Update on Hajj Villages

Dec 18, 2025 | Market

Indonesia has recently signed a $500 million conditional agreement for the acquisition of a hotel and a 5-hectare land in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, as part of the Hajj Village plans. On top of that, the sovereign fund Danantara is currently in the top two bidders to...

A Wage Policy Written in Pencil

Dec 18, 2025 | Market

President Prabowo Subianto’s decision to finally sign the government regulation on wages for 2026 was supposed to end months of uncertainty. Instead, it has exposed a deeper problem in Indonesia’s economic governance: policies are no longer designed to provide...

When Disaster Exposes Power Struggles

Dec 18, 2025 | Politics

The controversy over a letter allegedly sent by the Aceh provincial administration to UN agencies is not merely a case of bureaucratic miscommunication. It is a stark reminder that, in Indonesia, disaster management is never purely humanitarian—it is deeply political....

Corruption at INALUM & Downfall of Prima Alloy

Dec 18, 2025 | Law

Two executives of state aluminium producer INALUM, member of MIND ID (holding company for state mining firms, Freeport Indonesia and Vale Indonesia), have been named suspects in corruption case related to sales of aluminium in the period of 2018-2024. Too little too...

Nickel & Wetar Project weigh on Merdeka Copper

Dec 18, 2025 | Commodities

Merdeka Copper Gold (MDKA), co-owned by Provident Capital Group, Saratoga, and Garibaldi ‘Boy’ Thohir, booked net loss of US$34.8 million in Jan-Sep 2025. Gold price hike helped the company in reducing the net loss, but Wetar Copper project and nickel business...

Solar industry update

Dec 18, 2025 | Industries

Trade wars and energy transition programs give Indonesia an opportunity to host solar panel manufacturers relocated from China. Policy stability, however, is needed because of competition with neighbouring countries like Vietnam and Malaysia. Photovoltaic module...

Self-sufficiency and natural disasters

Dec 17, 2025 | Politics

President Prabowo Subianto is obsessed with self-sufficiency in food and energy. So, his lesson learnt from natural disaster killing thousands of people and millions isolated from cyclone in northern tip of Sumatra Island is the need for a local-level self sufficiency...

West Java’s Housing Freeze Policy

Dec 17, 2025 | Market

West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi’s decision to suspend housing construction permits across the province has quickly evolved from an environmental policy into a national governance problem. What was framed as disaster mitigation is now testing the limits of...

Binar and the reality check facing EdTech ambitions

Dec 17, 2025 | Market

For several years, Binar Academy has been held up as one of the most credible edtech success stories. Founded by Alamanda Shantika, a former senior product leader at Gojek, Binar emerged with a compelling narrative: closing Indonesia’s digital talent gap while...

MBG program on school break?

Dec 17, 2025 | Politics

The holiday season is around the corner and some schools are already closed. This, however, doesn’t mean that the MBG program also comes to a halt. SPPG kitchens will continue distributing free meals to students to ensure their nutritional needs are met. Here’s the...