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☆ Factbox-Policy Pledges of Indonesia's Presidential Candidates
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

(Reuters) - Three candidates are running in Indonesia's presidential election on Feb. 14. The following is a summary of policy objectives they have pledged while campaigning. ANIES BASWEDAN- Target 5.5%-6.5% average annual economic growth from 2025-2029- Create 15 million jobs, including 'green' jobs- Raise the tax-to-GDP ratio from 10.4% in 2022 to 13%-16% by 2029- Target annual inflation of 2%-3% from 2025-2029- Offer incentives for renewable energy projects- Impose a carbon tax with proceeds to be used as an endowment fund to finance development of renewable energy- Increase the 'village fund' to 5 billion rupiah ($317,965) for each village, from the current 1 billion rupiah. - Widen access to global markets for palm oil farmers- Strengthen free trade agreements and Indonesia's role in international financial institutions- Minimise imports of staple foods- Create 2 million new affordable housing units, including for informal workers, youth- Expedite forest conservation and rehabilitation projects- Limit new construction of, and retire existing coal-fired power plants, especially in Java, Bali islands- Review debt of state-owned enterprises, continue debt restructuring programme- Revise Jobs Creation Law with goal to ensure fair wages for workers- Evaluate the $32 billion new capital city project- Evaluate food estate programme, replacing it with contract farming, a scheme to ensure farm products will be sold- Impose a wealth tax on Indonesia's 100 richest people- Audit the nickel industry with focus on its impact on the environment and ensuring welfare of domestic workers- Strengthen the anti-corruption agency by revising the law that regulates it- Ease permitting requirements for building places of worshipGANJAR PRANOWO- Continue programmes of outgoing President Joko Widodo's administration- Target average annual economic growth of 7%- Create 17 million new jobs- Expedite construction of new capital city- Increase the defence budget as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) to between 1%-2%, from about 0.8% presently. Modernise military hardware- Target 30% share for renewable sources in energy mix by 2029- Allow more renewable energy producers to use electricity grids of state utility firms to boost green energy adoption- Set up a dedicated ministry for the palm oil sector- Maintain moratorium on deforestation, accelerate reforestation programmes- Create digital tax collection system under the new tax agency separated from finance ministry- Limit permit issuance of new nickel smelter to avoid a further oversupply- Expand social welfare to cover 15 million families, up from 10 million currently- Provide funding to ensure at least one member of a poor family receives education until college- Strengthen national anti-corruption agency- Maintain foreign policy of non-alignment- Strengthen Indonesia's commitment to support fight of Palestinian people- Revitalise the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and its decision-making process, especially regarding South China Sea disputes.

Persons: ANIES, GANJAR, Joko Widodo's, PRABOWO, Joko, Stanley Widianto, Ananda Teresia, Stefanno Sulaiman, Bernadette Christina Munthe, Martin Petty Organizations: Reuters, Association of Southeast Asian Nations Locations: Java, Bali, South

☆ Indonesia's Presidential Contenders Promise Tax Reform to Boost Revenue
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

JAKARTA (Reuters) - The three main candidates contesting Indonesia's presidential elections this month are proposing to bolster government coffers by creating a new tax collection agency, despite scepticism from the tax and business community. Prabowo has set the highest tax-to-GDP target of 18%, or about $100 billion in additional tax revenue, if he wins the presidency, while also promising personal income tax cuts. NEW AGENCY NOT ENOUGHHowever, some economists and the business community say a new tax agency might not lead to higher revenue if other issues like the low tax base are not addressed. "There may be more binding constraints to revenue collection than administrative independence of the tax authority," the multinational lender told Reuters. "Tax officers should be fair ...

Persons: Joko Widodo's, Prabowo Subianto, Ganjar Pranowo, Prabowo, Drajad Wibowo, Jakarta Governor Anies, Wijayanto Samirin, Jahen, Fajry Akbar, Tutum, Stefanno Sulaiman, Stephen Coates Organizations: Jakarta Governor, U.S . Internal Revenue Service, Central Java, University of Indonesia, Bank, Reuters Locations: JAKARTA, Asia's, Indonesia

☆ Indonesia Chief Security Minister to Tender Resignation 'Soon'
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's Chief Security Minister and vice presidential candidate Mahfud MD on Wednesday said that he would tender his resignation to President Joko Widodo once he has the chance to meet the president. Mahfud did not say why he would be stepping down from the job. Mahfud is the running mate of former provincial governor Ganjar Pranowo, who is up against Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto, and ex-Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan. Mahfud's resignation comes amid speculation and reports in local media about the potential resignation of respected Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati. The finance ministry has said Sri Mulyani is continuing to carry out her duties in managing state finances.

Persons: Mahfud, Joko Widodo, Ganjar Pranowo, Prabowo Subianto, Anies Baswedan, Mahfud's, Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Mulyani, Ganjar, Prabowo, Widodo's, Ananda Teresia, Stefanno Sulaiman, Stanley Widianto, Martin Petty Organizations: Defence Locations: JAKARTA, Jakarta, Indonesia

☆ TikTok obtaining Indonesia e-commerce permit - state media
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsJAKARTA, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Short video app TikTok is in the process of obtaining an e-commerce permit from Indonesia's government, state news agency Antara reported, citing the deputy trade minister. In September, Indonesia banned e-commerce transactions on social media, a major blow for TikTok, which had pledged to invest billions of dollars in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, the region's biggest economy. Now they are taking care of it," deputy trade minister Jerry Sambuaga was quoted saying by Antara on Tuesday. It has been looking to translate the large user base into a major e-commerce revenue source. Reuters reported earlier this month that TikTok was in talks on possible partnerships with several Indonesian e-commerce companies, including GoTo's e-commerce unit (GOTO.JK) Tokopedia, Bukalapak.com (BUKA.JK) and Blibli (BELI.JK).

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Antara, Jerry Sambuaga, China's ByteDance, minister's, TikTok, Stefanno Sulaiman, Martin Petty Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, GoTo's, Thomson Locations: Rights JAKARTA, Indonesia, Southeast Asia

☆ Vale Canada, Sumitomo Metal sign initial agreement to sell 14% stake in Indonesia nickel miner
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Ritsuko Shimizu/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsJAKARTA, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Vale Base Metals said its Vale Canada unit and Japan's Sumitomo Metal Mining signed an initial agreement on Friday to sell a 14% stake in their Indonesian nickel mining unit to Indonesia's state miner. Share divestment is a condition required by Indonesia to extend Vale Indonesia's mining permit, which will otherwise end in 2025. Upon completion, MIND ID will become the largest shareholder of Vale Indonesia with its stake rising to 34% from 20%. Vale Canada will hold 33.9%, down from 43.79%, and Sumitomo 11.5%, down from 15.03%, according to the statement. "The divestment will make MIND ID as the biggest shareholder of Vale (Indonesia), so MIND ID and Vale Canada can exercise a joint control over Vale (Indonesia)," he said in a statement on Friday.

Persons: Ritsuko Shimizu, Wirjoatmodjo, Deshnee Naidoo, Joko Widodo, Widodo, Fransiska Nangoy, Stefanno Sulaiman, Kirsten Donovan, William Mallard Organizations: Sumitomo Metal Mining, REUTERS, Rights, Base Metals, Vale Canada, Vale, Sumitomo, Mineral Industri, Vale Base Metals, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Rights JAKARTA, Vale Canada, Mineral Industri Indonesia, Indonesia, Vale Indonesia, Indonesian, Vale

All three candidates vying to win the Feb. 14 election in Southeast Asia's largest economy have said they will prioritise cleaning up the power sector to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To do that, Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto and former provincial governor Ganjar Pranowo, running neck-and-neck in recent surveys, would consider ending state-run Perusahaan Listrik Negara's (PLN) monopoly in order to allow renewable power producers to sell directly to customers. Former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan, trailing in opinion polls, has called for improved leadership for the power sector but has not proposed breaking up PLN's monopoly. Proponents argue that opening the sector would accelerate adoption of renewables, as independent power producers will be incentivised to offer green power to companies pledging carbon neutrality. Agam, from the climate consultancy, said delaying renewable power to companies could mean lost investment.

Persons: Prabowo Subianto, Dita Alangkara, Ganjar Pranowo, Anies Baswedan, Agam Subarkah, Alexander Sonny Keraf, PLN, Prabowo, Eddy Soeparno, Soeparno, Gayatri Suroyo, Ananda Teresia, Stefanno Sulaiman, Stanley Widianto, Tony Munroe, Miral Organizations: Indonesia's Defense, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Reuters, Defence, Former Jakarta, Cendekia, POWER WHEELING Ganjar, Thomson Locations: Jakarta, Indonesia, Rights JAKARTA, Southeast Asia's

☆ Indonesia to cap interest on loans given by fintech companies
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JAKARTA, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Indonesia will in stages lower the maximum interest rates charged by financial technology (fintech) firms in the microfinance sector, amid complaints that overly high rates have been hurting borrowers, the country's financial regulator said on Friday. Starting next year, fintech firms can only charge a maximum of 0.3% interest per day for a loan intended for consumption which will fall to 0.1% in 2026, the country's Financial Services Authority (OJK) said. "Because if we don't regulate the interest rates properly, then the ones who suffer most are the consumers," Agusman, the OJK commissioner overseeing financing firms, told a press conference. The authority wants 50% to 70% of loans provided by fintech firms channelled to productive activities by 2028, compared to below 40% currently, Agusman said. The regulation on interest rates is part of the authority's plan to develop the fintech sector from 2023-2028.

Persons: Agusman, Stefanno Sulaiman, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: country's Financial Services Authority, Thomson Locations: JAKARTA, Indonesia

Gross domestic product (GDP) grew 4.94% annually in the July-September quarter, compared with 5.05% predicted by economists surveyed by Reuters. Growth was 5.17% in the second quarter. In the July-September period, household spending growth decelerated to 5.06%, from 5.22% in the previous three months. A bright spot in the GDP breakdown came from investment, which recorded a 5.77% growth in the third quarter, versus 4.63% in the second quarter. On a non-seasonally adjusted, quarter-on-quarter basis, gross domestic product expanded 1.60% in the July-September period.

Persons: Gayatri Suroyo, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: Gross, Reuters, Growth, Bank Indonesia, Thomson Locations: JAKARTA, Asia's, Ukraine, Middle

☆ Indonesian president breaks ground for airport in planned $32-bln capital
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Indonesia's President Joko Widodo takes the stage to speak about the planned new capital Nusantara, at Ecosperity Week in Singapore June 7, 2023. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsJAKARTA, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Indonesian President Joko Widodo broke ground on Wednesday for construction of several projects ranging from an airport, toll-road and hospital to a hotel in a planned new capital city, Nusantara. The 347-hectare (857-acre) airport is expected to be fully operational by December 2024, the president said, at a total cost of 4.2 trillion rupiah ($263 million). The government targets the second half of 2024 for an international hospital, built by Indonesian hospital chain Mayapada (SRAJ.JK), to become operational. The president said he would break ground on nine projects in December, but gave no details.

Persons: Joko Widodo, Edgar Su, Jokowi, Pakuwon, Agung, Ananda Teresia, Stefanno Sulaiman, Kanupriya Kapoor, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Nusantara, REUTERS, Rights, Astra International, Thomson Locations: Singapore, Rights JAKARTA, Nusantara, Jakarta, Indonesia, Borneo, Balikpapan, Indonesian

☆ Indonesia president breaks ground on airport in new capital
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Indonesia's President Joko Widodo takes the stage to speak about the planned new capital Nusantara, at Ecosperity Week in Singapore June 7, 2023. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsJAKARTA, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Indonesia's President Joko Widodo on Wednesday broke ground on the construction of an airport in the country's new capital city, Nusantara. Jokowi, as the president is known, is this week expected to launch a total of 10 projects worth 12.5 trillion rupiah ($783.85 million) in Nusantara, which Indonesia is building from scratch amid the jungles of Borneo island. The 347-hectare airport is expected to be fully operational by December 2024, the president said, without detailing the total value of the project. The country has allocated 40.6 trillion rupiah for the construction of Nusantara in its 2024 budget.

Persons: Joko Widodo, Edgar Su, Agung, Grup, Ananda Teresia, Stefanno Sulaiman, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: Nusantara, REUTERS, Rights, Astra International, Thomson Locations: Singapore, Rights JAKARTA, Nusantara, Indonesia, Borneo, Jakarta, Nusantara .

☆ Indonesia President Breaks Ground on Airport in New Capital
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's President Joko Widodo on Wednesday broke ground on the construction of an airport in the country's new capital city, Nusantara. Jokowi, as the president is known, is this week expected to launch a total of 10 projects worth 12.5 trillion rupiah ($783.85 million) in Nusantara, which Indonesia is building from scratch amid the jungles of Borneo island. The 347-hectare airport is expected to be fully operational by December 2024, the president said, without detailing the total value of the project. The country has allocated 40.6 trillion rupiah for the construction of Nusantara in its 2024 budget. A consortium of Indonesian companies including energy firm Adaro, conglomerate Astra International, property firm Agung Sedayu Grup, and energy company Barito Pacific have invested about 20 trillion rupiah in Nusantara.

Persons: Joko Widodo, Agung, Grup, Ananda Teresia, Stefanno Sulaiman, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: Nusantara, Astra International Locations: JAKARTA, Nusantara, Indonesia, Borneo, Jakarta, Nusantara .

☆ Indonesia's GoTo reports significant drop in Q3 underlying losses
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JAKARTA, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Indonesia's biggest tech firm PT GoTo Gojek Tokopedia (GOTO.JK) reported 942 billion rupiah ($59.30 million) in underlying losses for the third quarter, a significant drop from last year's 3.7 trillion rupiah, the company said on Monday. The results came after the company reached a positive contribution margin since beginning of this year amid cost-cutting measures. "This was underpinned by a reduction in operating expenses as we eliminated redundancies and leveraged our technology to reduce costs," GoTo Group CFO Jacky Lo said in the statement. GoTo, which offers ride-hailing, e-commerce, and financial services, said its net losses for the period were at 2.4 trillion rupiah, a drop from last year's 6.7 trillion rupiah. ($1 = 15,885.0000 rupiah)Reporting by Stefanno Sulaiman; Writing by Stanley Widianto; Editing by Kanupriya KapoorOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: GoTo Gojek Tokopedia, GoTo, Jacky Lo, Japan's, Stefanno Sulaiman, Stanley Widianto, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: Japan's SoftBank, Thomson Locations: JAKARTA

Coal barges are pictured as they queue to be pulled along the Mahakam river in Samarinda, East Kalimantan province, Indonesia, August 31, 2019. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsJAKARTA, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Indonesia will seek China's help for renewable energy and infrastructure projects when President Joko Widodo attends the upcoming Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, a cabinet minister said. Erick declined to share JETP talk details, saying only: "We cannot wait...there hasn't been any funding as yet." "We want this to fit our grand plan, the Indonesia blueprint, not the blueprint of other countries," Erick said. Indonesia also discussed the plan with Chinese Premier Li Qiang when Li visited Jakarta in September.

Persons: Willy Kurniawan, Joko Widodo, Erick Thohir, Erick, JETP, hasn't, Xi Jinping, Jokowi, Premier Li Qiang, Li, Gayatri Suroyo, Stefanno Sulaiman, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Forum, Indonesian, United, Premier, Thomson Locations: Samarinda, East Kalimantan, Indonesia, Rights JAKARTA, Beijing, China, U.S, United Nations, Jakarta, Jokowi, Surabaya

[1/4] Bening Widayati, 40, sells clothes live on a social media platform inside her stall at the International Trade Center (ITC) mall in Jakarta, Indonesia, September 27, 2023. The government said the move, which takes effect immediately, is aimed at protecting offline merchants and marketplaces, adding that predatory pricing on social media platforms is threatening small and medium-sized enterprises. The move comes just three months after TikTok pledged to invest billion of dollars in Southeast Asia, mainly in Indonesia, over the next few years in a major push to build its e-commerce platform TikTok Shop. He warned of letting social media become an e-commerce platform, shop, and bank all at the same time. Indonesia Deputy Trade Minister Jerry Sambuaga earlier this month named TikTok's live streaming features as an example of people selling goods on social media.

Persons: Widayati, Willy Kurniawan, TikTok, China's ByteDance, Zulkifli Hasan, Zulkifli, Jerry Sambuaga, Fahmi, Edri, Dewi Kurniawati, Stefanno Sulaiman, Fransiska Nangoy, Stanley Widianto, Johan Purnomo, Kanupriya Kapoor, Alexandra Hudson, Miyoung Kim, Mark Porter Organizations: International Trade Center, REUTERS, Indonesia Trade, Wednesday, Reuters, Indonesia Deputy Trade, Research, BMI, HK, Lazada, Momentum Works, Thomson Locations: Jakarta, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, JAKARTA, Shop, TikTok, Europe, United States

☆ Indonesia's president launches carbon emissions credit trading
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Stefanno Sulaiman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Indonesia's President Joko Widodo speaks about the planned new capital Nusantara, at Ecosperity Week in Singapore June 7, 2023. REUTERS/Edgar Su/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsJAKARTA, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Tuesday launched the country's first carbon emission credit trading, with the aim of creating a market to fund cuts in greenhouse gas emissions and become a major participant in the global carbon trade. Jokowi, as the president is popularly known, said Indonesia has tremendous potential for carbon reduction efforts, particularly nature-based solutions, and its carbon market could grow to 3,000 trillion rupiah ($194.30 billion). Some of Indonesia's biggest coal power plants have begun trading emission allowances since February. Transactions in the emission trading system are recorded using blockchain technology, Luhut said.

Persons: Joko Widodo, Edgar Su, Jokowi, Luhut, Stefanno Sulaiman, Gayatri Suroyo, Martin Petty Organizations: Nusantara, REUTERS, Rights, Tuesday, Pertamina, Indonesia Stock Exchange, Bank Central Asia, Bank, Christian, Thomson Locations: Singapore, Rights JAKARTA, Indonesia, North Sulawesi, Paris

☆ Indonesia parliament committee approves higher 2024 budget of $216 bln
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

President Joko Widodo's budget for 2024, his final year in office, targets expenditure at 3,325.1 trillion rupiah ($216.27 billion), up 6.45% from 2023's outlook to account for higher energy subsidies amid rising global oil prices. The fiscal budget proposal was approved by the budget committee chaired by Said Abdullah. Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati highlighted the risk of rising global crude oil prices to the budget next year. The committee approved a revision to the total energy subsidies by about 2% higher to 189.1 trillion rupiah versus 185.9 trillion rupiah in the initial proposal. For 2024, the budget assumes a lower inflation at 2.8% versus 3.1% in 2023'outlook and a slightly higher economic growth at 5.2% compared to 5.1% in the 2023's outlook.

Persons: Joko, Said Abdullah, Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Sri Mulyani, Josua Pardede, Josua, Stefanno Sulaiman, Kanupriya Kapoor, Martin Petty Organizations: El, Finance, Bank Permata, El Nino, Thomson Locations: El Nino, JAKARTA, Indonesia's

"Indonesia is not an easy market to do business on your own," said Kim, adding that, beyond government sales, VKTR was in talks with large domestic businesses to sell BYD EV buses. TAKING ON TESLAThai EV buyers contributed 24% of BYD's overseas sales in the second quarter, making it the Chinese automaker's largest foreign market, according to Counterpoint, whereas fewer than 1% of Tesla's sales are in Southeast Asia. BYD's Southeast Asia playbook and its embrace of dealerships contrasts with Tesla, whose direct-to-consumer approach is hard to replicate, since no other new EV brand has its buzz or the outsized media presence of its CEO Elon Musk. BYD and its partner Sime Darby Motors are experimenting with a new approach to draw young, tech-savvy consumers towards the Chinese brand in Singapore. The partnership has launched five "BYD by 1826" showrooms that double as white-tablecloth restaurants where dishes are named after BYD EV models.

Persons: Edgar Su, EVs, Tesla's, Soumen, BYD, Sime Darby, Indonesia's, Chee, Kiang Lim, Ayala, Antonio Zara, Rever, Alex Kim, Kim, VKTR, Tesla, Elon Musk, Darby, Jeffrey Gan, Devjyot Ghoshal, Stefanno Sulaiman, Jamie Freed Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Counterpoint Research, Reuters, Commission, Ayala Corp, Thailand's, Urban Science, Brothers, Ayala Corp's, Motors, Thai EV, Asia playbook, Darby Motors, Sime, Sime Darby Motors, Thomson Locations: Singapore, Rights BANGKOK, JAKARTA, Southeast Asia, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, China, Shenzhen, Bangkok, Indonesia, Jakarta, Asia, Hong Kong, Macau

☆ Indonesia's August trade surplus seen widening to $1.55 bln: Reuters poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Workers are seen on a ship carrying containers at Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta, Indonesia, January 11, 2021. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSummary Trade data due at 0200 GMT on Friday, Sept 15JAKARTA, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Indonesia's trade surplus in August likely widened slightly from a month earlier amid falling imports, even as exports were expected to remain weak, a Reuters poll showed on Thursday. The median forecast of 19 economists surveyed was for Southeast Asia's biggest economy to book a surplus of $1.55 billion, versus $1.31 billion in July. Indonesia's exports and trade surplus have been shrinking as prices of its top commodities, like coal and palm oil, fall and global demand weakens. Weak exports have also hit economic growth in the last quarter.

Persons: Willy Kurniawan, Josua Pardede, Veronica Khongwir, Susobhan Sarkar, Stefanno Sulaiman, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: REUTERS, Southeast Asia's, Bank Permata, Thomson Locations: Tanjung Priok Port, Jakarta, Indonesia, JAKARTA

☆ Indonesia to ban goods transactions on social media - deputy minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JAKARTA, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Indonesia is planning to ban goods transactions on social media under new trade regulations, the deputy trade minister told a parliamentary hearing on Tuesday. Ministers have repeatedly said that e-commerce sellers using predatory pricing on social media platforms were threatening offline markets in Southeast Asia's biggest economy. Current trade regulations do not specifically cover direct transactions on social media. "Social media and social commerce cannot be combined," Jerry Sambuaga, deputy minister of trade, told the parliament, using the example of sellers using "live" features on the short video platform TikTok to sell goods. "Revisions to the trade regulations that are currently under way will firmly and explicitly ban this," Sambuaga said.

Persons: Jerry Sambuaga, Sambuaga, TikTok, Indonesia's, Dewi Kurniawati, Stefanno Sulaiman, Alex Richardson Organizations: Reuters, Facebook, Momentum, Google, Temasek Holdings, Bain & Company, Thomson Locations: JAKARTA, Indonesia, Asia's, TikTok

That was within Bank Indonesia's 2023 inflation target range of 2% to 4%. A deeper look at the data showed that while headline inflation only rose modestly, annual rice inflation accelerated to 13.76% in August, the highest since June 2012. Myrdal Gunarto, economist with Maybank Indonesia, said he expected a limited increase in rice prices going forward due to planned imports from Southeast Asian countries, predicting headline inflation would remain manageable. As for rice inflation, Irman said: "As a staple, the (rice) inflation will affect purchasing power. But generally, food commodities are showing a moderation trend that is offsetting (rising) rice prices' impact."

Persons: Rice, Myrdal Gunarto, Irman Faiz, Irman, Stefanno Sulaiman, Gayatri Suroyo, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: Bank, Maybank, Bank Danamon, Thomson Locations: JAKARTA, Indonesia, Maybank Indonesia

☆ Vietnam joins Southeast Asian effort on cross-border payments
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

People go past the State Bank building, near the offices of Vietcombank and the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam, in central Hanoi, Vietnam November 23, 2017. REUTERS/Kham Acquire Licensing RightsJAKARTA, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Vietnam's central bank signed an agreement on Friday to be part of an initiative by five other Southeast Asian countries to establish a cross-border payments mechanisms between them. Vietnam will join Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Singapore in working to connect each of their payment systems, including using the QR (quick response) code system for retail transactions. The agreement was made at a meeting of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) finance ministers and central bank governors in Jakarta. Furthermore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand have agreed to later facilitate cross-border transactions for financial assets like equities and government bonds in local currencies.

Persons: Perry Warjiyo, Stefanno Sulaiman, Martin Petty Organizations: Bank, Bank for Investment, Development, REUTERS, Rights, QR, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, Bank Indonesia, Thomson Locations: Vietcombank, Vietnam, Hanoi, Rights JAKARTA, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, Jakarta

Bank Indonesia's logo is seen at its headquarters in Jakarta, Indonesia, January 17, 2019. Bank Indonesia (BI) plans to issue new rupiah-denominated securities, using its holdings of government bonds as the underlying asset, as a new monetary instrument aimed at attracting foreign portfolio capital flows, Governor Perry Warjiyo said. BI kept the benchmark 7-day reverse repurchase rate (IDCBRR=ECI) at 5.75% for its seventh straight monthly policy review, as widely expected by economists surveyed by Reuters. Guarding the rupiah "is our way to protect the domestic economy, inflation and growth from global spillovers," Warjiyo told reporters. Inflation slowed in July to 3.08%, roughly the midpoint of the central bank's 2% to 4% target range.

Persons: Willy Kurniawan, Perry Warjiyo, Warjiyo, Radhika Rao, Shivaan Tandon, Bank Danamon, Fransiska Nangoy, Bernadette Christina Munthe, Stefanno Sulaiman, Ananda Teresia, Gayatri Suroyo, Martin Petty, Kim Coghill, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: REUTERS, Bank Indonesia, BI, Reuters, Securities, U.S, Treasury, DBS Bank, Capital Economics, Bank, Thomson Locations: Jakarta, Indonesia, JAKARTA, Asia's, China

JAKARTA, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Indonesia's talks with international partners on setting up a $20 billion fund for the country's transition from coal to cleaner energy have taken longer than anticipated and are complicated by rising borrowing costs, its finance minister said on Thursday. It was based on a similar $8.5 billion initiative in 2021 to help South Africa more quickly decarbonise its power sector. Another challenge is it will take time to hold public consultations with communities that could be affected by a project, such as the construction of a renewable power plant, the minister said. Indonesia has been pushing for coal power plant retirement financing to be seen as "acceptable" among global lenders and brought this up at a meeting of G20 finance ministers in July. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has included coal power plant retirement in its green taxonomy - a framework defining what investment is considered environmentally friendly.

Persons: Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Sri Mulyani, Gayatri Suroyo, Stefanno Sulaiman, Susan Fenton Organizations: Reuters, International Partners, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Thomson Locations: JAKARTA, United States, Japan, Indonesia, South Africa, Jakarta

[1/2] A worker cleans an electric-powered car Neta V, that is displayed during the Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show in Tangerang, near Jakarta, Indonesia, August 10, 2023. Dody Hartono, a visitor at the auto show who plans to buy his first EV by 2024, said he wants a better deal. Indonesia has ambitious EV growth plans as it races Thailand and India to build out an EV industry as an alternative to China, the world's largest producer. CONFIDENCE ISSUESToyota (7203.T), its affiliate Daihatsu, and Honda (7267.T) account for two-thirds of auto sales in Indonesia but have been slow to pivot to EVs. Toyota has said it has no plans yet to build an EV in Indonesia.

Persons: Willy Kurniawan, Dody, EVs, Hartono, China's, Hendra Pratama, Hendra Budi, –, Johan Purnomo, Stefanno Sulaiman, Kevin Krolicki, Himani Organizations: REUTERS, Hyundai, HK, Air EV Lite, Daihatsu, Huawei, Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi Motors, Thomson Locations: Indonesia, Tangerang, Jakarta, Thailand, India, China, Southeast Asia

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