3 July 2025 (closed)
Jakarta Composite Index (6,878.05) -3.19 -0.05%
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Below is a list with tagged columns and company profiles.
Latest Reports Investment Climate
On 7 January 2025, a delegation of US multinational technology company Apple Inc. visited Indonesia to discuss the company's investment plans in Southeast Asia's largest economy. This is assumed to involve two matters: the recent iPhone 16 sales ban in Indonesia, and the construction of a USD $1 billion AirTag factory in Batam (near Singapore).
On 22 July 2022 a new regulation came into effect, titled Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Regulation No. 9 of Year 2022 on the Amendment of Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Regulation No. 7 of Year 2021 on the Amendment of the List of National Strategic Projects (henceforth: Regulation 9/2022).
Those who follow Indonesian politics and/or the Indonesian economy should know that November is the month in which new minimum wages are determined for the following year. It involves the minimum wages for the provinces (propinsi), districts (kabupaten), and cities (kota).
The presence of ‘something foreign’ in Indonesia is often still a somewhat sensitive issue. And, we would not be surprised if it is the country’s prolonged colonial period – when foreign forces (particularly the Dutch) came to the Archipelago in search of commodities – that brings back traumatic memories from the past. This history may thus also explain why Indonesia – today – shows a relatively high degree of economic nationalism and resource nationalism.
On Monday 19 October 2020 Indonesia Investments released a new report, titled 'Introduction Omnibus Job Creation Law'. This report discusses the contents and consequences of the recently approved Omnibus Law as well as its controversial aspects (especially for workers and the environment).
For the past couple of months we have frequently heard President Joko Widodo and other top government officials refer to the upcoming omnibus laws as key tools or solutions to improve the quality and attractiveness of Indonesia’s investment environment.
The economy of Indonesia expanded by 5.02 percent year-on-year (y/y) in the third quarter of 2019. Although the pace was in line with expectations, it does lead to a more gloomy outlook than we had before.
For the past couple of years we have often heard high government officials in Indonesia say that the country’s corporate income tax (in Indonesian: Pajak Penghasilan Badan, or PPh badan) is planned to be cut in an effort to attract more direct investment.
Per 2 January 2019 operations of the online single submission (OSS) system are transferred from the Coordinating Ministry of Economic Affairs to the Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM).
Last week, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released its Corporate Tax Statistics report. Several interesting conclusions were made in the report. Firstly, (corporate) taxes that are paid by legal entities (specifically companies) remain a key source of government revenues, particularly in developing nations. Secondly, over the past two decades there is a clear worldwide trend visible, namely: falling corporate tax rates.
Latest Columns Investment Climate
There is few interest from the private sector to participate in Indonesia's oil & gas block tenders. Besides Indonesia's unconducive investment climate (that includes weak government management, bureaucracy, an unclear regulatory framework and legal uncertainty), low global petroleum prices have also managed to curb investors' enthusiasm. In a bid to entice private investors the Indonesian government has decided to change the concept for oil & gas tenders in 2016 from a fixed revenue split to an open bid split scheme.
It is estimated that Indonesia will need some USD $450 billion in funds to finance the government's infrastructure development plans for the 2015-2019 period. However, through the state budgets the government can only deliver USD $230 billion, or roughly 50 percent of required funds. The remainder should originate from the private sector (30 percent of total funds) and state-controlled enterprises (20 percent). However, is it likely that the private sector (both foreign and domestic) is to come up with USD $141 billion for investment in infrastructure up to 2019?
Infrastructure development and deregulation are the two main recipes used by the Indonesian government - under the leadership of Joko Widodo - to attract investment. By making it easier and cheaper to obtain permits and by providing better infrastructure (implying investors need to invest less in additional infrastructure facilities while logistic costs ease) Indonesia's investment climate improves. As such, the ease of doing business in Indonesia will improve accordingly. However, good coordination and cooperation between the central and regional governments is required.
In order to improve communication and avoid language barriers, the Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) plans to open a special service desk for Chinese investors. BKPM, the investment services agency of the Indonesian government, sees language barriers between Chinese investors and Indonesians as a major obstacle; one that blocks foreign direct investment from China into Indonesia. The new desk, specifically for investment from China or Hong Kong, should improve communication hence improving realization of China's investment plans.
The government of Indonesia unveiled the second installment of its September economic policy package on Tuesday (29/09). The package is introduced in an attempt to boost economic growth in Southeast Asia’s largest economy and defend the ailing rupiah. Indonesia’s GDP growth slowed to a six-year low of 4.67 percent (y/y) in Q2-2015, while the rupiah has depreciated to a 17-year low against the US dollar. Capital outflows from Indonesia are the result of monetary tightening in the USA, low commodity prices and sluggish global economic growth (particularly China’s hard landing).
Government-led infrastructure development is regarded by most analysts and policymakers as the key to overcome Indonesia’s slowing economic growth as infrastructure development will cause a multiplier effect in the economy (triggering growth in other industries such as cement and property while job availability grows accordingly). In the second quarter of 2015, Indonesia’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth slowed to 4.67 percent (y/y), a six-year low.
The World Investment Report 2015 states that inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI) into Indonesia grew 20 percent (y/y) to USD $23 billion in 2014. As such FDI growth in Indonesia outpaced FDI growth recorded in Singapore (+4 percent y/y to USD $68 billion) and Vietnam (+3 percent to USD $9.2 billion), causing optimism that Indonesia - Southeast Asia's largest economy - will continue to form a lucrative investment destination in the Asian continent for foreign investors in the years ahead.
Indonesia is not the easiest place to invest for foreign investors. This is reflected by the World Bank's Doing Business 2014 index in which Indonesia ranks 120th. In a business forum, held last week in Beijing, Chinese businessmen expressed a number of matters that blocked or seriously delayed their investments in Indonesia. For Indonesia (both domestic and foreign) investment realization, particularly in infrastructure, is important as investments is considered the main driver for the country’s economic growth in 2016.
Investment realization in Indonesia in the first quarter of 2015 totaled IDR 124.6 trillion (USD $9.7 billion), up 16.9 percent from the same quarter last year. Domestic direct investment climbed 22.8 percent (y/y) to IDR 42.5 trillion, while foreign direct investment (FDI) rose 14 percent (y/y) to IDR 82.1 trillion in Q1-2015. These data, released by the Indonesia Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) on Tuesday (28/04), brought some positivity in Indonesia after listed companies’ weak Q1-2015 financial results led to concern and capital outflow.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) released a report today (24/03) in which it discusses recent economic developments in Indonesia. According to the report, Indonesia’s economic growth is projected to accelerate over the two years ahead provided that the Indonesian government continues to implement structural policy reforms. Such reforms - which include the acceleration of infrastructure development, reduction of logistical costs, and enhancing budget implementation - should lead to an improvement of the investment climate.
