SoftBank group chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son (left) and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman attend a talk session in Tokyo on Feb. 3, 2025.

OpenAI abandons plan to become for-profit company

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced Monday that the company behind ChatGPT will continue to be run as a nonprofit, abandoning a contested plan to convert into a for-profit organization.

3 days ago

Tech premium

Govt suspends Sam Altman’s biometric identity project over legal concerns

While the project is pitched as a tool to streamline digital verification and potentially offer users a new income stream, it has drawn criticism over concerns about biometric data collection. ...

4 days ago

Tech

Apple eases App Store rules under court pressure

Apple on Friday relaxed its App Store payment rules in the face of a scathing court order, with Spotify quick to reap the benefit. ...

6 days ago

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Teachers talk to students on the first day of the 2020-2021 school year at SMAN 8 state high school in Jakarta on July 13, 2020.

Tech premium

Edutech startup Zenius secures $40 million in funding

The education technology (edutech) start-up received the funding from state-owned telecommunications company Telkom.

3 years ago

A technician inspects a base transceiver station (BTS) on a telecommunications tower at the Tangerang-Merak toll road in Banten, West Java, on June 6, 2018.

Tech premium

Digital competitiveness improves as inequality narrows

Indonesia's standing on a privately funded digital competitiveness index rose to 35.2 this year, up 3.2 points from last year.

3 years ago

A customer browses for groceries in a supermarket in Jakarta on July 2, 2021.

Tech premium

Bukalapak, CT Corp send AlloFresh into grocery delivery race

The new platform combines the retail experience of CT Corp’s Trans Retail Indonesia with the technology of Bukalapak, while additional funding comes from a Southeast Asian private equity firm.

3 years ago

Tech

Mitra Tokopedia helps unbanked people find school fee payment solution

Although not as fast as in advanced countries, digital payment continues to thrive in Indonesia as many people, especially those living in remote areas beyond Java island, remain unbanked.

3 years ago

A Banoo digital MycroFish aerator operates in a fish pond in this undated photograph.

Tech premium

Aquaculture start-ups make waves in Indonesian fisheries

The businesses have begun automating aquaculture operations, increasing yields and profitability.

3 years ago

Lumina cofounder and CEO Aswin Andrison.

Executive Column premium

Executive Column: Lumina CEO promises edtech for blue-collar workers

Lumina CEO Aswin Andrison wants to shake up the employment services market with payroll management and education for an underserved segment.

3 years ago

Indonesians have been expressing annoyance over frequent spam calls and text messages.

Tech premium

Spam calls, texts frustrate Indonesian consumers

Indonesians have been expressing annoyance over frequent spam calls and text messages, and the country ranks sixth worldwide for consumers affected by scams.

3 years ago

A woman scrolls through the dashboard of SME platform Majoo.

Tech premium

SME platform Majoo bags $5m more in pre-series A round

In its latest funding round, SME-focused software startup Majoo raised an additional US$5 million to bring its total pre-series A funding to $9 million for expanding its reach, staff and features.

3 years ago

A medical worker takes a blood sample for a COVID-19 serological test at Pertamina Central Hospital amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Jakarta, on Dec. 16, 2020.

Tech premium

Health Ministry to develop national electronic health record system

The system would allow patients to share their medical records across clinics, hospitals and labs.

3 years ago

Tech

China's Bilibili to hire more staff after employee death stokes overtime debate

The Alibaba Group-backed company, one of China's largest video platforms, came under public scrutiny last week after a user on microblogging platform Weibo said that the employee died after working long hours.

3 years ago

COO Dito Krista (left) and CEO Rifanditto Adhikara (right) of health tech start-up Sirka

Tech premium

Personal health start-up Sirka raises $2.6m in seed round

A local health tech start-up has raised US$2.6 million during its seed round and plans to use the money to develop the platform's personal health management features.

3 years ago

Tech premium

E-signature firms eagerly await data protection law

They say personal data security is key to building consumer trust and enabling the industry’s growth.

3 years ago

Ayoconnect founder and COO Chiragh Kirpalani (left) and cofounder and CEO Jakob Rost.

Tech premium

Financial service enabler Ayoconnect bags $15M funding

Open finance platform Ayoconnect has received $15 million in funding to expand in the region and launch direct debit and payment card services.

3 years ago

A GrabFood rider wears a mask to protect himself against COVID-19 while working in Jakarta on July 13, 2020.

Tech premium

Indonesia food delivery industry grows 24 percent

Grab accounts for a large chunk of gross merchandize value (GMV) in the biggest food delivery market in Southeast Asia.

3 years ago

Thousands of workers make protective gear (APD) in a factory owned by PT Kasih Karunia Sejati in Malang, East Java, on April 20, 2021.

Tech premium

HR start-up Gajiku raises $1.1 million in seed round

The funds will be used to roll out new features and attract new clients, with a focus on large labor-intensive firms in Indonesia.

3 years ago

A woman takes pictures of digital art on display at a Tokocrypto T-Hub crypto community space in Seminyak, Bali, on Jan. 21, 2022.

Tech premium

Bali embraces blockchain as crypto, NFT market flourish

The government and industry players are looking at Bali as the blockchain hub of the country, where crypto investment is booming and NFT marketplaces are disrupting the established art scene.

3 years ago

Tech premium

Traveloka enters ride-hailing as super app race heats up

The online travel agent (OTA) unicorn previously launched food delivery and credit lending features.

3 years ago

Securities crowdfunding mobile app Bizhare

Tech premium

Crowdfunding spurs optimism for small businesses

Funding for small businesses through securities crowdfunding (SCF) platforms tripled in 2021.

3 years ago

A 5G cellular tower stands as a Southwest Airlines Co. Boeing 737 airplane lands at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in California, United States, on Jan. 19, 2022.

Tech

5G launches in US without huge impact on flights

Telecom giants AT&T and Verizon began 5G service in the United States on Wednesday without major disruptions to flights after the launch of the new wireless technology was scaled back.

3 years ago

A building with a honeycomb-like facade at the Public Works and Housing Ministry in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, as seen in this undated photograph, is certified as environmentally friendly by the Green Building Council Indonesia (GBCI).

Tech premium

Architects group calls for more green buildings to reach climate goals

The association is pushing for the development of more green structures to meet the country’s climate pledge, underlining that architecture adapts to the times.

3 years ago

Investment app Pluang offers gold, money market and cryptocurrency investment features, among others.

Tech premium

Start-up digest: Fintech firms snag $163m in funding

Online lender Koinworks and investment app Pluang raised a total of US$163 million in funding in January.

3 years ago

A solar PV system installed by solar start-up Xurya is pictured on the Plaza Indonesia shopping mall in Central Jakarta in an undated photo.

Tech premium

Solar start-up Xurya bags $21.5m in series A funding

A firm partly owned by Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno is one of several investors putting $21.5 million into an Indonesian solar rooftop provider.

3 years ago

Experts predict we may see companies in the fintech and e-commerce sectors becoming unicorns in 2022.

Tech premium

Fintech, e-commerce firms expected to become next unicorns

After welcoming five unicorns in 2021, Indonesia is going to see more start-ups from the fintech and e-commerce sectors, experts say.

3 years ago

Bank Harda Internasional (BBHI), pictured in an undated photo above, has rebranded itself as Allo Bank as it transforms into a digital lender.

Tech premium

Bukalapak, Salim Group to buy into digital lender Allo Bank

The acquisition continues the trend of corporations investing in digital banks.

3 years ago

Tech premium

Yearender 2021: Indonesia’s digital economy got bigger, not necessarily better

Adoption of online services soared during the pandemic in Southeast Asia’s biggest digital economy, but scrutiny has been growing as scams, cyberattacks and high fees taint the industry.

3 years ago

Then-BTN president director Pahala N. Mansury (left) attends the company's national working meeting in Jakarta on Jan. 10, 2020.

Tech premium

BTN to develop property market ‘super app’

State-owned Bank Tabungan Negara (BTN) is looking to digital technology to grow its mortgage business into something much bigger.

3 years ago

Tech premium

Bukalapak shifts spending of IPO funds

The publicly listed e-marketplace freed up more funds for business diversification and debt-funded growth.

3 years ago

Jeth Soetoyo, founder and CEO of crypto exchange platform Pintu

Executive Column premium

Executive Column: Pintu CEO says education vital in crypto industry

As Indonesians enter the crypto market in droves, Pintu CEO Jeth Soetoyo says investment education is crucial.

3 years ago

The world's largest crypto bourse will work with a subsidiary of Indonesia's largest telecom company to capture rising domestic demand for digital assets.

Tech premium

Binance, MDI Ventures to develop local crypto exchange

The world's largest crypto bourse will work with a subsidiary of Indonesia's largest telecom company to capture rising domestic demand for digital assets.

3 years ago