Reuters published a very interesting article recently titled ‘Surging Chinese imports of Indonesian oil point to rebranded Iranian crude, traders say’. The report might complicate trade negotiations between Indonesia and USA, because the archipelago has earlier been accused of transshipment of Chinese products to US market.

The latest fatwa by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has sparked an unusually emotional public debate. The fatwa states that non-commercial homes — houses where families actually live — should not be subjected to recurring property taxes. It is not a legal mandate; it is a moral argument. Yet its resonance is unmistakable: taxation of basic necessities is now seen as increasingly detached from social fairness.

Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs (Komdigi) announced plans to require mobile phone owners to register their SIM cards using facial biometric data. The policy was framed as an effort to protect the public from fraud, hoaxes, and online gambling. Yet beneath that narrative lies the construction of the most intrusive identity infrastructure Indonesia has ever attempted — one that demands citizens surrender their faces in exchange for basic connectivity.

North Sumatra governor Bobby Nasution, son-in-law of Indonesia’s seventh president Jokowi, agreed to recommend the closure of controversial pulp producer PT Toba Pulp Lestari Tbk (INRU) to the central government next week. 

The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi) kept finding new ways to eradicate online gambling. Most recently, they issued a warning to the internet service provider Cloudflare for allegedly facilitating thousands of online gambling websites. On top of that, Cloudflare is also facing compliance issues and its services will therefore be blocked in two weeks if the company fails to comply with Indonesia’s PSE registration rules.

The Directorate General of Taxes (DJP) keeps urging taxpayers to activate their Coretax accounts and authorization codes, yet adoption remains stubbornly low. With barely around 20 percent of taxpayers onboard, the government seems eager to celebrate digital transformation while ignoring the most uncomfortable truth: Coretax is not being rejected because the users are allergic to digitalization — it is being ignored because the state still designs public systems without the public in mind.

President Prabowo Subianto led a limited cabinet meeting at his private residence in Hambalang, Bogor, West Java on Sunday (Nov 23) to discuss progress and action plans from the powerful Satgas PKH, a multi-agency task force seizing lots of assets in mining and plantation sector in the past few months.

Shares of Akora Hydro (ARKO), operator of some hydropower plants, surged 18.8% on Friday (Nov 21) to make a market capitalization of Rp7.8 trillion as investors were upbeat with progress of some projects under construction.

The merger process between Hary Tanoesoedibjo’s MNC Bank and Lippo’s Bank Nationalnobu has reportedly been terminated. The Financial Services Authority (OJK), as media reported, has confirmed the information regarding the merger plan between PT Bank National Nobu Tbk (NOBU) and PT Bank MNC Internasional Tbk (BABP) which was initially announced in late 2022. 

It all started with President Prabowo’s speech at last year’s G-20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, when he announced to the global community about implementation of mandatory biodiesel 50% (B50) this year. Ministry of energy & mineral resources is now scheduled to start road test for B50 next week despite growing opposition from consumers.