Below is a list with tagged columns and company profiles.

Today's Headlines Banking

  • DBS Group: Indonesia's Economic Growth Expected to Reach 5.8% in 2013

    Singapore-based DBS Group, a leading financial services group in Asia, expects Indonesia's gross domestic product (GDP) growth to reach 5.8 percent in 2013, while it forecasts growth of 6.0 percent in 2014. This year, Indonesia has to cope with ups and downs due to several domestic and foreign factors. According to the institution, two issues stand out as being significantly influential this year. These are the government's decision to increase prices of subsidized fuels in late June and the country's sharply depreciating rupiah.

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  • Credit Growth in Banking Sector Will Fall below 20% after BI Rate Hike

    According to Indonesia's central bank (Bank Indonesia), the higher benchmark interest rate (BI rate) will slow down credit growth in the Indonesian banking sector from a current pace of 19.6 percent (after second week of August 2013) to around 18 percent. The BI rate was raised to 7.0 percent last week. Besides the BI rate, both the lending facility rate and the deposit facility rate (Fasbi) were raised to 7.0 percent and 5.25 percent respectively to support the rupiah, while curbing inflationary pressures.

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  • Indonesia's Banking Sector Has No Difficulty Facing Economic Turmoil

    Indonesia's banking sector is expected to have no difficulties in coping with current financial turmoil in Indonesia's economy. The country's banking industry is much stronger and healthier now than when the crisis in 1997-1998 or 2008 erupted. There have been reports that a few small banks have used the central bank's overnight lending facility, but various stress tests indicate that the banking sector is strong. Gross non performing loans per June 2013 have been kept below1.9 percent, which is significantly lower compared to previous periods.

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  • A Company Profile of Indonesian State Controlled Bank Tabungan Negara

    Bank Tabungan Negara (BTN) is a state-controlled Indonesian bank that is market leader in the country's mortgage loans sector and is positioned inside the top ten of Indonesian banks in terms of assets and credit loans. The company's business activities focus on three sectors: mortgage loans and consumer banking, housing and commercial banking, and Syariah-banking (Islamic banking). Since the start of 2013, shares of Bank Tabungan Negara have fallen 23.65 percent.

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  • Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI): A Leading Indonesian Commercial Bank

    Indonesia Investments has updated the company profile of Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI), one of the leading commercial banks in Indonesia and the country's second largest lender by assets. The bank's business focus mainly lies on banking services in micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME’s). BRI was a state-owned company until 2003 when it listed 30 percent of its shares on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX). It is currently one of the largest Indonesian companies in terms of market capitalization.

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  • Indonesian Banks Post Good Financial Results in Semester I-2013

    Despite a higher benchmark interest rate, higher inflation, a weakening rupiah, and global economic turmoil, four out of seven Indonesian banks that released their financial results over the first half of 2013, have posted double-digit growth. The seven banks show a combined growth of 16.2 percent. Although it is an impressive figure, it is a couple of percentage points lower than last year's performance. Indonesia's economy has slowed down to an annual economic growth of six percent and this has impacted on domestic demand for credit loans.

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  • Indonesian Government: No Need for Panic over Weakening Rupiah

    Although Indonesia's currency, the IDR rupiah, has continued its weakening trend, Indonesian authorities are reassuring the people that this development is not as much caused by domestic factors but rather due to the rising US dollar against other currencies. According to data from Bank Indonesia, the Indonesian rupiah has weakened 5.99 percent to the US dollar in 2013. It is also clear that the central bank of Indonesia has decided to let the rupiah depreciate gradually instead of using its foreign exchange reserves to support the currency.

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  • Indonesian Property Developers not Happy with New Down Payment Rules

    After the central bank of Indonesia placed stricter rules on mortgages for buying property, Indonesian property developers, as well as the Indonesian Real Estate Association (REI), have criticized the new framework as it will impact on demand for property. The central bank implemented new loan-to-value ratios amid concerns that a property bubble may arise. According to the bank, many buyers of apartments are speculators who benefit from sharply rising property prices.

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  • Indonesian Banks Experience Continued Robust Growth in Quarter 1-2013

    The banking sector of Indonesia continues to post impressive double-digit growth amid the country's expanding economy and the people's increasing demand for consumer lending. A number of prominent Indonesian banks, which includes Bank Mandiri, Bank Central Asia, Bank Negara Indonesia, Bank Rakyat Indonesia, and Bank CIMB Niaga, have released strong Q1-2013 performance results. However, as the central bank's interest rate might be raised due to inflationary pressures, profits from lending can decline.

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  • Bank Mandiri and Holcim Indonesia Increase Dividend Payouts

    In the General Meeting of Shareholders it was decided that Bank Mandiri, Indonesia’s largest financial institution by assets, will pay dividend of IDR 199.33 per share to its shareholders. Total dividend that will be paid amounts to IDR 4.65 trillion (US $479.4 million), which equals about 33 percent of the bank's net profit in 2012. Bank Mandiri, which is 60 percent owned by the Indonesian government, reported a 26.6 percent increase in net profit last year.

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Latest Columns Banking

  • S&P: Indonesia's Banking Industry Stable but Profitability May Weaken

    New York-based financial services firm Standard & Poor's stated that Indonesia's banking industry will feel the negative impact of Indonesia's sluggish economic growth in combination with persistently low commodity prices next year. This combination may weaken profitability of the nation's banking industry. S&P puts Indonesia's economic growth in 2016 at 5 percent (y/y), below the International Monetary Fund's and World Bank's forecast as well as the central government's target, all at 5.3 percent (y/y).

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  • How Can a Foreigner (Expat) Open a Foreign Currency Bank Account in Indonesia?

    Indonesia’s Financial Services Authority (OJK) issued a new regulation that simplifies the opening of a foreign currency bank account by a foreign national (expat). A circular, S-246/S.01/2015 (dated 15 September 2015 and signed by OJK Chairman Muliaman D. Hadad), has been sent to all directors of Indonesian commercial banks that conduct business in foreign currencies. This new rule, part of the economic policy package that was released by the Indonesian government on 9 September, aims to boost foreign currency funds in Indonesia and support the rupiah.

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  • Banking in Foreign Currencies for Expats in Indonesia Made Easier

    Soon it will be easier for foreigners (expats) to have a foreign currency bank account (non-rupiah) in Indonesia. Muliaman D. Hadad, Chairman of the Financial Services Authority (OJK), stated it is bound to issue a new regulation that allows for easier banking in foreign currencies in Indonesia. This regulation is made in an effort to raise the country’s foreign exchange reserves and support the ailing rupiah.

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  • Press Release Bank Indonesia: BI Rate Held at 7.50% in August 2015

    During Bank Indonesia’s Board of Governors it was decided on 18th August 2015 to hold the BI Rate at 7.50 percent, while maintaining the Deposit Facility rate at 5.50 percent and the Lending Facility rate at 8.00 percent. The decision is consonant with efforts to control inflation within the target corridor of 4±1 percent in 2015 and 2016. In the short term, Bank Indonesia (BI) is focused on efforts to stabilize the rupiah amid uncertainty in the global economy, by optimizing monetary operations in the rupiah and the foreign exchange market.

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  • Islamic Banking in Indonesia Explained: New Rules & Foreign Ownership

    Indonesian financial authorities are considering to ease foreign ownership limits for local Islamic banks and to promote new sharia-compliant financial tools in an effort to make the Islamic finance industry more attractive to foreign investors and the Indonesian population. Despite having the world’s largest Muslim population and being a dynamic emerging economy, Indonesia plays only a very minor role in the global Islamic banking industry. Meanwhile, domestically, Islamic banking still seriously lags behind conventional banking.

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  • Bank Indonesia Press Release: BI Rate Maintained at 7.50%

    Indonesia’s central bank (Bank Indonesia) decided to maintain its benchmark interest rate (BI rate) at 7.50 percent, the deposit facility rate at 5.50 percent and lending facility rate at 8.00 percent. This interest rate environment is considered to be in line with the central bank’s ongoing efforts to push the country’s inflation figure within its target of 4±1 percent for 2015 and 2016, as well as to control the country’s current account deficit towards a healthier level at 2.5-3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in the medium term.

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  • Islamic Banking in Indonesia: Boosting Syariah Finance

    Syariah banking or Islamic finance is a large untapped potential in Indonesia, a country where about 13 percent of the total global Muslim population live. With nearly 90 percent of the 250 million people in Indonesia adhering to Islam, the market share of syariah (sharia) finance is remarkably low. At USD $24 billion, Islamic banks in Indonesia only held 4.9 percent of the country’s total banking assets in 2013, hence making Indonesia’s Financial Services Authority (OJK) decide to launch a five-year roadmap in a move to boost syariah banking.

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  • Indonesia & Malaysia Support Banking Integration in ASEAN Region

    Bank Indonesia (the central bank of Indonesia) and the Financial Services Authority (OJK) signed an agreement (the ASEAN Banking Integration Framework, abbreviated ABIF) with Malaysia’s central bank to support banking integration in the ASEAN region. The website of Bank Indonesia states that ABIF “provides an operating framework for ASEAN member states to implement principles and the integration process in the banking sector to support the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) [which is to be implemented later this year]”.

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  • Bank for International Settlements: Emerging Markets Vulnerable

    The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) wrote in its most recent report that emerging economies, which includes Indonesia, are highly vulnerable to severe capital outflows as investments from the West have been highly speculative and can be quickly pulled out from emerging markets. Even when only a light shock occurs, capital outflows will be significant as international investors have been showing ‘herd behaviour’. This behavior can rock the financial fundamentals of emerging markets and leave these countries shattered.

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  • Bank Indonesia Keeps Key Interest Rate at 7.50% in September 2014

    The central bank of Indonesia (Bank Indonesia) kept its key interest rate (BI rate) at 7.50 percent for the tenth consecutive month as inflation is under control and well within the year-end target of the central bank (3.5-5.5 percent). The lending facility and deposit facility were kept at 7.50 percent and 5.75 percent, respectively, at Thursday’s Board of Governor’s Meeting (11/09). The central bank also expects that the current interest rate environment is capable of curbing the country’s wide current account deficit.

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