According to the latest data of Indonesia's Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), growth of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Indonesia in the first quarter of 2017 was recorded at a modest pace of 0.9 percent year-to-year (y/y) to IDR 97 trillion, sliding further from a growth pace of 2.1 percent (y/y) in the preceding quarter. Declining FDI is attributed to the ethnic and religious tensions in Jakarta (surrounding the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial election) as well as persistent global uncertainties. The FDI data exclude investment in the country's banking and the oil & gas sector.

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The value of export products originating from Indonesia's furniture and handicraft industry fell 16 percent year-on-year (y/y) to USD $1.6 billion in 2016 from USD $1.9 billion in the preceding year. The decline is attributed to the departure of several big furniture factories from Indonesia to Vietnam due to Indonesia's high logistics costs, higher minimum wages and Indonesian workers' low productivity. One example is America-based furniture manufacturer Maitland Smith.

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Investment in Indonesia is expected to rise in 2017. This covers both direct investment and portfolio investment. Domestic direct investment (DDI) should grow on the back of Indonesia's low interest rate environment (making it cheaper for domestic investors to purchase credit) as well as higher capital injections (from the state budget) into Indonesia's state-owned enterprises. Meanwhile, foreign direct investment (FDI) is expected to rise on the back of Indonesia's accelerating economic growth and government reforms. Both FDI and DDI should also rise amid rising commodity prices.

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Not the lack of (soft and hard) infrastructure development in Indonesia, or the lack of quality human resources, nor corruption or protectionism but the difficulty to obtain the necessary permits from the local governments are the biggest obstacle to investment and business in Indonesia according to a survey that was conducted by the Regional Autonomy Watch (KPPOD) in the 32 regional capital cities across the Archipelago.

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Investment realization in Indonesia's capital city of Jakarta fell to IDR 51.2 trillion (approx. USD $3.8 billion) in full-year 2016, down from IDR 55 trillion worth of investment in the preceding year. Foreign direct investment (FDI) in Jakarta was recorded at IDR 41.5 trillion in 2016, while domestic direct investment (DDI) reached IDR 9.7 trillion. What explains this overall decline of investment in Jakarta?

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The Indonesian government - through its Finance Ministry - cut all ties with US multinational banking and financial services firm JP Morgan Chase after the latter released a report that allegedly "disturbs Indonesia's financial stability". In November 2016 JP Morgan's emerging markets equity strategists double downgraded Indonesia from overweight to underweight without elaborating on the exact motives. The report only stated that emerging markets' risk premiums are plagued by the rising yield of the benchmark US 10-year treasuries.

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The business environment in Indonesia needs political stability as well as a conducive investment climate to grow. However, if there exists a high degree of social unrest then the central government can offer as many incentives as it wants but entrepreneurs will be hesitant to engage in investment and business expansion. Currently, there is quite some unrest in the capital city of Jakarta. Ever since a manipulated video of Jakarta Governor Basuki Cahaya Purnama (Ahok) surfaced in which he allegedly insulted Islam, there has been outrage among Islamic hardliners. This brings economic costs.

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Indonesia's improving ranking in the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Index shows that the government's reform efforts have had a positive effect. However, there is no time for complacency as most industries in Indonesia continue to lack competitiveness compared to regional counterparts, while many entrepreneurs in Indonesia continue to complain about (the lack of) legal certainty as well as (the lack of) good coordination and cooperation between Indonesia's central and regional governments (in terms of policy implementation).

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Turnover in one of the most lucrative industries within the Indonesian economy - the processed food and beverage industry - is expected to reach IDR 540 trillion (approx. USD $40.9 billion) in the second half of 2016, up roughly 8 percent from realization in the same period one year earlier. This solid growth is supported by Indonesia's improving purchasing power amid the accelerating economy and higher commodity prices, and growing output of the nation's processed food and beverage industry.

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The government of Indonesia may succesfully curb the nation's housing backlog figure to 6.8 million units by 2019. Providing adequate housing for the poorer segments of Indonesian society is one of the key tasks of the Indonesian government (for example through its 'one million houses' [per year] program). In 2015 Indonesia's housing backlog declined by 16 percent (y/y) to 11.4 million units according to the data from Indonesia's Statistics Agency (BPS). With enough effort of the government and private sector the figure should continue to drop in the foreseeable future.

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At the start of the New Year we are taking a look at renewable energy development in Indonesia, specifically the case of solar power. Solar power is energy from the Sun that is converted into thermal or electrical energy, either through photovoltaic (PV) panels or through mirrors that concentrate solar radiation. The electrical energy can be used to generate electricity, or, it can be stored in batteries or thermal storage.

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Few should be unaware that the world (particularly Western powers) are pushing for renewable energy to replace fossil fuels. It is difficult to find a newspaper or TV station that does not report on this issue on a daily basis.

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Just like essentially all other currencies around the globe, the Indonesian rupiah has been under pressure from tightening monetary policy in the United States (US). This has serious consequences for the energy market since Indonesia is a net oil importer.

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Sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) have existed for many decades around the world. By establishing a SWF – and inject capital into the SWF – governments can strengthen their national economies and generate wealth for future generations. In fact, a SWF is essentially a state-owned investment fund typically funded using excess capital.

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At the start of February 2021, Indonesian President Joko Widodo signed Presidential Regulation No. 10 of 2021 on Investment Business Activities. This regulation forms a derivative regulation of the Omnibus Law on Job Creation (Law No. 11 of 2020 on Job Creation), a landmark law that was passed by the House of Representatives (or DPR) on 5 October 2020.

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As regards Indonesia’s investment and business environment, there were a couple of interesting developments in February 2021. These were developments that – in our opinion – help to strengthen the economy of Indonesia in a fundamental way, albeit it will take a few years (as well as the assistance of other reforms) to fully enjoy the fruits of this labor.

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The past year has been hectic. The global COVID-19 pandemic arrived, a worldwide recession followed; US-China turmoil continued, while geopolitical and geo-economic tensions are rising across the world. And all these matters seem interrelated. So, how is Indonesia doing amid these developments? And, how do they exactly impact on Indonesia's economy and society? It is time to sit down with Indonesia Investments' Managing Director Richard van der Schaar to hear his thoughts on these matters.

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Whenever Indonesia Investments discusses or illustrates the risks that are involved in Indonesia’s investment environment, we usually take the 2009 Mining Law as an example to illustrate the lack of legal certainty in Indonesia. Lack of legal certainty is one the key obstacles in Indonesia’s investment environment, and has therefore been undermining investment realization in Indonesia.

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“Indonesia’s economic potential is unquestioned. The nation of 265 million people has all the ingredients to be a major global player. But converting the potential into business opportunities and success is not a straight path. The Indonesia Economic Forum is the perfect platform to build relationships, gain insights and recalibrate business strategies for building a successful enterprise.”

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Discussing minimum wages is always a sensitive issue. Workers long for rapid growth of their monthly wages as many of them encounter difficulties in making ends meet in their daily lives. In fact, those whose salaries are close to the minimum wage tend to be near-poor and uneducated, particularly in developing nations such as Indonesia, and therefore both their present conditions and their future perspectives are far from bright.

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