Below is a list with tagged columns and company profiles.

Today's Headlines Foreign Investment

  • Investment Opportunities in Indonesia's Retail Sector: Lucrative Potential?

    Indonesia managed to enter the top five in the Global Retail Development Index, reflecting the strength and potential of the nation's retail sector. In the 2016 edition of the index, compiled by global consulting company AT Kearney, Indonesia jumped to fifth position (from 12th in the 2015 edition). The Global Retail Development Index measures the attractiveness of the retail sector in 30 developing economies as well as identifying investment opportunities in these markets. China remains number one in the ranking, followed by India, Malaysia and Kazakhstan.

    Read more ›

  • E-Commerce in Indonesia Open to Foreign Investment; IPOs Welcomed

    The move of the Indonesian government to relax foreign ownership rules regarding e-commerce businesses in Indonesia has also given rise to expectation that the country's major e-commerce players (including foreign ones) will be interested to list their companies on the Indonesia Stock Exchange through an initial public offering (IPO). Generally an IPO improves a company's transparency and corporate/financial management. E-commerce businesses are particularly in need of consumers' trust and confidence and therefore an IPO is considered a good corporate move.

    Read more ›

  • Indonesia's Rubber Producers Unhappy with Foreign Investment

    Indonesian rubber producers do not welcome the government's decision to open the nation's crumb rubber sector to foreign ownership for the full 100 percent. This decision is part of the government's tenth economic stimulus package, announced last week. Stakeholders in Indonesia's rubber sector argue that current installed production capacity of existing rubber processing plants in Indonesia already exceeds domestic demand. Crumb rubber is recycled rubber produced from automotive as well as truck scrap tires.

    Read more ›

  • Indonesia Investments' Newsletter of 27 December 2015 Released

    On 27 December 2015, Indonesia Investments released the latest edition of its newsletter. This free newsletter, which is sent to our subscribers once per week, contains the most important news stories from Indonesia that have been reported on our website over the last seven days. Most of the topics involve economic matters such as Indonesia's 8th economic stimulus package, inflation, how to set up a legal entity in Indonesia (for foreign investors), updates on Indonesia's coal, cocoa and geothermal industries, and more.

    Read more ›

  • Update Majority Foreign Ownership in Indonesian Banks

    Contrary to earlier information, Indonesia's Financial Services Authority (OJK) is expected to somewhat limit investment opportunities for foreign investors in the country's banking sector. Nelson Tampubolon, Commissioner for Banking Supervision at the OJK, said foreigners will only be allowed to acquire a majority-stake in small Indonesian banks (categorized under the BUKU 1 system) provided that the foreigner purchases two (small) banks and merge these into one entity.

    Read more ›

  • Banking Sector Indonesia: Foreign Ownership & Sustainable Financing

    After having been limited to 40 percent for the last three years, foreign investors are now allowed to control a more-than-40 percent stake in Indonesian banks, provided that they buy two local banks and merge them into one. Indonesia's financial authorities gave the green light to two foreign banks (China Construction Bank Corporation and the South Korea-based Shinhan Bank) that seek to tap Indonesia's lucrative banking sector.

    Read more ›

  • International Relations Indonesia: Joko Widodo, David Cameron & Singapore

    Today (28/07), Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who is often referred to as Jokowi, went on his first state visit to Singapore where he will discuss trade, investment and bilateral issues with Singaporean President Tony Tan Keng Yam, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and 150 Singaporean CEOs in a bid to enhance cooperation between both nations. President Widodo is accompanied by Indonesian Trade Minister Rachmat Gobel, Chief Economics Minister Sofyan Djalil, and Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi, among others.

    Read more ›

  • Banking Sector of Indonesia to Become Less Open to Foreign Investment

    Commission XI of Indonesia’s House of Representatives (DPR), which oversees the country’s banking sector, will soon propose a new draft of a bill that sets to limit foreign ownership in Indonesian banks at 40 percent (from 99 percent currently). Established banks that are majority-owned by foreigners will be given a 10-year period to divest their shares after the bill has been passed into law (reportedly an earlier draft only provided a five-year transition period for this mandatory divestment).

    Read more ›

  • Business Trips & Tourism in Indonesia Boost Hotel Development

    As the number of foreign tourists rise rapidly and there is increasing demand for conferences, exhibitions and business meetings, Indonesia will see a massive inflow of investments for the construction of hotels and condominium hotels (condominium hotels combine features of apartments and hotels). In 2015, the value of new (condo) hotels projects is estimated at IDR 38.5 trillion (USD $3.2 billion), up 57.3 percent from last year. Locations that attract tourists and locations close to education centers are the primary choice.

    Read more ›

  • Plantations Bill Indonesia: No Further Limit to Foreign Ownership

    Indonesia’s House of Representatives (DPR) has passed a new plantations bill that aims to maximize land usage and opens up Indonesia’s plantation sector to smallholders. However, the retroactive clause that would limit foreign ownership to a maximum of 30 percent (from 95 percent currently) was dropped from the final version. This clause was highly controversial and would have been a major obstacle for foreign companies engaged in Indonesia’s plantation sector (such as Golden Agri-Resources and Wilmar International).

    Read more ›

Latest Columns Foreign Investment

  • Indonesia's Foreign Exchange Reserves Fall, Current Account Deficit Grows

    The foreign exchange reserves of Indonesia keep on falling from its historical peak of USD $124.64 billion in August 2011 to USD $92.67 billion at the end of July 2013. This development seems to highlight long-standing weaknesses in Indonesia's sovereign's external finances, as credit agency Fitch Ratings detected on several occasions before. The republic of Indonesia is currently characterized by four deficits, to wit a current account deficit, a balance of payments deficit, a trade balance deficit and a fiscal deficit.

    Read more ›

  • Investments in Indonesia Continue to Slow; Government Revises Target

    Growth of Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) in Indonesia has continued to slow down in the first six months of 2013. In the first quarter of 2013, GFCF rose 5.78 percent but in the second quarter the pace fell to 4.67 percent. These results are much lower than last year's quarterly growth rates as can be seen in the table below. In fact, the growth rate in Q2-2013 constitutes the lowest growth rate in the last 13 quarters. In Q2-2013, all sectors experienced weakening investments except for domestic machinery and equipment.

    Read more ›

  • Indonesian Government Prepares Seven Incentives to Spur Investments

    The government of Indonesia is busy preparing seven tax incentives to boost investment flows in 2014. Investments currently account for approximately 32 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). Only domestic consumption owns a larger stake towards the economy with 55 percent. The regulatory framework related to the seven incentives is expected to be finalized by the end of this year. The incentives consist of five new ones and the relaxation of two older incentives, namely the tax holiday and tax allowance.

    Read more ›

  • Investment Realization in Indonesia USD $19.8 billion in Semester I-2013

    Investment realization in Indonesia grew 30.2 percent to IDR 192.8 trillion (USD $19.8 billion) in the first six months of 2013 (compared to the same period last year). This result implies that 49.4 percent of the investment target for full 2013 has been achieved. The Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) aims to collect IDR 390.3 trillion in investments this year. This target is divided in domestic direct investment (DDI) of IDR 117.7 trillion and foreign direct investment (FDI) of IDR 272.6 trillion.

    Read more ›

  • Weakening Rupiah due to Indonesia's Fundamentals and Profit Taking

    The Indonesian rupiah (IDR) is experiencing one of its worst losing streaks in a decade. On Friday (19/07), the currency weakened to IDR 10,070 against the US dollar, which implies a devaluation of 4.14% in 2013 so far. The central bank of Indonesia, Bank Indonesia, does all it can to support the currency: the country's lender of last resort supplies dollars to the market triggering the reduction of foreign reserves from USD $105 million at end-May to $98 million at end-June, and raised its benchmark interest rate (BI Rate) by 50 bps to 6.50%.

    Read more ›

  • Foreign Relations: Trade Between Indonesia and Sweden

    Indonesia and Sweden intend to increase business relations between both countries. Last month, Indonesia's president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono made a state visit to Sweden, while in 2012 Sweden prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt visited Indonesia. A number of topics were discussed during these visits, including trade and investment. After the discussions, both countries agreed that trade and investment between the countries should be expanded. Up to early 2013, 77 Swedish companies are in operation in Indonesia.

    Read more ›

  • Indonesia Composite Index (IHSG): Bearish Trap or Bullish Trap?

    Last week, Indonesia's main index (IHSG) rebounded 303 points to 4,818.90. After weeks of foreign outflows, Indonesia finally experienced capital inflows again during the last two days of the week. For example, on Friday (28/06) foreigners bought IDR 960 billion (USD $97.0 million) more Indonesian shares than they sold. However, considering the full week, foreigners still recorded net selling amounting to IDR 1.02 trillion (USD $103 million). Do these last couple of days tell us that the bearish market is over? Lets take a closer look.

    Read more ›

  • Two Important Questions in Indonesia's Highly Volatile Market

    Indonesia's main stock index (IHSG) moved wildly last week. During the first two days of the week, the index fell to 4,609.95 points, which is considerably below its record high level of 5,214 on 20 May 2013. However, on the last trading day of the week (14/06), a 3.32 percent recovery occurred. Generally, it were domestic market participants that supported the IHSG. Foreign market participants continued to sell parts of their Indonesian stock portfolios. Total foreign selling totaled IDR 9 trillion (USD $910.4 million) last week.

    Read more ›

  • Indonesia's Main Stock Index (IHSG) Continues its Fall on Tuesday

    For three consecutive days, Indonesia's main stock index (IHSG) had to cope with significant losses. On Tuesday (11/06), the index fell 3.50 percent to 4,609.95 points, considerably below its record high level of 5,214 on 20 May 2013. Foreign investors recorded a net sell of IDR 3.98 trillion (USD $406.1 million) as domestic conditions in Indonesia are unstable. Moreover, investors are concerned about governments (USA and Japan) that want to slow down their stimulus programs as various economic data are showing positive outcomes.

    Read more ›

  • The Influence of S&P's Outlook Downgrade on the Indonesia Stock Index (IHSG)

    The Jakarta composite index (IHSG), Indonesia's main stock index, was mixed last week. During the week it lost 53 points or 1.04 percent to finish at the level of 4,925.48. A number of blue chips, such as Bank Mandiri and Astra International, were hit by large sell-offs as the downgrade of S&P's debt outlook for Indonesia's BB+ rating kicked in and triggered serious negative market sentiments. Last week, I already discussed the 'Bloody May' phenomenon, the month that usually results in a correction.

    Read more ›

No business profiles with this tag