Nickel production cut: Further pressure on Hillcon
Local media in North Maluku province quoted NGO leader last week that PT Hillcon Jaya Sakti, subsidiary of Hillcon (HILL), refused to pay salary of 700 workers since December 2025. It is not clear whether this is related to substantial cut of production quota granted to PT Weda Bay Nickel (WBN), the largest nickel miner in the country.
Quiet layoffs (3)
Noises surrounding layoffs at Mie Sedap, instant noodle brand controlled by Wings Food, invited politicians to mount pressures leading to temporary stoppage of workforce downsizing. Most others, especially those listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX), managed to reduce workforce quietly.
Digital banks, so far (1): AlloBank
Shares of AlloBank (BBHI), controlled by Chairul Tanjung (CT Corpora), moved in narrow range this morning even when the digital bank reported 22.9% growth in net profit to Rp574 billion last year.
Oto Multiartha vs Astra Otoparts
PT Oto Multiartha, an automotive financing company, posted net loss of Rp1.91 trillion last year against profit of Rp53.5 billion in 2024. Automotive component company Astra Otoparts (AUTO), on the other hand, reported 8.5% increase in net profit to Rp2.2 trillion last year. Why the contrast?
Is this really a white-collar crime?
The corruption trial surrounding former education minister Nadiem Anwar Makarim has entered a decisive phase at the Pengadilan Tindak Pidana Korupsi Jakarta. After the panel of judges rejected the defense’s preliminary objection, prosecutors have begun presenting witnesses and documentary evidence in the case related to the Chromebook procurement program during the pandemic-era digitalization push.
Red and white village
Indonesia’s village fund policy was born out of reformasi’s promise: empower villages to decide their own development priorities. For nearly a decade, Dana Desa has financed roads, irrigation, clean water systems, health posts and small-scale economic initiatives based on deliberations at the village level. It was imperfect, but it was participatory.
More pushbacks, but…
The US-Indonesia Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) has drawn more pushbacks from the society. The Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) sees it a new form of colonialism because provisions in the ART risk weakening the halal system established under the 2014 Halal Product Assurance Law.
Trading away our data sovereignty?
President Prabowo Subianto and Donald Trump sealed the new Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART), the headlines focused on tariffs, market access and strategic commodities. But tucked inside the digital trade chapter lies a clause far more consequential than a marginal tariff cut: Indonesia’s agreement to facilitate the transfer of personal data to the United States.
Closing the door on media bargaining
For years, governments around the world have grappled with a difficult question: How should they ensure that global digital platforms fairly compensate local media for the news content that fuels their traffic and advertising revenue?
The Belvin Tannadi case
The recent sanction imposed by the Otoritas Jasa Keuangan (OJK) on stock influencer Belvin Tannadi has exposed a darker side of that digital revolution: the thin line between education and manipulation.