The increasingly limited impact from interest rate hikes

Jun 18, 2026 | Market

Composite index of IDX (IHSG/JCI) and rupiah ended lower grounds respectively Thursday (Jun 18) when Bank Indonesia decided to raise further its benchmark rate by 25 basis points. In span of a month, the central bank has raised its rate by 100 basis points to shore up...

Performance-based incentives for SPPGs

Jun 18, 2026 | Market

The government plans to overhaul the incentive scheme for SPPGs (central kitchens for free meal/MBG program). Previously, all SPPGs were entitled to Rp 6 million per operating day. Going forward, the amount of incentives will be differentiated based on two main...

More fiscal pressures for 2027

Jun 18, 2026 | Market

Some policies from President Prabowo, including expansion of the bureaucracy, the military, fishermen’s cooperatives, and Sekolah Rakyat (People’s School), led to demands for substantial bigger budget for 2027. The National Police, for example, demands additional...

Prabowo & Series of Pressures on Salim Group

Jun 18, 2026 | Market

Attorney General’s Office (AGO) confirmed the examination of executives from Maybank Indonesia and Salim Ivomas Plantation (SIMP) in palm oil export corruption. Last week, IDX-listed SIMP was unable to provide clarification on the investigation’s relation with its...

The questions behind North Sumatra’s vape ban

Jun 18, 2026 | Law, Market

North Sumatra’s decision to prohibit the use of vape products among civil servants and regional state-owned enterprise employees may appear, at first glance, to be a local administrative matter. In reality, it raises a much larger question about the future of...

Raising the Hajj deposit

Jun 18, 2026 | Market, Politics

The proposal to increase initial Hajj deposit from Rp25 million to Rp35 million has reignited a familiar debate: how to sustain the country’s Hajj financing system without closing the door on millions of aspiring pilgrims. While the idea may make sense from a...

People on the move

Jun 18, 2026 | Politics

The appointment of former Air Force chief Fadjar Prasetyo as Commander of the Joint Regional Defense Command (Kogabwilhan) II may appear to be a routine military reshuffle. Yet the decision comes at a particularly sensitive moment for Indonesia’s armed forces, which...

New property & hospitality king: Sudjiono Timan

Jun 18, 2026 | Market, Profiles

After series of major transactions in resources sector, former infamous investment banker Sudjiono Timan, once a fugitive in corruption case, has emerged as a new property king through acquisition of some high-profile assets in Jakarta and Bali Island in the past few...

Defending rupiah

Jun 18, 2026 | Market

Pretty much as predicted, the Fed kept funds rate unchanged at 3.5%-3.75% Wednesday (Jun 18), lifting the Dollar index to 100.3, the highest since March. US Dollar gained against most major currencies and rupiah.  Hawkish outlook, where half of the FOMC members...

Medco Energi vs Energi Mega

Jun 18, 2026 | Market

Shares of oil and gas companies Medco Energi Internasional (MEDC) and Energi Mega Persada (ENRG) ended mixed Wednesday (Jun 17) as crude oil moved in narrow range pending clarity in the US-Iran peace deal. MEDC ended flat at Rp1,180 to make a market cap of Rp29.7...