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Tag: Indonesia

  • Direct flight links MSAR to Manado, Indonesia

    Direct flight links MSAR to Manado, Indonesia

    Some 205 Chinese travellers took off from Macau International Airport and arrived in Ratulangi International Airport, North Sulawesi, Indonesia by Lion Air’s Boeing 373 on Monday, reported Chinese News Agency. This represents the opening of the direct link between the SAR and Manado, a city on an Indonesian island.

    North Sulawesi Governor Olly Dondokambey expects that direct visits from a number of cities in China can be done regularly so that the Indonesian government’s target to increase tourist arrivals can be achieved.

    Lion Air is seeking to attract 30,000 Chinese tourists to Manado by year-end. “From now, we will have daily flights from six Chinese cities to Manado,” said Rusdi Kirana, Lion Group boss, and a member of the Presidential Advisory Board.
    The six cities are Macau, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Wuhan, Shanghai and Changsha. Rusdi said the six cities have huge market potential, large populations and high purchasing power.

    The Indonesian Government has expressed its target of attracting 1.2 million Chinese tourists to the country and North Sulawesi can be one of the main attractions, says its governor. “We believe North Sulawesi is a proper travel destination [for tourists] from Asia Pacific, particularly China with its huge market,” said the governor.

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  • Maybank Indonesia converts Indian operations to Intellectual Property branches

    Maybank Indonesia converts Indian operations to Intellectual Property branches

    Intellect Design Arena Limited, a specialist in applying true Digital Technologies across Banking, Financial Services & Insurance, announced that Bank Maybank Indonesia one of the largest banks in Indonesia has gone live with Intellect’s Integrated Treasury Management System(ITMS)-OneTreasury for their Indian operations.

    The centralized treasury management solution from Intellect’s Risk, Treasury and Markets (iRTM) division has enhanced operational efficiency across asset classes and enabled overseas branch to eliminate dependence on intensive manual operations. The entire process of solution deployment, User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and data migration was completed in a span of 7 months.

    The product implemented will play a key role in the bank’s treasury operations in India. This robust and functionally rich ITMS solution is compliant with the RBI regulations and integrates seamlessly with the Bank’s Core Banking System. The solution suite implemented will enable its Indian customers to trade across Fixed Income, Money Market and Foreign Exchange securities electronically and mitigate the risk associated with these trading activities. The flexible data upload facility aids decision makers to make insightful decisions on time by reducing manual intervention and minimizing errors. Bank’s need for a treasury solution which could be implemented in quick time frame for mobilizing operations was possible by Intellect’s Rapid Implementation Methodology which allows the bank to transfer and deliver a working system in a span of couple of months inclusive of go-live.

    Commenting on the successful go-live, Pravin Batra, CEO, India, Bank Maybank Indonesia said, “We are happy to have chosen the stable and functionally rich solution from Intellect to manage our treasury operations in India. This implementation has been smooth and has enabled us to meet India-specific regulatory needs in line with our business objectives.

    We are extremely delighted to see the outstanding team effort put forward by team Intellect during implementation. At Maybank we believe in providing superior customer experience, with a stable treasury system from Intellect we are confident of providing an unprecedented service and banking experience. We look forward to further strengthening the relationship
    between Maybank group and Intellect Design Arena going forward.”

    Venkatesh Srinivasan, Chief Executive Officer, Risk, Treasury & Capital Markets, Intellect Design Arena Limited said, “Bank Maybank Indonesia’s choice of Integrated Treasury Management System, Intellect OneTREASURY, to power their foreign branch operations is yet another testimony to the superior functionality of our solution and our leadership in the country’s treasury management space. The cost effective OneTREASURY solution meets the Indian regulatory requirements which will enable the bank to achieve its business objectives and improve its competitiveness in the international marketplace.”

    The advanced scalable OneTREASURY solution enhances productivity and enables centralized decision making for the bank. Customers of the Indian branch will now have access to a user-friendly treasury system which centralizes operations and provides operational efficiency through complete automation and seamless integration of treasury functions.

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  • More stake for Matahari Putra Prima in MatahariMall.com

    More stake for Matahari Putra Prima in MatahariMall.com

    Matahari Putra Prima (MPPA) has doubled its stake in online Indonesian retailer MatahariMall.com.

    The multi-format retailer, which operates Hypermart, Smartclub, Foodmart, Boston and FMX chains, says it has [aid cash for an additional 5 per cent share in the fast-growing eCommerce business.

    “With the acquisition, MPPA hopes to benefit from wider access to eCommerce as its  development will remain strong this year,” MPPA said in a statement. “The company views eCommerce in Indonesia as an enormous market and will continue to grow. The investment and partnership with MatahariMall.com is a new opportunity to foster O2O eCommerce

    components that encourage sales [growth] in the future.”

    MPPA said the  relationship will improve MPPA’s position as the leading multi-format modern retailer in Indonesia, as well as contribute to a sound financial outlook going forward.

    Matahari Mall body

    New Foodmart Primo

    In other news, MPPA has opened its second upper scale supermarket format, Foodmart Primo at Lippo Mall Kuta, Bali.

    The opening of Foodmart Primo in Bali is based on the company’s studies on the upward trend of customers’ shopping behavior in the island. The store has a gross selling area of about 1510 sqm and provides a wide selection of high quality of imported and local products.

    Director of Foodmart operations, Dave Rao, says due to the nature of the location the store will cater more to tourists than residents, so the stock mix will be slightly different from a typical Foodmart Primo.

    “We have additional categories like handicrafts, souvenirs, aromatherapy, travel accessories, beach accessories, and more, specially targeted at holiday-makers. But our main feature remains the restaurant which is a ready-to-eat area offering pizzas, roasts, pastas, traditional food, fresh juices, sandwiches, salads and a boutique bakery.”

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  • Zalora Scholarship is now open

    Zalora Scholarship is now open

    Asian eCommerce company, Zalora, has relaunched its scholarship program, now on its second year.

    The theme for the Zalora Scholarship this year is “Function Vs Fashion: How the Two Coexist in (Major) Trends Over the Decades”.

    The online retailing company says the fashion-meets-function trend is growing rapidly now, more than ever as wearables flood the market. One prime example is the activewear industry as fitness wear becomes more than just clothes for working out.

    The Zalora Scholarship will award six tertiary students from the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong and, for the first time, Taiwan, with a grant and internship at Zalora offices.

    Applicants may submit their entry in the form of an essay or infographic. Winning entries will be selected based on creativity, innovation and relevance to the theme as well as analytical skills and academic results.

    Michele Ferrario, CEO of Zalora Group said: “As Asia’s online fashion retailer, we’re dedicated to continuously recognise and support the most promising talents in the region who desire for a career in fashion. We believe this will not only help develop and groom the future leaders of this industry but also contribute to the growth of eCommerce in Asia.”

    Zalora welcomes applicants from all tertiary institutions that fall under Zalora Partner Institutions in Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Taiwan. One student from each of these countries will be offered a scholarship.

    Applications will close at 11:59 PM (GMT) on July 31.

  • Tokopedia deal lets online shoppers pay in store

    Tokopedia deal lets online shoppers pay in store

    Indonesian online platform Tokopedia has signed an agreement with retailer Alfamart allowing online shoppers to pay at their nearest convenience store branch.

    Customers do not need a special account to complete a transaction in an Alfamart store.

    “The payment will be automatically verified and the order will pass directly to the seller,” says Tokopedia VP Melissa Siska Juminto.

    “The partnership will benefit not only customers but also sellers as order processing will be faster and will boost the seller’s reputation.”

    Tokopedia has previously partnered with several other retailers such as 7-Eleven and Indomaret, and also launched the Mitra Toppers program that helps merchants access capital loans.

    Tokopedia raised US$147 million in April, bringing its total disclosed funding to $247 million, the largest so far in Indonesia.

    It now has more than 7.5 million transactions a month, with a 10-20 per cent monthly growth rate. About 69 per cent of users access the company’s site using mobile phones.

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  • Watson Indonesia launches expansion plan

    Watson Indonesia launches expansion plan

    Watson Indonesia plans to open up to 20 new stores this year.

    Duta Intidaya, the local Watson’s rights-holder since 2006, will use about 65 per cent of the US$6.49 million raised in its recent IPO to fund the new stores, with the balance of the cash going to repay bank debt.

    While there are more than 100 Watson stores in Singapore and more than 400 in the  Philippines, the brand is under-represented in Indonesia, where to date just 47 have opened.

    Duta Intidaya says the new stores will open predominantly in shopping malls, with one high street store planned for tourist resort Bali. Three new stores have already started trading in Jakarta this year.

    Hong Kong-based AS Watson is keen to see the brand catch up its rivals by store network numbers: Century has more than 200 stores and rival Hong Kong chain Guardian has more than 100.

    “We are still small, so we need more funds to expand and the IPO is the most proper decision at this time. We want to build a stronger brand,” Duta Intidaya director Sukarnen Suwanto told a press conference.

    Duta Intidaya plans to continue growing at a rate of 15 to 20 stores annually, and will launch online in 2017.

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  • Ford’s exit from Indonesia upsets its dealers

    Ford’s exit from Indonesia upsets its dealers

    Ford’s dealers in Indonesia are now seeking to recoup their losses after the automaker said earlier this year it would close all operations in the country.

    Ford has been struggling to gain market share and to make some reasonable profits in Indonesia since its entrance in the market in 2002. Recent years have been especially challenging, as the country’s new car market started to be affected by the overall economic slowdown. At the beginning of the year, the Detroit-based automaker said it decided to exit from all segments of business, including closing dealerships and stopping sales and imports of Ford and Lincoln vehicles. The company made a similar decision for Japan as well.

    Reuters reports that dealers are now looking to get around 75 million dollars in compensation, looking to take their demands to court if they are not reaching an agreement with the automaker. They are claiming they made considerable investment in their businesses to support an expansion plan that Ford announced in 2011, but which never came. When it announced the shutdown back in January, Ford said it would start talks with its dealers to implement its exit plan later in the year.

    The automaker has a staff of 35 and sells its cars through 44 franchised dealerships in Indonesia, while last year it delivered around 6,000 vehicles, taking a 0.6 percent share of the total new car market. General Motors also decided to close its production operations at a local plant in Indonesia in 2015, ceasing output of locally manufactured GM-branded autos, forced by the intense competition from the Japanese brands, such as Toyota and Honda.

  • BlackBerry finds partner in Indonesia’s Emtek

    BlackBerry finds partner in Indonesia’s Emtek

    An Indonesian media conglomerate on Monday announced a partnership with BlackBerry in which it will help the Canadian company bring more functionality to its BBM messaging app.

    Elang Mahkota Teknologi, known as the Emtek Group, owns two national TV stations, online news portals and production houses. It also has invested in numerous startups. The partnership will enable Emtek to bring these properties’ content to BBM users, as well as develop new BBM applications and services through a licensing agreement. The content maker will pay BlackBerry an estimated $207 million in licensing fees over six years through a Singapore subsidiary.

    “We wanted to continue to offer our users even more with the most content-rich media and new services such as e-commerce, video, music and games,” said John Chen, BlackBerry’s executive chairman and CEO.

    The deal follows a trend in which messaging apps are morphing into platforms that offer a range of services. BBM has 60 million monthly active users in Indonesia, more than anywhere else in the world. Currently, the app has about 90 million monthly active users around the world.

    KMK Online, an Emtek digital content maker, will set up an office in Toronto so it can work closely with BlackBerry.

    Emtek has been stepping up efforts to generate revenue from its content via online platforms. In 2015, the company consolidated its production and distribution divisions. Earlier this year, it invested in Malaysia-based online video streaming service iFlix, which later launched services in Indonesia.

    “We see significant opportunity to grow the consumer BBM business globally and are excited to invest in research and development to further advance BBM,” Emtek CEO Alvin Sariaatmadja said in a press release.

    BlackBerry’s handset business has found itself left behind in the smartphone age and is now trying to focus on software.

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  • DBS Indonesia to boost wealth management services

    DBS Indonesia to boost wealth management services

    Private lender Bank DBS Indonesia, a subsidiary of Singapore-based DBS Group Holdings, is seeking up to 38 percent growth in its consumer business revenue this year, primarily driven by the bank’s move to expand its wealth management services.

    DBS Indonesia’s consumer banking group director Wawan Salum said on Monday that wealth management had contributed 48 percent to the bank’s consumer banking revenue.

    “Indonesia, China and India are top priority markets for DBS,” he said in Jakarta.

    Wawan said the bank’s wealth management revenue was also boosted by the growing number of priority customers who had individual savings of more than Rp 500 million ( US$37,979 ).

    He further explained that DBS Indonesia was eyeing a 30 percent growth in its priority customers this year. To reach the target, he said, the bank would expand its digital product lines to respond to customer needs.

    Wawan said DBS Indonesia would also increase the relationship management skills of its officers so they could be more effective in their interactions with customers. “We will also use big data to understand the behaviors and needs of our customers,” he said.

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  • Watson to open more stores in Indonesia

    Watson to open more stores in Indonesia

    Watson Indonesia’s debut on the Indonesian Stock Exchange (IDX) has marked a new chapter in the company’s expansion journey to a wider market base.

    Duta Intidaya, the sole franchisee of Hong Kong-based personal care retail chain AS Watsons Group, made the decision to go public to finance its aggressive expansion plans to match Watson’s operations in neighboring countries.

    There are more than 100 Watson stores in Singapore and over 400 in the Philippines, but only 47 in
    Indonesia, even though the latter is the largest economy in Southeast Asia.

    The company plans to open 15 to 20 Watson stores this year, using 65 percent of the proceeds from its initial public offering (IPO), which stood at Rp 86.05 billion (US$6.49 million). The remaining 35 percent of the IPO funds will be used to repay the firm’s debt to lender HSBC.

    The new stores will be located in big city malls and at a stand-alone store in Bali. Each store takes roughly Rp 1 billion to set up. Three new outlets have been set up in Jakarta as of now.

    They are expected to boost Watson’s presence and help the company compete with other personal care retail chains, like local Pharos Group’s Century Healthcare and Hero Group’s Guardian. Century has over 200 stores right now, while Guardian has more than 100 stores.

    “We are still small, so we need more funds to expand and the IPO is the most proper decision at this time. We want to build a stronger brand,” Duta Intidaya director Sukarnen Suwanto said in a press conference.

    The company offers various beauty products, personal care and health and general merchandise products, of which less than 10 percent are imported.

    He acknowledged that growth had been slow in the past. It opened its first store in 2006, but only started to expand aggressively in 2013 and 2014 with around 30 stores opening up during the period. At present, it has set up as many as 47 stores in Java.

    Duta Intidaya took three years to prepare for the IPO by opening more stores, which eventually increased costs for rent, staff recruitment and store renovations.

    The rising costs led the firm to suffer Rp 35 billion in net losses last year, even though its revenues grew 17.7 percent to Rp 192 billion from 2014. The growth rate in revenue was higher than the 18 percent rate the retail industry posted, according to marketing research firm Nielsen.

    “We believe we will get payback from the investments. The retail industry is more like a marathon than a sprint. The more stores opened up, the more growth reaped in the long run,” Sukarnen said.

    He refused to provide details on its bottom line target, but added that it eyed 20 percent growth in revenues this year.

    In the long run, the company hopes to open up 15 to 20 stores every year and launch an online shop in early 2017. Online sales of its products are currently only available through the webmarket Lazada. Developments in the online market are expected to generate at least half of total sales by 2020.

    Meanwhile, Duta Intidaya’s shares ended at Rp 189 apiece on Tuesday, 5 percent higher than the IPO price of Rp 180 per share. It reached a peak of Rp 213 per share within the first hour of trading.

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  • Sriwijaya Air to serve regular flights to four cities in China

    Sriwijaya Air to serve regular flights to four cities in China

    Sriwijaya Air will be serving regular flights to four cities in China by the end of 2016, Senior Manager, Corporate Communications of the Sriwijaya Air Group, Agus, said here on Tuesday.

    Flights will operate along Denpasar-Hangzhou, Denpasar-Nanjing, Denpasar-Wuhan and Denpasar-Changsa routes, he added.

    The flights will be using Boeing 737-800NG and each aircraft will have a capacity of 185 seats. These flights will be once a day.

    “The new flights are part of the efforts to attract more foreign tourists to Indonesia,” Agus noted.

    As per him, every year, about 500 thousand tourists come from China to Indonesia using this airline.

    “Sriwijaya has the highest number of flights to China, compared to other air carriers,” Agus informed.

    He underlined that in July 2016, Sriwijaya will operate two units of Boeing 737-800NG to serve flights to China and several domestic destinations such as Sampit and Muara Bungo.

    In addition to open flights to China, Sriwijaya Air will also serve an international flight to the Middle East. It will fly to Jeddah.

    “This is a new market for Sriwijaya Air. We are sure that the demand is high, especially for umrah (Minor Hajj) trip,” Agus noted.

    He pointed out that the flight to Jeddah will start by the end of 2017.

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  • Itron Smart Payment Solution Selected to Improve Nationwide Electrification in Indonesia

    Itron Smart Payment Solution Selected to Improve Nationwide Electrification in Indonesia

    Itron, a world-leading technology and services company dedicated to the resourceful use of energy and water, announced today that PT Mecoindo, a joint venture between Itron and a local partner, signed a contract with PT PLN (Persero), a state-owned utility company in Jakarta, Indonesia, to deploy 635,000 Itron smart payment meters. With this Itron solution, PT PLN will provide end-customers with a convenient, cost-effective way to prepay for electricity; thus improving electrification for Southeast Asia residents. Installation is expected to be complete by the end of 2016.

    Itron’s smart payment technology is designed to help utilities implement revenue protection measures as well as empower consumers to manage their electricity usage according to their budget and needs. Consumers have insight into how much money they have spent in a given period and how much they have left, reducing the likelihood of an untimely shut-off. In addition to these consumer-focused benefits, utility companies realize business value by simplifying utility customer service, lowering operational costs and reducing delinquent account risks, while improving cash flow.

    “We believe Itron’s products are the highest quality in the industry and the best fit for our electrification program,” said Septa Hamid, general manager of supply chain management at PT PLN (Persero). “Our goal is to provide convenient and affordable electricity services to more people in Indonesia, and with Itron’s smart payment solution, we are making that goal a reality.”

    “We are pleased Itron’s smart payment solution was selected by PT PLN. Itron’s technology will help PT PLN achieve its electrification goals and bring a greater understanding of energy use and costs for consumers,” said George Daenuwy, PT Mecoindo president director. “We look forward to contributing to this program, which truly demonstrates how we are helping utilities better manage resources for a more resourceful world.”

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  • Manulife Indonesia to spin off sharia business unit, increase market share

    Manulife Indonesia to spin off sharia business unit, increase market share

    Manulife Indonesia has submitted a proposal to the Financial Services Authority (OJK) to generate a bigger market share for its holding company by creating a spin-off of its sharia business unit, a company executive has said.

    “We have submitted the documents for the spin-off to the OJK,” Manulife Indonesia’s sharia unit head Yetty Rochyatini said in Jakarta.

    She said the Canada-based company was waiting for the OJK to complete a new regulation on sharia mutual funds, which would be released this year.

    Manulife’s sharia business unit recorded 31 percent growth year-on-year in its risk-based capital to 125 percent in the first quarter of 2016. The government has stipulated that all sharia insurance companies must have a minimum risk-based capital of 30 percent.

    Yetty said the company’s qard (benevolent sharia loan) funds amounted to Rp 240 billion (US$18.2 million), enough to meet the solvency level needed.

    According to the company’s unaudited financial report, the sharia business unit recorded Rp 25.2 billion of gross premium income in the first quarter of this year, an 84 percent increase year-on-year.

    “While waiting for the OJK to formulate the regulation, we continue to prepare ourselves by enlarging the business size and boosting sales,” Yetty said.

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  • 385.5 tons of beef illegally imported to Indonesia in 2016

    385.5 tons of beef illegally imported to Indonesia in 2016

    Indonesias Finance Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro said the surge in beef smuggling or illegal beef imports in 2016 have risen to 385.5 tons.

    “In 2015, Indonesia managed to prevent 23.4 tons (of beef being imported illegally). Until June 2016 we have foiled 385.5 tons of illegal beef imports attempts,” said Bambang here Thursday.

    Bambang said 21.8 tons of illegally imported beef had been given to the Coordinating Ministry of Peoples Empowerment and Culture before being distributed by the Ministry of Social Affairs among the needy.

    The Customs and Finance Ministry are also making efforts to monitor the goods entering Indonesia illegally.

    Besides giving away 21.8 tons of smuggled beef that is beyond the states quota, an auction for 163 tons of beef will also be held in the next two days.

    “We will hold an auction for smuggled beef found in seven containers, amounting to a total of 163 tons, which was imported from Australia and New Zealand on May 21, 2016,” Bambang said.

    Furthermore, the ministry is currently preparing for the auction and expects the meat to be distributed immediately after that.

    “We will ask the winning bidder to sell it at affordable prices to the public. Under the direction of the president the affordable price of beef is around Rp80.000,” he added.

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  • Paypal now available for iPay88 merchants

    Paypal now available for iPay88 merchants

    Malaysian online payment service iPay88 has entered a collaboration with online payment company PayPal to promote and support cross-border trade for iPay88 merchants.

    For small businesses in particular, cross-border eCommerce provides a chance to sell to the world, and iPay88 believes the collaboration will enable its merchants to leverage PayPal’s 184 million active accounts and presence in more than 200 markets.

    OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

    Executive director KL Chan says iPay88 has nearly 10,000 e-merchants, including SMEs and conglomerates, but there is also a large, untapped market of businesses and companies still considering moving into eCommerce. “This collaboration with PayPal is timely as it will help capture this market effectively by offering both online banking and credit-card payment options.”

    Merchants signing up for a PayPal account can now do so through iPay88. Approvals will be sent to merchants within three working days. Aside from the quick sign-up process, iPay88’s online merchants will also be able to benefit from PayPal’s multi-currency checkout.

    Chan estimates the collaboration will drive extra revenue for iPay88 in 12 months.

    “It has always been a challenge for businesses, especially small ones, to expand and sell overseas,” says PayPal Southeast Asia GM Rahul Shinghal. “PayPal is committed to helping them grow by leveraging the power of eCommerce, which gives them a level playing field when competing with larger export houses.”

    A subsidiary of NTT Data Corporation, iPay88 was set up in Kuala Lumpur in 2006 and has an established presence in Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam.

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