US employment rose more than expected in April, alleviating some concerns about the health of the world's largest economy even as one measure of consumer confidence came in at its lowest-ever level.

Though the finance minister did not specify which countries would be exempted from the latest forex earnings rule, set to enter into force on June 1, this may apply to the US under the terms of the ART.

The Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI) has partly attributed the production halt and planned shutdown of steelmaker PT Krakatau Osaka Steel (KOS) to muted demand from the Nusantara capital city (IKN) project in East Kalimantan.  

Oil prices rose and stocks slipped as the US and Iran exchanged fire in the Middle East, though many markets in Asia were still heading for stellar weekly gains as AI demand swept up chipmakers.

The ruling blocks the tariffs from being implemented against just two companies and the state of Washington for now, but it could open doors to further such outcomes.

State takeovers, interventions and investments in the private sector as part of a broader policy direction have met with mixed reception, with some cautioning that potential overreach could dampen investor sentiment and the business climate.

The share of formal employment in Indonesia has been shrinking in recent years even as the official employment rate has come down, which points to deteriorating job quality in the country’s labor market.  

Amid growing global demand for critical minerals to support the energy transition, PT Vale Indonesia Tbk has reaffirmed its commitment to integrating sustainability into its financing strategy through securing a US$750 million sustainability-linked loan (SLL) facility.

The cross-border QRIS payment link between Indonesia and China, which went live on April 30, is expected to expand to other Chinese digital payment platforms, including WeChat Pay, industry and central bank officials have said.

Authorities allege the executives of PT Lunaria Annua Teknologi (LAT), the operator of KoinWorks, manipulated collateral documents and falsified trade invoices to secure massive loans from state-owned lender BRI.

Singaporean airline Scoot launched twice-weekly flights between Belitung and Singapore on Sunday, marking the route’s inaugural service.

Asian stocks soared to record highs on Thursday while the US dollar slipped and oil nursed steep losses as traders embraced the prospect of a peace deal in the Middle East, although the fate of the critical Strait of Hormuz remains unresolved.

As the government looks to replace millions of subsidized 3‑kilogram LPG cylinders with compressed natural gas (CNG) to reduce costly imports, experts warn the switch would require billions of dollars in investment, and a tight safety regime.

The rupiah extended its slide to 17,425 per US dollar on Tuesday, according to the Jakarta Interbank Spot Dollar Rate (JISDOR), underscoring Southeast Asia’s largest economy’s struggle to halt the currency’s decline since early this year.

Avtur prices at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta rose to Rp 27,358 (US$1.57) per liter for May period, up 16 percent from Rp 23,551 per liter in April and more than doubling from Rp 13,656 in March.

The bad loan rate began to spike in November 2025 and now hovers above 4 percent, while the fintech sector has come under pressure recently following the KPPU's ruling on monopolistic practices related to interest rates.

In a push to reduce the burden of fuel subsidies on the state budget and boost growth in the latter two quarters, the government is planning to roll out a new incentive for purchases of electric two- and four-wheelers in June.

Oil prices extended losses and stocks rallied Wednesday on fresh hopes for an end to the Iran war and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, while Samsung blasted past the $1 trillion valuation mark as the AI tech boom continued apace.

Every dollar increase in the global oil price adds a burden of about Rp 6.8 billion (around $400 million) to the state budget.

The Indonesian economy exceeded expectations in the first quarter as the country posted the strongest gross domestic product growth in years, thanks to a seasonal boost to consumer spending.

A new regulation stated that the protection of outsourced workers, including wages, overtime, social security and severance, is the responsibility of the outsourcing firm, while the principal company's role is to ensure compliance.

Stephanie Sievers, managing director at Philips APAC, said connectivity and remote care models would be key to improving access, as cost and staffing pressures intensify, particularly in geographically dispersed markets, such as Indonesia. 

The construction of the massive seawall project will be divided into 15 segments under a “parallel development” approach, but no launch date has been determined yet.

Fiscal strains are mounting across the region, particularly South Asia, as governments spend billions of dollars on subsidies and import duty waivers to compensate.

Plastic producers say the pressure is most acute upstream, where tight raw material supply and surging prices are driving up costs, forcing manufacturers to absorb them while trying to keep production running.

Experts warn of rising price pressure going forward, as fuel price hikes will only fully reflect in May data.

While manufacturing exports continued to expand, rising 3.96 percent in the first quarter and supported by strong nickel shipments, the gains were not enough to offset declines in mining exports caused by weaker coal shipments.