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Tag: Indonesia

  • American franchise coffee house interested in kerinci coffee

    American franchise coffee house interested in kerinci coffee

    An American franchise coffee house is interested in arabica kayu aro coffee from Kerinci district, Jambi province, the Head of Processing and Marketing of Crops at Jambi’s Plantation Office, Arsyad Nur, said on Wednesday.

    “This coffee won the national coffee contest,” he added.

    Currently, the coffee house, which has franchises around the world, is exploring the possibility to cooperate with arabica coffee farmers in Kerinci.

    In Jambi, Nur noted, arabica kerinci only grows in Kayu Aro, which is a plateau situated at a height of 1,400-1,700 meters above sea level.

    “One coffee rod can produce eight kilograms of coffee beans at the most. Within two weeks, the local farmers can produce 20 tons of arabica kerinci coffee beans,” he informed.

    According to him, the arabica kerinci plantations are spread over 1,500 hectares.

    The local administration is working to register arabica kerinci with the Directorate General of Intellectual Property Rights at the Ministry of Law and Human Rights in order to obtain legal protection of Geographical Indications (GI).

    “Arabica Kerinci has specific characteristics that deserve to get GI categorisation,” Nur pointed out.

    Besides arabica kerinci, he added, the district has robusta merangin and liberika tungkal coffee. “Liberika Tungkal grows at an elevation of 0-100 meter above sea level,” he explained.

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  • Indonesian capital’s airport opens $560 million terminal

    Indonesian capital’s airport opens $560 million terminal

    The Indonesian capital’s airport opened a new terminal Tuesday after years of operating at far above its passenger capacity.

    Domestic flights for national carrier Garuda began operating in the morning from Soekarno-Hatta airport’s steel and glass $560 million Terminal 3. Its international flights will shift to the new terminal next month.

    Other airlines will gradually move their flights to the terminal and the airport company plans to start refurbishing two old terminals, built in 1984 and 1992, later this year.

    Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 250 million people, is one of world’s fastest growing air travel markets.

    But many international airlines bypass the capital Jakarta in favor of modern, high-capacity airports at Bangkok, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur for their Southeast Asian stopovers.

    The airport operator and government hopes the new terminal, and a third runway that is under development, will change that.

    Budi Karya Sumadi, Indonesia’s transport minister and former president of the airport company, said “this terminal was built to change the image of the capital Jakarta.”

    Soekarno-Hatta airport will be able to handle 62 million passengers a year once the renovated terminals are fully operational again in early 2018. The airport handled about 54 million passengers last year, making it the 18th busiest in the world, according to Airports Council International.

    An electric train from the airport to the city is slated for completion in early 2017.

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  • Indosat Ooredoo, Fortumo bring direct carrier billing to Indonesia

    Indosat Ooredoo, Fortumo bring direct carrier billing to Indonesia

    Indosat Ooredoo has partnered with mobile payments platform provider Fortumo to launch direct carrier billing in Indonesia.

    The partnership is expected to enable the Indonesian mobile operator’s 69.8 million subscribers make online payments by charging purchases to their mobile account, without the need to use a credit card.

    “This strategic collaboration with Fortumo will bring more benefits to Indosat Ooredoo customers and allow transactions at a wider network of merchants,” said Prashant Gokarn, chief of new business and innovation at Indosat Ooredoo. “We look forward to continuing to provide innovation that brings more value to our customers as part of our goal to become a leading digital telco.”

    Fortumo’s direct carrier billing platform is used by leading app stores (Google Play, Windows Phone Store), digital media companies (Sony, HOOQ, Gaana) and gaming companies (EA Mobile, Gameloft, Kinguin, Rovio).

    To enable global carrier billing for these merchants, Fortumo has partnered with more than 350 mobile operators across the world.

    “Connecting with Fortumo gives mobile operators immediate access to additional revenue from all the segments of the digital industry,” said Siddharth Sahi, VP of business development and carrier relations at Fortumo.

    The two companies cite data which show that there are over 65 million smartphone owners in Indonesia, but less than 5 million people have access to credit cards.

    They said this meant that a majority of the digital population cannot make online payments. As a consequence, digital merchants lose out on revenue from a majority of the population. Carrier billing resolves this problem by allowing any mobile phone owner (both prepaid and postpaid) to make payments through Fortumo.

  • 24 boats partcipating in Sail Indonesia arrive in Alor

    24 boats partcipating in Sail Indonesia arrive in Alor

    Twenty four boats of Sail Indonesia participants arrived in Alor, East Nusa Tenggara on Thursday afternoon, and will travel to a number of destinations in Alor District.

    “The Board of Alor District government and the community welcomed the Sail Indonesia participants today,” Secretary of the Department of Tourism and Creative Economy of Alor District, Adifa Yunus, told Antara before the opening of the 10th Alor Expo in Kalabahi on Tuesday.

    He said tens of participants from various countries will attend the 10th Alor Expo and undertake some cultural tourism Alor District for several days.

    “Sail Indonesia participants, who will be in Alor till August 13, will visit various tourist destinations which have natural beauty and a rich culture. They will also see some marine tourism in Pantar Strait,” he added.

    Rosemarie from Berlin, Germany, one of the participants who has been following Sail Indonesia from Darwin, Australia, observed that it was her first visit and she was deeply fascinated with the nature and culture of Alor.

    “I came for the first time with my husband on a Salmon boat from Kupang. Now I have arrived in Alor to follow the Alor Expo,” she told Antara before the opening of the 10th Alor Expo.

    During her stay in Alor, Rosemarie with her husband and other colleagues participating in the sailing event, will visit various tourist destinations in Alor and will especially try snorkeling in the Pantar Strait.

    “I have been hearing a lot from the people and the media about the underwater natural beauty of Alor and wanted to undertake snorkeling before heading off to any other place,” she informed.

    Rosemarie gushed that she was amazed with the local culture, and termed it a unique and exotic wealth.

    “This is a valuable opportunity I have got in life. Ever since I first came to Alor, I have witnessed firsthand the cultural and natural wealth that a traveler can find here,” she remarked.

    After a visit to various tourist destinations in Alor, she proceeded to Labuan Bajo, as did her other colleagues in the Sail Indonesia, to see the unique species of Komodo, called one of the wonders of the world.

    Sail Indonesia participants aboard 42 boats are currently visiting various tourist destinations in East Nusa Tenggara after they moved out of the city of Kupang. While 24 participant sail boats came to Alor, other participants are visiting various tourist destinations such as Labuan Bajo Flores, Wini in Pulau Timor and Sumba.

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  • Fortumo brings direct carrier billing to Indonesia

    Fortumo brings direct carrier billing to Indonesia

    Fortumo and Indonesia’s leading digital telco, Indosat Ooredoo, today announced the launch of direct carrier billing. The partnership will enable 69.8 million Indosat Ooredoo subscribers to make online payments by charging purchases to their mobile account without the need to use a credit card.

    “We are pleased to build this strategic collaboration with Fortumo, one that will bring more benefits to Indosat Ooredoo customers and allow transactions at a wider network of merchants. We look forward to continuing to provide innovation that brings more value to our customers as part of our goal to become a leading digital telco,” said Prashant Gokarn, chief of new business and innovation at Indosat Ooredoo.

    Fortumo’s direct carrier billing platform is used by leading app stores (Google Play, Windows Phone Store), digital media companies (Sony, HOOQ, Gaana) and gaming companies (EA Mobile, Gameloft, Kinguin, Rovio). To enable global carrier billing for these merchants, Fortumo has partnered with more than 350 mobile operators across the world.

    “Connecting with Fortumo gives mobile operators immediate access to additional revenue from all the segments of the digital industry. We are excited to partner with Indosat Ooredoo on carrier billing and look forward to growing revenue from carrier billing, the payment method with the widest coverage in Indonesia,” said Siddharth Sahi, vice president of business development and carrier relations at Fortumo.

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  • AirAsia Stops Bandung-Pekanbaru Route

    AirAsia Stops Bandung-Pekanbaru Route

    AirAsia Indonesia has stopped its Bandung-Pekanbaru flight route starting on August 1, 2016, as a part of a network reconstruction effort.

    The official information has been conveyed to all the affected passengers via email.

    As the compensation, the company has informed the customers who have booked tickets for the route after July 30, that they can select one of the options offered by AirAsia as follows:

    1. Reschedule to Bandung-Pekanbaru (roundtrip) departing before August 1, 2016, without additional charges and subject to seat availability.

    2. Credit shell deposit in AirAsia worth the paid ticket/product price that can be used to purchase ticket or other AirAsia products. Credit shell is valid for six months (180 days) since the issuance date.

    3. Full refund worth of ticket/product that have been paid, in accordance with the payment mechanism.

    For further information and assistance, customers can contact: AirAsia Indonesia call center at 0804 1 333/ +6221 2927 0999, online form at www.airasia.com/id/en/e-form.page, AirAsia live chat (available via Ask AirAsia), and AirAsia Customer Service Center available in the airport.

    Passengers are advised to always update their email address and active mobile phone number (included with the country code) on their membership profile on AirAsia website to receive the latest information on flights.

  • Alodokter closes $2.5m round led by Golden Gate Ventures

    Alodokter closes $2.5m round led by Golden Gate Ventures

    Jakarta-based health information portal Alodokter has closed a $2.5 million Series A round led by Golden Gate Ventures. The Series A investment also saw participation from existing investors 500 Startups and entrepreneur Lim Dershing.

    All three are returning investors, having participated in its seed round in April 2015. Daniel Stan, former VP of Lazada Indonesia and head of its online marketing department, has been recruited to lead its international expansion.

    Founded by CEO Nathaniel Faibis in April 2014, Alodokter plans to use the proceeds from the investment to expand its business operations across Southeast Asia. Its current business model sees it generate revenue from premium advertising due to its work with health-related brands.

    “We see a strong trend among patients in South-East Asian towards digital health. They are looking more and more for health information online before and after going to the doctor and also for prevention purposes. We firmly believe that providing reliable and easy-to-understand health information helps families take better decisions about their health,” Fabias said.

    Alodokter released a mobile app in March 2016, to complement a news portal discussing healthcare and wellness matters. The mobile app allows users to connect with and discuss their medical issues with a general practitioner (GP), reportedly combining artificial intelligence (AI) with real-time doctor-patient interaction.

    It claims that its news portal has grown from one million to eight million unique monthly visitors since closing its seed investment.

    Elaborating on their competitive edge, Faibis explained the focus on reliable health information being “in the DNA of the company” and a main focus contributing to its brand strength and credibility as a platform.

  • Bank Mandiri to grow Malaysian operations

    Bank Mandiri to grow Malaysian operations

    PT Bank Mandiri Tbk, Indonesia’s largest bank by assets, could soon operate here with full banking rights.

    The move comes after financial authorities from Indonesia and Malaysia signed a bilateral agreement earlier this week, allowing greater access to lenders from both countries to fully operate in the respective jurisdictions.

    Bank Mandiri would pay RM100mil (US$24.6mil) to Malaysia’s central bank as soon as possible and meet the capital requirement of RM300mil by the end of this year so that it could operate soon after the permit is issued by Bank Negara.

    Bank Mandiri currently operates in Malaysia under the licence of remittance office. It has five remittance offices in the country that focus on revenue generated from Indonesians working here.

    Papers in Jakarta reported that the bank planned to immediately apply for a full licence in Malaysia, following the bilateral agreement.

    To recap, the Malaysian authorities had issued a commercial banking licence to five foreign banks, including Bank Mandiri, in 2009-2010 in line with the country’s liberalisation of the financial services sector. Apart form Bank Mandiri, the other recipients were Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp of Japan, National Bank of Abu Dhabi and BNP Paribas SA, France, and Mizuho Corporate Bank.

    However, Bank Mandiri’s expansion into the Malaysian market had met with little success because the requirements for the full banking status set by Bank Negara were “too restrictive”, reports had indicated. It was previously quoted as saying that Bank Negara had not responded to its requests for a degree of leeway.

    Foreign banks, under Bank Negara’s funding guidelines, must have a minimum capital, unimpaired by losses, of RM300mil.

    Based on earlier Indonesian news reports, Bank Mandiri was adamant that the amount be lowered to RM100mil.

    The reports also stated that Bank Mandiri was not too happy with the other conditions set by Bank Negara, which included the number of branches and automated teller machines allowed to be opened by foreign banks.

    A main complaint among Bank Mandiri and other Indonesian lenders wanting to open their branches in Malaysia is the “inequality of access” in the two markets. The Indonesian Government had been demanding Malaysia reciprocate the banking freedom its banks enjoy in Indonesia.

    Two Malaysian banks that had established a significant presence in Indonesia are CIMB Group Holdings Bhd and Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank).

    CIMB Group owns 97.9% of PT Bank CIMB Niaga Tbk, which is Indonesia’s fifth-largest bank by assets. Maybank, meanwhile, operates in Indonesia via 80%-owned PT Bank Maybank Indonesia Tbk.

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  • Indonesian growth beats forecasts

    Indonesian growth beats forecasts

    Indonesia’s second-quarter economic growth beat analysts’ expectations amid President Joko Widodo’s efforts to spur an economy struggling in the wake of a slowdown in China and low commodity prices.

    Gross domestic product increased 5.18 per cent from a year earlier, compared with a revised 4.91 per cent in the first three months, the statistics bureau said in Jakarta on Friday. That exceeded the 5 per cent median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of 24 economists.

    Widodo, known as Jokowi, oversaw a 36 per cent surge in government spending from the previous quarter as he seeks to lift growth from the slowest level since 2009. The president has embarked on an ambitious infrastructure program and launched a tax amnesty aimed at luring back billions of dollars of undeclared income back to Indonesia. The central bank has cut its benchmark rate by a percentage point this year in an attempt to revive lending.

    “The outlook for Indonesia’s economy has improved in recent months, raising hopes that the economy could be on the cusp of a sustained recovery,” said Gareth Leather, senior Asia economist at Capital Economics Ltd. in London. “In particular, the passage of a number of reforms including steps to open up more industries to foreign investment as well as tax incentives to encourage more labour-intensive industries to set up in Indonesia has helped boost sentiment.”

    Market reaction

    The Jakarta Composite Index extended gains after the figures were released, rising 1 per cent as of 9:57am in the city. The rupiah strengthened 0.1 per cent to 13,120 a dollar, according to prices from local banks. Indonesian sovereign bonds advanced, pushing the 10-year yield down two basis points to 6.89 per cent, Inter Dealer Market Association prices show.

    While the data exceeded economists’ expectations and the outlook has improved, the result still remained “considerably below” the 5.8 per cent average over the past decade, said Leather.

    On a quarterly basis, the economy grew 4.02 per cent from the previous three months.

    Government spending rose 6.28 per cent from a year earlier, while exports declined 2.73 per cent. Investment was up 5.06 per cent year-on-year while household consumption, which makes up more than half of the economy, rose 5.04 per cent.

    “They can really pause now for a while to see what impact of the fiscal decisions as well as the cuts they’ve announced so far are having,” said Charu Chanana, an economist with Forecast Pte Ltd. in Singapore “I think this buys them some time to hold on for now but easing still remains on the table.”

    The second quarter growth figures come after the central bank left rates on hold in July despite saying there was room for further easing if needed.

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  • Lion Air Pilots to Sue Management

    Lion Air Pilots to Sue Management

    Labor Union-Pilot Association of Lion Group (Serikat Pekerja Asosiasi Pilot Lion Air / SPAPLG) is planning to file a lawsuit against the management Indonesia’s low-cost airline Lion Air.

    SPAPLG Chief Eki Adriansjah said the move is made following the alleged union busting by the company’s management.

    “We will file a lawsuit against the management because of the union busting it has committed,” Eki said in Jakarta on Sunday (7/8).

    It is planned that lawsuit will be filed to the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Deparment on Tuesday next week, Eki said.

    He added that management also violates Law Number 21 of 2000 on Labor Union and said that SP-APLG had been formally registered at Tangerang Manpower Agency with the registration number 558.4/2529-HI/2016.

    Lion Air, however, does not recogzine the Union.

    On Wednesday (3/8), Lion Air President Director Edward Sirait annouced that the company does not recogzine the union labor within the company.

    Edward also said the pilots who claimed to become members of the union are ‘troublesome pilots who often make mistakes’.  Edward even called those pilots ‘swindlers’.

    The use of the company’s name without permits, he added, is an act of ‘forgery and fraud’.

    “They often violate regulations of the management; they don’t work according the schedules and they are now undergoing a training,” Edward said.

    Eki further said that the management’s rejection to the union has caused anxiety and surprises among the pilots.

    According to him, the establishment of a labor union does not need an approval from the company’s management but only needs a written notification to Lion Air management.

    “We sent a written notification to Lion Air management on a letter dated June 3, 2016,” he said.

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  • Indosat Ooredoo launches m-payment for retailers

    Indosat Ooredoo launches m-payment for retailers

    Indonesia’s Indosat Ooredoo has launched a new mobile payment service for retailers, in collaboration with GoSwift International and banking chain BNI.

    The new D-Pay service will allow merchants to use their exsting mobile devices as multifunctional payment platforms, accepting payments based on Visa, MasterCard or JCB credit and debit cards, as well as eWallet services.

    D-Pay services for retailers come bundled with data, voice and SMS allocations from the operator.

    “D-Pay is the latest product from our Mobile Financial Business,” Indosat Ooredoo chief of new business and innovation officer Prashat Gokarn said.

    “In addition to our current products – electronic wallet, bill payments, eCommerce payments, domestic and international money transfer and branchless banking, D-Pay will help reduce cash collection and logistics costs for our eCommerce partners, which will in turn benefit customers with lower prices and assured deliveries.”

    He said the service is tailored for e-commerce companies, as well as SME retailers in need of alternative payment methods but unable to easily afford standard banking solutions, by allowing merchants who do not have access to traditional point of sale services to still accept card payments.

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  • Is Nike golf equipment journey ending?

    Is Nike golf equipment journey ending?

    Nike is phasing out its golf equipment business to focus on shoes and apparel.

    The company has announced it is accelerating its footwear and apparel business and will transition out of Nike golf equipment range – including clubs, balls and bags.

    “We’re committed to being the undisputed leader in golf footwear and apparel,” says Trevor Edwards, president, Nike Brand. “We will achieve this by investing in performance innovation for athletes and delivering sustainable profitable growth for Nike Golf.”

    The global giant said it will continue to partner with more of the world’s best golfers as part of its changed golfing segment strategy.

    “Athletes like Tiger, Rory and Michelle drive tremendous energy for the game and inspire consumers worldwide,” says Daric Ashford, president of Nike Golf.nike golf

    “Over the past year the MM Fly Blade Polo, the Flyknit Chukka and Air Zoom 90 have all connected strongly with golfers. We’ll continue to ignite excitement with our athletes and deliver the best of Nike for the game.”

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  • ‘Wonderful Indonesia’ campaign boosts tourism industry

    ‘Wonderful Indonesia’ campaign boosts tourism industry

    The government’s efforts to promote tourism in the archipelago with its Wonderful Indonesia campaign have had a positive impact, the president director of tour and travel company Panorama Sentrawisata said on Tuesday.

    Budi Tirtawisata said that in the first six months of this year, his company booked a 19 percent increase in gross revenue to Rp 2.38 trillion, from Rp 1.99 trillion in the same period last year, as more foreigners were drawn to Indonesia.

    “The government’s free visa policy is also contributing to growth in the tourism sector,” Budi told reporters at a press conference in Jakarta.

    Budi was upbeat the company’s business volume would increase, and possibly double, in the second half of 2016, compared to the first half, because more tourism activities were expected to take place in the period.

    “The peak season for tourist visits to Indonesia is during the summer, which occurs in the second half of the year,” Budi said, adding that more tourists would also visit the country during the Christmas holidays in December.

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  • Indonesia capital’s airport to open new terminal next week

    Indonesia capital’s airport to open new terminal next week

    Air passenger numbers are soaring in Indonesia, the world’s biggest archipelago nation, as a growing middle class increasingly chooses to fly but ageing infrastructure is struggling to keep up.

    The main airport serving the Indonesian capital Jakarta will next week open a new terminal to ease the burden on the country’s busiest aviation hub, the airport operator said Wednesday.

    The $380 million terminal at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, which will start operations at about midnight Monday, will have a capacity of 25 million passengers a year once fully operational, said state-owned airport operator Angkasa Pura II.

    The other terminals are currently handling a total of about 60 million passengers a year, way over their capacity.

    The new Terminal 3 will start off handling only flights operated by Indonesian flag carrier Garuda, and it is hoped it will be fully operational by March next year.

    “This will be the biggest terminal in Indonesia,” Angkasa Pura II chief executive Djoko Murjatmodjo told AFP.

    It will eventually be connected to central Jakarta, about 30 kilometres (18 miles) away, by a rail link. There is currently no rail line between the airport and city centre, leaving passengers facing monster traffic jams to get into Jakarta at busy times.

    The terminal’s opening has been delayed for more than a month after the government ordered alterations following the discovery that an important part of the airport was not visible from the air traffic control tower.

    As well as ageing infrastructure, the Indonesian aviation sector also faces problems with safety and has suffered a string of deadly crashes in recent years.

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  • Korean Government to Develop ‘Bojeong-dong Café Street’ in Indonesia

    Korean Government to Develop ‘Bojeong-dong Café Street’ in Indonesia

    The Small and Medium Business Administration (SMBA) announced its plans on August 3 to develop a small business K-town in Indonesia modeled after “Bojeong-dong Café Street” as a means of supporting the small business’ overseas expansion.

    The café street developed spontaneously from the mid 2000’s in the Bojeong-dong café street. Currently, total 126 stores are operating in the area of 22,000 ㎡, and small theme streets are developed in every eight alleys.

    Additionally, the SMBA announced its policy to co-operate K-culture and other by developing “small business K-town” in the peripheral region of Jakarta, around at the end of year 2018,

    For the policy, the SMBA proceeded a field investigation with Small Business Association, International Council for Small Business (ICBS Korea), Small Enterprise and Market Service (SEMAS), etc., and the Indonesian Government also has expressed a will to support the project.

    Joo Young-sup, administrator of the SMBA said, “The ultimate goal is to produce 1,000 successful similar cases until year 2020 by pushing ahead of the small business’ overseas expansion policy.”

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