Malaysia's Malacca state is again moving to revive a plan to build a cross-strait bridge linking it and Indonesia's Riau province, with a new feasibility study set to commence 30 years after the megaproject was originally proposed.

Foreign tourist arrivals are expected to remain below pre-pandemic levels, even as the sector shows steady post-pandemic recovery. Experts point to intensifying competition from neighboring countries, limited diversification beyond popular destinations such as Bali and a lack of “major breakthroughs” in promoting Indonesian tourism.  

In the shadow of Indonesia’s crackdown on imported secondhand clothing, a quieter, more exclusive form of thrifting continues to operate at the margins of legality.

Indonesia’s technical team, tasked with the legal drafting process, has arrived in the US capital about a week ago to pave the way for Coordinating Economy Minister Airlangga Hartarto.

State revenue reached just 82.1 percent of the full-year outlook in November, down 5.67 percent from the same period last year, while the budget deficit stood at 2.35 percent of GDP, noticeably higher than October's 2.02 percent, though the finance minister said this was "within manageable limits".

The pipeline will link gas sources in Java and Sumatra to key industrial zones across Aceh, North Sumatra and Riau, and is scheduled for completion by the end of 2027.

US consumer inflation slowed unexpectedly in November, delayed government data showed Thursday, although levels remained higher than earlier in the year before President Donald Trump's tariffs flowed through the economy.

They join tech boss Michael Dell and his wife Susan in contributing to the so-called "Trump accounts," part of the "One Big Beautiful Bill" that the Republican president pushed through Congress in July.

Some of the projects set to commence include a US$24 billion aluminium smelter, refinery facilities for bio-aviation fuel in Central Java and a bioethanol facility in East Java.

The government has set a two-year deadline to clear the massive Bantargebang landfill in Bekasi, West Java, leveraging the accelerated waste-to-energy program.

Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has acknowledged high pressure on the state budget and said the government’s 2025 deficit target may be missed but vowed that the figure would remain below the legal cap at 3 percent of GDP.

Until now, Chinese consumers have largely relied on supplies from neighboring countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Trade Minister Budi Santoso says he is working to secure a bilateral trade agreement to exempt Indonesia from Mexico's planned tariffs. The move follows reports that Mexico intends to impose duties of up to 50 percent on imports from several Asian countries, including Indonesia, starting in 2026.

A consolidation push in the banking industry looks set to make small lenders targets of mergers and acquisitions as the Financial Services Authority (OJK) wants to eliminate the lowest core capital category, which currently dominates the industry.

Jakarta will send a delegation to Washington to discuss the matter after senior officials agreed to finalize what the two leaders agreed upon on July 22.

Items once promoted to reduce waste are now collected, displayed and replaced at a pace that mirrors the very overconsumption they were meant to counter.

The country has marked a milestone as the first containers of shrimp, certified free of Cs-137, cleared inspections to enter the US this week, ending months of disruption in supplying the seafood industry's largest export market.

The proposal, passed earlier by the lower house, will raise or impose new duties of up to 50 percent from 2026 on certain goods.

Greer declined to discuss the state of the trade talks with Indonesia, saying they were subject to a confidentiality agreement, but underscoring Washington's interest in finalizing the trade deal.

Indonesia’s banking industry is cautiously optimistic about 2026 loan growth after sluggish demand this year.

According to preliminary data from Bank Indonesia (BI) published on Wednesday, the retail sales index (RSI) was projected to have climbed to 222.1 in November, marking a solid 5.9 percent year-on-year (yoy) increase from 209.7 in November 2024.

The two countries in July said Indonesia agreed to eliminate tariffs on more than 99 percent of US goods and scrap all non-tariff barriers facing American firms, while the US will drop threatened tariffs on Indonesian products to 19 percent from 32 percent.

Based on Mandiri Spending Index (MSI) data, average weekly spending growth in Q4 reached 37.8 percent year-on-year (yoy), higher than the 29.3 percent in Q3.

State-owned enterprises will receive about a third of last year's state capital injections this year due to the establishment of state asset fund Danantara.

Apindo chairwoman Shinta W. Kamdani said the first quarter of 2026 was likely to deliver the year’s strongest momentum as New Year, Lunar New Year, Ramadan and Idul Fitri will drive spending.

Impending state financing for state-owned Krakatau Steel is drawing attention to Indonesia's steel industry crisis, where low competitiveness and reliance on imports clash with the new government's push for self-sufficiency.

The president said he had received extensive reports on the scale of agricultural destruction and stressed that affected farmers would not be left to bear the losses alone.