TheJakartaPost

US wants equity stakes in chip makers for CHIPS Act cash grants, sources say

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is looking into the government taking equity stakes in Intel as well as other chip companies in exchange for grants under the CHIPS Act that was meant to spur factory-building around the country, two sources said. ...

1 month ago

LPG imports from US risk increasing subsidy burden

Analysts urge the government to diversify supply sources and strengthen energy security to avoid overdependence on costly routes. ...

1 month ago

The Latest

A vehicle moves past stacked cargo containers on July 7 at the Jakarta International Container Terminal of Jakarta's Tanjung Priok Port.

Southeast Asian exporters brace for US transshipment crackdown

Though not yet enacted, experts see a threatened 40-percent tariff on transshipped goods as a serious risk given Southeast Asia’s deep connection with Chinese manufacturers.

1 month ago

A worker installs roof rafters on Aug. 6, 2025, at a subsidized housing estate in Bogor, West Java.

Markets premium

Housing market slows on economic concerns, credit conditions

Property consultants have pointed to global economic uncertainty and credit hurdles as contributing factors to the sharp drop in home sales in the second quarter of 2025.

1 month ago

The introduction of electric motorcycles to the fleet of Lazada Logistics Indonesia is part of Contigo Mobility’s newly announced partnership, which also includes the conversion of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle into electric vehicles and the installment of battery swapping stations at Lazada hubs.

Markets

Sales slump slows electric motorcycle production

After sales of electric two-wheelers plummeted in the first half of 2025, a manufacturers’ association has demanded clarity from the government on purchasing subsidies.

1 month ago

New cars are parked at a factory in Bojomangu, Bekasi regency, West Java, on March 13, 2024.

Moderate gains, rising challenges: Navigating the multi-finance industry in 2025

The multi-finance industry is entering a phase of more limited growth this year, with Bank Mandiri projecting receivables expansion will remain relatively flat at around Rp 500 trillion in the remaining months of the year.

1 month ago

Tech

Google agrees to US$36m fine over Android search deals

Australia's competition authority said it had launched proceedings in the Federal Court and jointly submitted with Google Asia Pacific that it should pay the fine.

1 month ago

Pay with ease: A buyer scans a Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS) to settle a transaction in Rangkasbitung, Banten, on Dec. 9, 2023.

Tech premium

QRIS launches in Japan as trial begins for expansion to China

Bank Indonesia (BI) is preparing to roll out the Quick Response Indonesia Standard (QRIS) in China, following the recent launch in Japan, as it seeks to expand the national digital payment system beyond ASEAN.

1 month ago

A Pelita Air Airbus A320 aircraft lands at Soekarno Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, on April 11, 2022.

Companies premium

Pelita Air makes international debut with Jakarta–Singapore flight

Pelita Air’s entry follows the availability of additional slots at Changi after Jetstar Asia’s closure in July.

1 month ago

Supporting ASEAN Businesses in Navigating Complexity and Driving Growth

Amid ongoing geopolitical turbulence and rising uncertainty in the global economy, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) continues to demonstrate remarkable resilience and sustained growth.

1 month ago

CEO of SoftBank Masayoshi Son speaks during the Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute Priority Summit in Miami Beach, Florida, US, on Feb. 21, 2025.

SoftBank to invest $2b in Intel to become top-10 shareholder

SoftBank Group is buying a US$2 billion equity stake in Intel, a move that will make it a top-10 shareholder and provide a powerful ally to the struggling US chipmaker.

1 month ago

President Prabowo Subianto (right) and former presidents Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (second right) and Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo (second left) salute the Red and White flag during the annual flag-hoising ceremony to commemorate the 80th Independence Day at the State Palace in Jakarta on Aug. 17, 2025.

Tax hikes, program cuts could hit regions as Jakarta pulls funds

The share of the state budget controlled by Jakarta is expected to climb from 72 percent in 2021 to 83 percent in 2026, leaving most programs to be designed and implemented by the central government.

1 month ago

Independence Day: Gojek empowers local tech talent in driving innovation for Indonesia

As Indonesia marks its 80th Independence Day, Gojek reiterated its focus on strengthening the country’s digital ecosystem by nurturing local technology talent.

1 month ago

Workers pack and ready orders for shipment at a warehouse of Chinese e-commerce platform Lazada in Indonesia, in this file photo from September 2021

Investment opportunities in Indonesia’s growing logistics sector

BCG sees modern warehousing, cold chain and third-party logistics as hot bets in Indonesia’s booming logistics sector.

1 month ago

(A vessel loaded with containers is docked at Pasir Panjang port terminal in Singapore on May 19, 2025. Singapore's non-oil domestic exports slipped 4.6 percent in July from a year earlier, government data showed on Aug. 18, 2025 as shipments to the United States plunged by more than 40 percent

Singapore key exports slip in July as US shipments tumble 43%

Singapore's non-oil domestic exports slipped 4.6 percent in July from a year earlier, government data showed Monday, as shipments to the United States plunged by more than 40 percent.

1 month ago

A passerby walks past an electric screen displaying Japan's Nikkei share average and the Dow Jones Industrial Average outside a brokerage in Tokyo on March 11, 2024.

Markets

Shares scale fresh tops in Asia, oil slips on truce talks

Markets imply around an 85 percent chance of a quarter-point rate cut at the Fed's meeting on September 17, and are priced for a further easing by December.

1 month ago

Promises vs. plans: President Prabowo Subianto delivers his State of the Nation address on Friday during the annual People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) plenary meeting at the Senayan legislative complex in Jakarta.

2026 budget ripe with politics, somewhat thinner on strategy

A lack of satisfying answers on how to reach growth goals set forth in the freshly unveiled 2026 state budget has led economists to conclude that the fiscal document is based more on political ambition rather than on technocratic calculation.

1 month ago

Key to the future: Semiconductor chips are seen in production on Dec. 25, 2024, at a factory in Binzhou, in eastern China's Shandong province.

Tech premium

US eyes role in building RI’s chip industry, senior minister says

In 2023, Indonesia began drafting a road map to develop the silica industry as a starting point for building a domestic semiconductor industry.

1 month ago

Two Air Canada planes stand on the tarmac of Pierre-Elliott Trudeau Airport in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on Aug. 15, 2025. Air Canada's flight attendants went on strike Saturday, as the airline announced a complete shutdown of operations, creating summer travel chaos for its 130,000 daily passengers.

Air Canada flight attendants strike over pay, shutting down service

Air Canada's flight attendants went on strike Saturday, as the airline announced a complete shutdown of operations, creating summer travel chaos for its 130,000 daily passengers.

1 month ago

Tech

Meta probed over AI chatbot talk with children

The Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism will start an investigation into whether Meta generative AI products "enable exploitation, deception, or other criminal harms to children."

1 month ago

PGN's floating storage and regasificaiton unit (FSRU) in Lampung.

Gas subsidy cut could slash industrial output, trigger layoffs: Ministry

Supply disruptions and steep surcharges, such as state gas company PGN’s tariff of $16.77 per mmbtu, are squeezing manufacturers, according to Industry Ministry spokesperson Febri Hendri Antoni Arief.

1 month ago

President Prabowo Subianto delivers his annual State of the Nation address during the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) plenary meeting at the Senayan legislative complex in Jakarta on Aug. 15, 2025, ahead of the country's 80th Independence Day.

Govt banks on 'ambitious' revenue growth in 2026 budget

President Prabowo Subianto has increased the allocation for his flagship free meals program by nearly threefold from this year’s budget, reaching Rp 335 trillion in 2026.

1 month ago

A worker watches President Prabowo Subianto’s State of the Nation address on Friday on a smartphone at the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) in Jakarta. The IDX Composite index briefly reached an all-time high above 8,000 points during intraday trading as the President delivered his speech.

Markets premium

IDX Composite index briefly breaches 8,000 to set new all-time high

The country’s most-watched stock market index closed the day down 0.41 percent after briefly hitting an intraday all-time high of 8.017 points.

1 month ago

Retail chain Alfamart president director Anggara Hans Prawira (center) observes a Digital Retail Solution machine while cash and valuables management solution provider Brink’s Indonesia president director David Maksud (left) looks on. Brink's Indonesia has deployed the 1000th DRS machine for Alfamart.

Brink’s Indonesia and Alfamart celebrate deployment of the 1,000th DRS machine

Milestone marks a major leap in retail cash automation and operational efficiency across Indonesia.

1 month ago

An employee works at a factory which produces steel structures in Hangzhou, in China's eastern Zhejiang province on July 15, 2025.

China's factory output, retail sales growth slump in blow to economy

Industrial output grew 5.7 percent year-on-year in July, National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) data showed on Friday, the lowest reading since November 2024, and compared with a 6.8 percent rise in June

1 month ago

Two miners pan for gold on July 7, 2020, along a stream near Korowai, Papua.

Prabowo vows determined crackdown on illegal mines

President Prabowo Subianto has announced a determined crackdown on illegal mines, regardless of who runs or owns them, be they Indonesian Military (TNI) generals or politicians of his own Gerindra Party.

1 month ago

A Decade of SFMP 2.0: How APRIL Leads Through Environmental Responsibility

In Indonesia, the conversation about sustainability carries real weight—especially when it concerns the country’s vast rainforests, often called the “Emerald of the Equator.”

1 month ago

A foreign visitor takes a photo out the windows of the urban sprawl below during a visit to one of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building observation decks in the Shinjuku district of central Tokyo on May 16, 2025.

Japan posts modest growth despite US tariffs

Japan eked out modest growth in the second quarter despite painful United States tariffs, official data showed Friday, in welcome news to embattled Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

1 month ago

Housing and Settlements Minister Maruarar Sirait and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati hold a joint press conference with other key stakeholders including Bank Indonesia (BI) Governor Perry Warjiyo, House of Representatives Commission XI chairman Mukhamad Misbakhun, Deputy State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Dony Oskaria and Deputy Finance Minister Suahasil Nazara in Jakarta on Feb. 21, 2025.