Indonesia

With rising levels of public participation, a robust regulatory framework and high profitability at most institutions, Indonesia’s banking sector performed strongly in 2015-16, building on nearly a decade of expansion and rapidly increasing returns. The sector comprises 118 commercial banks and more than 1600 rural regional banks – the latter of which are allowed to operate only in a...

While 2015 was widely regarded as a rough patch for Indonesia’s capital markets, on a medium- and long-term basis the market has posted significant growth. From 2005 through to the end of 2015, the Jakarta Composite Index (JCI) – the market benchmark for the Indonesia Stock Exchange – rose around four-fold, or 15% per annum, according to data provided by the exchange. Indeed, over the past...

During the years of former President Suharto’s rule, Indonesia’s political and economic power was concentrated in Jakarta. But with democratisation has come decentralisation, a trend that has gathered momentum since direct local elections were introduced in 2005, in turn creating a new breed of grassroots politician. After all, it was President Joko Widodo’s success as a mayor, first in Solo...

As South-east Asia’s largest economy and the world’s fourth-most-populated country, Indonesia is an important trade partner within ASEAN, as well as for Japan, China and the US. The country has averaged more than 5% annual GDP growth over the past decade through sound macroeconomic policies, rising domestic demand driven by a burgeoning middle class and high commodity prices. However, a...