Below is a list with tagged columns and company profiles.
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Puspita Anggraeni, Corporate Secretary at state-controlled construction company Wijaya Karya, said the company's rupiah-denominated global bonds (called "komodo bonds", in reference to the komodo dragon found on several islands in the eastern part of Indonesia) proved popular among investors.
Indonesia's state-owned utility company Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) plans to issue rupiah-denominated global bonds (known as 'komodo bonds', 'nasi goreng' bonds or 'rendang' bonds) in the second quarter of 2018. PLN targets to raise up to USD $2 billion through the bond issuance. Proceeds will be used for financing its part in Indonesia's 35,000 MW power development program as well as for debt payments.
The latest series of (conventional) Indonesian Retail Bonds (in Indonesian: Obligasi Ritel Indonesia, or ORI) was poorly absorbed by Indonesian retail investors. According to the latest available data, only IDR 8.95 trillion (approx. USD $663 million) was invested in the ORI014 series that was on sale between 29 September and 19 October 2017.
Based on information from Bloomberg, Indonesia is now the most attractive country in Asia in terms of returns on US dollar-denominated corporate bonds as an improving domestic economy - and especially an upturn in the country's coal sector - is driving gains in Indonesia's US dollar-denominated corporate bonds.
There are several reasons why the number of corporate bond sales in Indonesia is still low compared to other Asian countries (even though we do detect a rising trend in Indonesia from year to year). Anup Kumar, senior fixed income analyst at Maybank Indonesia, said the number of corporate bonds sales in Indonesia is on the rise this year, but total outstanding bonds in Indonesia is considerably lower than in other Asian nations. What explains this situation?
According to a statement of Indonesia's Finance Ministry, Indonesia raised a total of 100 billion yen (approx. USD $901 million) from the issuance of three, five and seven-year Samurai bonds (yen-denominated bonds) on Wednesday (31/05). The issuance, Indonesia's first public sale of Samurai bonds, was led by Mizuho, Nomura and SMBC Nikko.
Despite the recent rating upgrade from Standard & Poor's, Indonesia's banking sector will not immediately issue bonds to enjoy (expected) higher demand and lower yields. Based on data from the Financial Services Authority (OJK), per March 2017, the value of bonds issued by Indonesian banks fell from IDR 93.22 trillion in December 2016 to IDR 90.25 trillion (approx. USD $6.8 billion) per March 2017.
More rupiah and foreign-denominated bonds are expected to be issued in Indonesia now credit rating agency Standard & Poor's (S&P) assigned investment grade status to Indonesia's sovereign rating (BBB-/stable outlook). Yields are expected to decline gradually, while the cost of funds become cheaper. Therefore, it now becomes more attractive for the Indonesian government and local companies (those that also have been assigned the investment grade rating) to issue bonds and collect "cheaper funds".
The central bank of Indonesia (Bank Indonesia) said the nation's foreign exchange reserves rose to USD $121.8 billion in late March 2017 from USD $119.9 billion in the preceding month. The increase was primarily attributed to proceeds from tax collection, state revenue from the oil & gas sector, the issuance of global bonds and the auction of Bank Indonesia foreign exchange bills.
Few foreign investors invest in Indonesia's corporate bonds. Foreigners currently only hold seven percent of total outstanding corporate bonds in Indonesia. Salyadi Saputra, President Director of Pemeringkat Efek Indonesia (Pefindo), said this figure is too low. Ideally, it should be between 20 - 30 percent. Moreover, the percentage share of Indonesian corporate bonds that are in foreign hands has fallen over the past year. On 1 January 2016 foreigners still held 7.29 percent of total outstanding corporate bonds in Indonesia.
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A remarkable transition occurred in Indonesia’s bond market, specifically referring to the ownership of Indonesian government bonds (Surat Berharga Negara, or SBN). Whereas one decade ago foreign investors held nearly 40 percent of this debt paper, this figure tumbled to 13-14 percent in the present.
Below, we reprint the introduction to the December 2025 report. This report zooms in on a variety of topics that were relevant to Indonesia in the month of December 2025. When selecting subjects to examine, we always focus on those that (potentially) influence the investment environment of Indonesia.
Sukuk Ritel SR023, which is a type of Sharia-compliant government bond that is issued by the government of Indonesia, somewhat disappointed as the target was not met when the offering period ended on 15 September 2025. It is interesting to take a closer look at what could be behind this disappointing bond issuance.
When speaking with Indonesians about the performance of the Indonesian government under the leadership of President Joko Widodo, high government debt is usually mentioned as a key source of concern (especially in case the conversation partner is not supportive of the Widodo administration).
Indonesia's global rupiah-denominated government bonds will enter the Bloomberg Barclay's Global Aggregate Index per May 2018. On Wednesday (21/02) Bloomberg announced that Indonesia's global rupiah bonds meet all criteria to become a member of the Global Aggregate Index. This decision shows the degree of rising foreign confidence in Indonesian bonds, hence in the Indonesian rupiah and the Indonesian economy as a whole.
In the first two weeks of February 2018 foreign investors aggressively sold rupiah-denominated government bonds (in Indonesian: Surat Berharga Negara, or SBN) in the secondary market. Up to 14 February 2018, foreign investors sold IDR 18.69 trillion (approx. USD $1.4 billion) worth of government bonds in February.
Earlier this week Indonesian state-controlled construction company Wijaya Karya listed its 'komodo bonds' on the London Stock Exchange in the United Kingdom, an event that was witnessed by Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati. But Wijaya Karya was not the first company to issue komodo bonds. On 13 December 2017 toll road company Jasa Marga sold IDR 4 trillion (approx. USD $298 million) in three-year bonds (priced at 7.5 percent).
Indonesia-based shipping company Soechi Lines set aside between USD $30 million and USD $50 million to acquire a tanker in 2018. Paula Marlina, Corporate Secretary at Soechi Lines, said the exact type of tanker depends on incoming customer orders. Traditionally, the shipping company acquires a certain type of tanker when it receives plenty of demand for certain tanker services.
Construction company Wijaya Karya (Wika) is conducting a roadshow for its rupiah-denominated global bonds (to be listed on the London Stock Exchange). Wika is following the example of state-controlled toll road operator Jasa Marga that listed its rupiah-denominated global bonds (also known as "komodo bonds") in London on 13 December 2017.
The offering period of the Indonesian central government's latest series of (conventional) Indonesian Retail Bonds (in Indonesian: Obligasi Ritel Indonesia, or ORI) is almost over (it closes on Thursday, 19 October 2017). Contrary to our earlier report, demand for the ORI014 series seems not as strong as initially expected.
