Bank Indonesia reveals that Rp 2,372.1 trillion in approved bank loans remains unused as of August, warning that sluggish credit expansion, with just 7.56 percent year-on-year growth, could weigh on GDP growth.

Leading vegetable oil processor Apical Group has reinforced its commitment to balancing economic growth, community welfare and ecosystem conservation through its Sustainable Living Village (SLV) program.

The European Union and Indonesia have finalized a trade agreement to be signed next week in Bali, according to the government.

State-owned lenders have received 200 trillion rupiah ($12.2 billion) in government deposits redirected from Bank Indonesia to spur credit growth, but their top executives are unsure how to deploy the funds.

The country needs a balanced approach to growth that incorporates innovation, development and investment in targeting key value-added sectors to not just catch up with its regional peers, but to achieve its overarching goal in the Golden Indonesia 2045 vision.

For foreign direct investment to flow into upstream projects and high-value processing facilities, investors need certainty that their concessions will be protected and that the rule of law will be enforced consistently.

Even as Russia builds warm ties with China and India, the return of barter shows just how far the war in Ukraine has distorted trading relationships for the world's biggest producer of natural resources, three decades after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union ushered in Russian economic integration with the West. 

US Democrats have asked the Trump administration to press China to curb "structural overproduction", essentially overhauling Beijing's economic model, as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent holds talks with Chinese officials in Spain.

Environmentalists have blamed the deadly floods on overtourism and overdevelopment, particularly the conversion of agricultural land into commercial buildings.  

Following the FDA’s advisory over contaminated frozen shrimp from Indonesia, the government revealed it had detected the same radioactive isotop in scrap metal imports from the Philippines, though it has not confirmed a link between the two.

Social mobility, sociologists note, could be restored through better access to education and more job opportunities, but that would require industrialization, investment and a stronger formal sector.

While the new finance minister has promised not to make any major changes to next year's draft budget and instead focus on fiscal discipline, Sri Mulyani's departure has left markets nervous about her replacement's policy direction.

The government noted that only a few accredited laboratories are currently capable of advanced food testing.

The current job availability index fell further into pessimistic territory at 93.2, highlighting lingering pressure in the labor market.

Experts cautioned that the policy could unintentionally encourage companies to hire only workers who live nearby.  

Economists argue that the root cause lies in public dissatisfaction that has been building over fragile social and economic conditions.

A group of hundreds of local economists has called on the government to focus on spending priorities and bring back institutional independence as part of seven “urgent economic demands” to achieve social welfare and equality.

The government has announced plans to establish six new special economic zones (SEZs) covering various industries, from the halal sector to electric vehicles (EVs).  

Indonesia’s coconut exports are surging, raising concerns among industry groups that domestic processing businesses are being squeezed by limited raw material supply.

Entering office just weeks before the 2026 state budget is to be passed into law, newly appointed Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa vows to make no major changes to the draft and to maintain fiscal discipline. He also said he would learn the ins and outs of his new post from his well-regarded predecessor, Sri Mulyani Indrawati.

Last year, only seven of the 22 SEZs exceeded their investment targets, including Nongsa in Batam, Kura Kura in Bali and Kendal in Central Java.

Purbaya joined the government under various roles since 2010 and has been the head of the Indonesia Deposit Insurance Corporation since 2020.

Sri Mulyani’s farewell as finance minister comes at a turbulent time as widespread protests and riots over lawmakers’ allowances, injustice and police brutality shook the country in late August.

The centerpiece of a program to provide free meals to 83 million children and expectant mothers, the plan calls for importing a million dairy cows over five years, at a cost of nearly $3 billion, to lift the size of the country's dairy herd more than four-fold from 220,000 now.

Newly appointed finance minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said on Monday that 8 percent economic growth was "not impossible" and that he would find ways to quickly boost the economy.

Nestlé Indonesia received a visit from the head of the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM), Dr. Taruna Ikrar, MBiomedSc, and his staff on Aug. 4 at the Karawang factory in West Java.

Japan's economy expanded much faster than initially estimated in the second quarter, driven by upward revisions in private consumption and inventories, giving policymakers some assurance as they navigate political and trade uncertainty.

Rice prices eased, mainly because of a fall of Indian prices to three-year lows on rupee weakness and intense competition among exporters.

Cost competitiveness is a key concern as local footwear producers face dual pressures from both the regional and domestic markets, as well as a potential influx of cheaper goods from China, industry groups say.

Despite the post-pandemic recovery, the global petrochemical sector has failed to stabilize. Overcapacity, slowing demand growth and intensifying competition have pushed margins to their lowest levels in more than a decade. Persistent oversupply will remain the dominant challenge through the end of this decade.