rate) by 0.25 percent to 7.00 percent and to cut the reserve-requirement ratio for commercial banks' rupiah deposits by 1 percent to 6.5 percent is a decision that should boost household consumption in Indonesia in 2016, improve people's purchasing power, give rise to a stronger automotive and property sector, and boost liquidity at local banks (hence providing room for an acceleration of credit growth in Southeast Asia's largest economy).

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  • Jokowi Visits Silicon Valley; Inspiration for Indonesia's Digital Economy

    During Indonesian President Joko Widodo's visit to Googleplex, Silicon Valley (California) - headquarters of Google, Facebook, Twitter and Plug and Play - he emphasized that the government of Indonesia is committed to push for the development of the digital economy, aiming to make it the largest in Southeast Asia, worth USD $130 billion by 2020 (including the emergence of 1,000 Indonesian technopreneurs). In this context, Widodo also requested the assistance of Google, Facebook and Plug and Play in the form of IT development education.

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  • Seaport Infrastructure Indonesia: Patimban to Replace Cilamaya?

    Indonesia's Ministry of Transportation has completed a feasibility study for the development of the Patimban seaport in West Java. Although there are no official statements made by the Indonesian government, it is expected that the Patimban seaport is the most suitable candidate to replace the Cilamaya port project in Karawang (West Java). This project was cancelled in April 2015 as the location was too closely located to an oil and gas block operated by Pertamina Hulu Energi Offshore North West Java, a unit of state-owned energy company Pertamina.

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  • Car & Motorcycle Sales in Indonesia Continue to Fall

    Car sales in Indonesia continued to decline. Based on the latest data from the Indonesian Automotive Industry Association (Gaikindo) Indonesian car sales (delivery to dealers) fell around 10 percent year-on-year (y/y) to 84,885 vehicles in the first month of the year from 94,194 units in January 2015. Retail sales, on the other hand, showed a 1 percentage point growth to 82,423 vehicles over the same period.

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