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Tag: Indonesia

  • Indonesia’s VisioNet enters cloud partnership with Epsilon

    Indonesia’s VisioNet enters cloud partnership with Epsilon

    PT VisioNet Data Internasional (VisioNet) has selected Epsilon to deliver its Direct Cloud Connect solution for its enterprise customers in Indonesia.

    Through the partnership, VisioNet’s Indonesian enterprise customers will benefit from on-demand access to leading cloud service providers (CSPs) with scalable, private, and secure cloud connectivity.

    Direct Cloud Connect is offered using Epsilon’s MEF-certified Ethernet service delivered in granular bandwidth ranging from 2Mbps up to 100Gbps. It is delivered via Epsilon’s Software-Defined Networking (SDN) platform, Infiny by Epsilon.

    This enables VisioNet to connect to multiple CSPs, including Alibaba Cloud, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, and a growing number of other options.

    “Indonesia has one of the most exciting cloud markets in South East Asia and has shown tremendous growth over the last five years. Our work with VisioNet will simplify and accelerate how Indonesia enterprises connect to the cloud and enable them to deploy hybrid cloud strategies easily,” said Jerzy Szlosarek, CEO at Epsilon.

    “We see exponential growth in digital services in Indonesia, and cloud demand is growing alongside eCommerce, fintech and digital content. We see an opportunity to seamlessly add Cloud Connectivity to expand our service offering and enable our customers to optimize how they connect to a variety of CSPs,” Miko Yanuar, CTO and CSMO of PT Visionet Data Internasional.

  • INDIGO cable system ready for use

    INDIGO cable system ready for use

    The new INDIGO subsea cable linking Singapore, Indonesia and Australia has completed commissioning and is ready for use.

    The INDIGO consortium – consisting of Google, Indonesia’s Indosat Ooredoo, Singtel, and Australia’s SubPartners and Telstra – are now able to leverage the new cable system to enable capacity increases on demand.

    The 9,200km INDIGO cable system can support a capacity of up to 36Tbps. It consists of the 4,600km INDIGO West cable between Singapore in Indonesia and Perth on the west coast of Australia with a branching unit to Jakarta, and the 4,600km INDIGO Central cable between Perth and Sydney on the east coast of Australia.

    INDIGO uses new spectrum sharing technology which will allow consortium members to each independently manage capacity on the cable.

    Alcatel Submarine Networks built the new cable system under an agreement reached with the consortium members in April 2017.

    “The development of the INDIGO cable system strengthens the link between our Australian network and the fast-growing South East Asian markets and will deliver our customers faster connectivity and dramatically improved reliability,” Telstra head of international Oliver Camplin-Warner said.

    Bandwidth demand between Asia and Australia is predicted to reach 75Tbps by 2025, TeleGeography predicts.

    “As South East Asia and Australia become increasingly interconnected, a high-speed and robust connectivity infrastructure plays a critical role in catalyzing the development of digital economies across the regions,” Singtel VP of carrier services Ooi Seng Keat said.

    “The completion of INDIGO will accelerate the roll-out of next-generation technologies that rely on low latency and high-bandwidth connectivity such as high-definition video, autonomous vehicles, Internet of Things and robotics applications.”

    As well as its domestic operations in Singapore, Singtel is the 100% owner of major Australian operator Optus.

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  • BukaGlobal boosts its regional expansion Growth

    BukaGlobal boosts its regional expansion Growth

    Indonesian e-commerce platform BukaGlobal has launched in Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

    Developed by Bukalapak, the platform will connect 4 million Indonesian sellers to the global market. At the moment, products sold on the site include health and beauty items, pantry lines and handicrafts from only qualified sellers in Jakarta and Tangerang. More sellers are set to join progressively.

    Customers in five countries can order products starting from 500gm with delivery time usually six to 11 days, depending on the destination.

    “We want to break down barriers that hinder young and small entrepreneurs from competing on a global playing field, primarily on access, infrastructure, and connectivity,” said Fajrin Rasyid, Bukalapak’s co-founder and president.

    “With BukaGlobal, Indonesian products are readily accessible by consumers anywhere in the world through a fast and reliable platform.”

    Fajrin said Bukalapak chose Singapore and the other four markets as there are many Indonesians there and the people in these countries understand Indonesian culture.

    The firm is working with Singapore startup Janio for end-to-end cross-border logistics.

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  • Indonesia’s Kimia Farma eyes Growth into Vietnam

    Indonesia’s Kimia Farma eyes Growth into Vietnam

    Indonesian state-owned pharmaceuticals firm Kimia Farma is considering expanding into Vietnam by acquiring a local company. The firm recently invested US$10.26 million in a Saudi Arabian firm, purchasing 60 percent of its shares and renaming it as Kimia Farma Dawaa.

    It is currently investigating Vietnamese regulations to discover whether or not it can own a majority stake in a local firm, a critical factor in securing its investment.

    “It depends on the regulation in the country,” said Kimia Farma finance director IGN Suharta Wijaya. “It the regulation is okay, we will enter the country this year.”

    “If the sales of each Kimia Farma outlet in the country is IDR1.5 billion ($104,877) per month, [the sales of an outlet of the Vietnamese company] could be IDR4 billion per month,” Wijaya added.

    Investment in the pharmaceutical industry is stepping up in Vietnam, with the announcement last week that Vietnam-focussed private equity firm Mekong Capital has issued funding to pharmacy chain Pharmacity.

    With 186 outlets retailing both traditional Vietnamese and Western medicines, Pharmacity is the country’s most widespread network of pharmaceutical products stores, with 1 million subscribers to its loyalty program. The firm is targeting 1000 outlets in Vietnam within two years.

    Reportedly, Kimia Farma is seeking to buy a chain with 400 outlets nationwide.

  • Indonesian Retail Sales Down Last Month

    Indonesian Retail Sales Down Last Month

    Indonesian retail sales grew by 10.1 percent in March following a 9.1 percent increase in February, according to central bank survey data.

    The strong March performance was underpinned by sales of apparel along with automotive parts and accessories.

    However, the bank’s survey predicted that Indonesian retail sales growth will rise by a more modest 5.7 percent in April, the same figure it projects for the full year.

  • Shopee, Tiki solidify positions as top e-commerce sites in traffic in Q1

    Shopee, Tiki solidify positions as top e-commerce sites in traffic in Q1

    Shopee and Tiki maintained their positions as the two leading sites in terms of traffic in Vietnam’s e-commerce sector in the first quarter of this year.

    According to the latest figures from the Map of E-Commerce released recently by iPrice Group – a meta-search website operating in seven countries across Southeast Asia, Shopee still held the dominant position in Q1 2019 with 40.7 million visits per month on average. Tiki followed with 35.6 million visits monthly.

    Lazada ranked third with 29 million visits, closely followed by thegioididong.com (28.8 million visits) and Sendo (25.3 million visits).

    Q1 2019 also saw several positive trends in the performance of local players, especially Tiki, Sendo, and Adayroi. iPrice’s latest data showed through the first quarter included the Tết (New New Year) holiday period, which is usually a tough time for e-commerce businesses in general, those three merchants still managed to maintain their good results from the previous quarters.

    Doing the best in this regard was Tiki. Similar to the previous quarter, the website continued to achieve over 35 million visits per month on average for Q1 2019, helping its web traffic grow at a rate of 23 percent per quarter on average since the second quarter of last year.

    Aside from Tiki, other notable local companies Sendo and Adayroi have been showing encouraging signs. According to iPrice’s Map of E-commerce, the two companies both have an average traffic growth rate of over 16 percent per quarter for the past four quarters.

    Sendo’s CEO Trần Hải Linh also confidently told IT website Tech in Asia recently that his company was on track to achieve US$1 billion in GMV (gross merchandise volume) much earlier than the previously projected target of 2020.

    This year would be an inflection point for the Vietnamese e-commerce market, Linh said, adding the market would grow much faster.

    “We will see sizable businesses becoming comparable to regional players [and] customers becoming more familiar with e-commerce,” Linh told.

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  • Texas Chicken Indonesia opens New Restaurant in Bandung

    Texas Chicken Indonesia opens New Restaurant in Bandung

    A Texas Chicken Indonesia franchisee will be among the first in the world to display the brand’s new look and feel.

    The company’s new ‘Blaze’ concept will make its debut in central Bandung, in a popular town-square style area known as Alun Alun Bandung. Quick Service Restaurant, an affiliate of the Texas Chicken franchisee in Malaysia, Envictus International Holdings Limited (EIH), will be the official franchisee for the new restaurant.

    “This has been an exciting opportunity to introduce a new audience to an ever-evolving brand like Texas Chicken which is known and respected for its quality and superior guest experience,” said Quick Service Restaurant’s country head Daniel Harris Ishak.

    The new Texas Chicken in Bandung is part of a much larger franchise development deal that will bring 80 Texas Chicken restaurants to Indonesia over the next 10 years – mainly in Jakarta, West Java, Banten, Lampung, South Sumatra, and Bengkulu provinces.

    The 150-seat restaurant, located on the first floor of The Kings Shopping Centre, will be the first in Indonesia to feature the new logo, new store design, and the latest international menu.

    “QSR is an extension of one of our most proven franchisees – which made them an excellent choice for piloting this new design,” said Texas Chicken’s executive VP of international business Tony Moralejo.

    “We look forward to bringing our quality food and authentic flavours to our guests in ways that are fresh and engaging.”

  • Honda BR-V Facelift Unveiled In Indonesia

    Honda BR-V Facelift Unveiled In Indonesia

    Honda has revealed the updated BR-V at the 2019 Indonesia International Motor Show. The BR-V has not been doing great in terms of sales in India. The company has been selling close to 500 cars on an average and a facelift might just help in lifting those sales figures. However, we don’t yet know if this facelift will make to India yet as there’s no confirmation from the company. The BR-V does look prettier than before and the revised front grille and even the new bumper add to the design of the car. It looks bolder and the chrome that’s spread around the fog lamps, and even the slat on the front grille, adds to the premiumness of the BR-V.

    There’s a trapezoidal air dam and a silver scuff plate too. From what we can see, the facelift of the BR-V gets projector headlamps with L-shaped daytime running lights. The company has also tweaked the rear bumper slightly, so the BR-V still has the muscles and the character lines make sure that the car still oozes that SUV-ness. The BR-V facelift also gets 16-inch dual tone alloy wheels.

    There aren’t many changes made to the cabin of the BR-V as it retains the all-black dashboard and the touchscreen infotainment system. While the car launched the Indonesia is a 1.5-litre petrol, the one available in India is a 1.5-litre diesel as also a 1.5-litre petrol. With the new regulations coming into the country, carmakers are making sure that the line-up it brings to the market will be sustainable as also will boost its sales in the market. We wait to see what the company retains for the Indian market

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  • Singtel signs cross-promotion deal with GOJEK

    Singtel signs cross-promotion deal with GOJEK

    Singtel has inked a new partnership with ride hailing company GOJEK aimed at cross-marketing their offerings and providing perks to users and drivers.

    Under the agreement, Singtel will offer GOJEK drivers who subscribe to its Combo mobile plans data-free usage while using GOJEK, as well as a 20% discount on their subscription costs and a complementary caller ID service.

    Meanwhile new and existing customers of Singtel’s digital focused GOMO plan will receive ride hailing credits worth S$5 ($3.67), and all Singtel customers will be offered other ride hailing perks.

    “With this partnership with GOJEK, we are taking our business and customer relationships to the next level, beyond just providing traditional carriage and connectivity,” Singtel CEO consumer Singapore Yuen Kuan Moon said.

    “While our customers have come to expect reliable and comprehensive mobile coverage from us, they are always looking for more value and this we can extend in the form of perks and privileges that come from mutually-beneficial partnerships.”

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  • Creditor Maybank Terminates Collaboration Deal

    Creditor Maybank Terminates Collaboration Deal

    Hyflux said that creditor Maybank was terminating its collaboration agreement with the troubled Singapore water infrastructure player with immediate effect due to its failure to reach a binding deal with a bidder or investor.

    This constitutes a breach which is incapable of remedy under the collaboration agreement,» the letter said, according to the Hyflux filing. In addition, Maybank has sent notices to Singapore water regulator PUB and the Energy Market Authority of Singapore, Hyflux said.

    «These notices are in respect of an enforcement event and acceleration of the maturity of all amounts owing under the Tuaspring financing documents,» Hyflux said in the filing. «Maybank has also stated its intention to appoint receivers and managers over the assets of Tuaspring save for the desalination plant and shared infrastructure.» Maybank’s loans to Hyflux were substantial: A CGS-CIMB research note from August said that the exposure was at S$658.6 million as of the end of the first half of last year.

    The Malaysian bank had agreed to hold off on enforcement action against Hyflux on the condition that the Singapore company would execute a deal with a successful bidder or investor which would fully settle with Maybank. A deal had appeared within reach and Maybank had provided Hyflux with multiple deadline extensions of their agreement.

    SM Investments, a consortium of the Salim Group and the Medco Group, had entered a binding agreement in October to invest S$530 million for a 60 percent stake in Hyflux, which had filed for court protection in May. Hyflux had said the oversupply of gas in Singapore’s market had resulted in depressed electricity prices, which hit earnings in 2017 and drove losses in the first quarter of 2018.

    But in early April, Hyflux terminated the deal, saying it had «no confidence» that SM Investments would complete the investment after the Indonesian consortium failed to provide a written commitment it would do so.

    The deal’s termination led to Singapore’s water regulator PUB rescinding its extension of the default cure period for the contractual obligations of Hyflux’s Tuaspring Desalination Plant. Last Wednesday, PUB issued a notice to Hyflux that it would terminate its water purchase agreement (WPA) and take over the plant.

    Maybank’s move was likely to mark another headache for Hyflux: «The termination of the collaboration agreement is expected to have a material impact on the financial performance of the group,» Hyflux said.

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  • XL Axiata upgrading fiber network for 5G era

    XL Axiata upgrading fiber network for 5G era

    Indonesia’s XL Axiata has engaged Infinera to modernize both its South Sumatra terrestrial network and its Singapore-to-Jakarta subsea network for the 5G era.

    Under the agreement, Infinera will provide its XTC platform for the South Sumatra terrestrial network and the  Jakarta-Bangka-Batam-Singapore (B2JS) cable.

    The XTC platform is powered by Infinera’s Infinite Capacity Engine solution, which is designed to provide scalable multi-terabit optical super-channel capacity for distances from metro to subsea.

    XL Axiata CTO Yessie Dianty Yosetya said this additional capacity will allow XL Axiata to prepare its network for the arrival of 5G in Indonesia.

    “As one of Southeast Asia’s largest economies, modernizing the network in Indonesia to ensure 5G-readiness is a priority,” she said.

    “Our partnership with Infinera and Lintas Teknologi has been critical to help us achieve this milestone. Further, the performance of Infinera’s ICE4 solution for this subsea and terrestrial network upgrade enables the delivery of cloud-scale capacity that is simple and operationally efficient, with the benefit of intelligent OTN switching that accelerates our ability to deliver services faster.”

    XL Axiata’s transport infrastructure spans over 45,000km of fiber, while its mobile services cover 94% of Indonesia’s population. The company is a subsidiary of Malaysia-based Axiata Group.

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  • Indonesian Fintech Launches First Debt Services in Malaysia

    Indonesian Fintech Launches First Debt Services in Malaysia

    A fintech specialized in solving debt problems of consumers and business owners has launched its services in Malaysia, a country whose total overdue consumer loans is second highest in Southeast Asia.

    Indonesian Fintech amalan International announced on Wednesday that it has started operations in Malaysia, expanding its footprints in Indonesia and Singapore. In Malaysia, the total balance of overdue or almost overdue consumer loans is estimated to be $15 billion, the second highest in Southeast Asia.

    «In many cases, amalan is able to reduce the outstanding balance and/or the monthly installments by 50 to 90 percent in Indonesia – this would be also our target for our Malaysian clients. We want to offer a fresh start to our clients so that they can build a better financial future,» says amalan’s founder and CEO, Arne Hartmann in a statement to the media.

    amalan says that its key differentiator lies in working for borrowers to find the best solution with their lenders. As a social enterprise, amalan does not ask for upfront fees and instead uses a success fee model where the borrower only needs to pay after a restructuring plan has been agreed. The amount of the success fee is based on the savings generated through the restructuring.

    So far, the fintech said it has restructured more than 1,000 loans with all major banks in Indonesia and saved its clients more than $800,000 in the process.

    For each borrower, a restructuring plan is generated that takes into account all of the borrower’s loans to then reduce the debt balance and the monthly installments to an affordable level. These debt management programs use proprietary data and technology to get the borrowers out of debt faster, paying less.

    amlan Indonesia was selected as one of the 30 best start-ups in MaGIC (Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Center), a business accelerator program of the Malaysian government.

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  • Ramadan an opportunity for E-Commerce Retailers

    Ramadan an opportunity for E-Commerce Retailers

    Online sales in Malaysia and Indonesia are set to boom in the lead up to – and during – Ramadan, according to an analysis by advertising platform Criteo. Based on data from last year’s festival – which ran from May 15 to June 14, consumer activity typically slowed at the start and end of the period.

    However, while this could be a result of consumers focusing more on the actual festivities during those times, online retail sales surged 10 days into Ramadan and lasted through the two weeks before Eid al-Fitr on 15 June.

    A 57 per cent uplift in online retail sales was observed on June 4, Criteo revealed.

    By comparison, shoppers in the Middle East typically shop early into the season and slow down closer to Eid al-Fitr to focus on celebrations. Online retail sales surged early, reaching a 106 per cent uplift on May 26. The shopping behaviour during Ramadan in Turkey mirrored that in Malaysia and Indonesia, with online retail sales reaching a peak at 50 per cent uplift a week before Eid al-Fitr.

    “Ramadan represents a notable cultural shift in consumer behaviour, with the Middle East and Southeast Asia being key regions,” said Criteo SEA-Pacific MD said Alban Villani. “Moreover, the global Islamic economy is also growing year-on-year, estimated to reach US$3 trillion by 2023.

    “Given the growth potential of the halal industry, retailers should leverage Ramadan to engage Muslim shoppers,” continued Villani. “They should start reaching out to shoppers early with the relevant messaging two weeks earlier, especially when shoppers are thinking of buying gifts for family and friends. As some shoppers might purchase later into the festive season, retailers should continue engaging them with special offers and personalised content throughout Ramadan to optimise their campaign efforts. By doing so, it is easier for retailers to stay top-of-mind when shoppers are ready to buy gifts to share the festive joy.”

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  • Singapore Fintech Firm Heading into Indonesia

    Singapore Fintech Firm Heading into Indonesia

    Following a successful Series B funding round, SME lending platform Validus Capital is launching in Indonesia. SME lending platform Validus Capital has launched in Indonesia, its first Southeast Asian market outside its home country of Singapore, the firm announced in a media release on Thursday.

    Launched in partnership with Indonesia’s Triputra Group under the name Batumbu, the financing platform connects domestic SMEs from sectors as diverse as food and beverage (F&B), services, engineering, to construction industries with accredited, institutional and high net worth investors.

    Leading the local management team is Sonny Christian Joseph, who has over 23 years in SME banking in Indonesia and was previously head of SME banking at Indonesian business bank BTPN.

    P2P lending platforms have gained popularity and have grown rapidly in Indonesia. In 2018, P2P lending platforms disbursed a total of US$1.4 billion (S$1.9 billion) in loans, representing a 681.25 per cent year-on-year growth, according to data from Indonesian financial services authority Otoritas Jasa Keuangan.

    «Our expansion into Indonesia serves as a significant milestone for us. Sharing our insights and applying key learnings from Singapore allows us to take a proven and sustainable business model and apply this to a larger market – a market where I have personally spent a few years helping SMEs to grow,» Ajit Raikar, Validus CEO and co-founder, said.

    Unlike traditional financing options and P2P lenders, Butumbu uses proprietary technology and credit scoring systems adapted and tailored to cater to the needs of SMEs in Indonesia. The firm said that  it will develop strategic partnerships with large corporations to ensure an extremely robust and scalable financing ecosystem.

    In February 2019 Validus recently raised US$15.2 million (S$20.5 million) in an oversubscribed Series B funding round led by Dutch public-private development bank FMO.

    Validus was founded in 2015 and is backed by the likes of Netherlands development bank FMO and Temasek Holdings’ Vertex Ventures. According to the company, it is Singapore’s largest peer-to-business lending platform, facilitating over US$147 million (S$200 million) in business financing to local SMEs in less than 18 months.

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  • Vietjet launches new service to Indonesia with Ho Chi Minh City-Bali route

    Vietjet launches new service to Indonesia with Ho Chi Minh City-Bali route

    New-age airline Vietjet is giving people more reason to travel with the announcement and addition of its newest international route connecting the biggest city of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City with Bali (Indonesia). The first and only airline to operate this service, the Ho Chi Minh City – Bali route will serve as a crucial link between the two cultural centers, meeting the increasing travel demands of locals and tourists as well as boost regional trade and integration.

    The Ho Chi Minh City – Bali route will operate five return flights per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays starting 29 May 2019. The flight duration is approximately four hours per leg. The flight will depart from Ho Chi Minh City at 08:05 and arrive in Bali at 13:05. The return flight takes off from Bali at 14:05 and lands in Ho Chi Minh City at 17:05 (All in local time).

    Vietjet Vice President Nguyen Thanh Son said: “Vietjet has the advantage of an ever-expanding flight network and professional aviation services; therefore, I believe not only does this new route create ease and increased opportunities for both locals and tourists to travel conveniently by safe, modern air transportation, it will also contribute to promoting tourism and economic integration in the region, all while introducing the beauty of Vietnam to the world.”

    Ticket sales for the new route are now open and available on all channels. Those hungry for promotional deals should be sure to check out Vietjet’s daily golden hour promotion which runs from 1.00pm to 3.00pm (Malaysian time) on the airline’s website.

    Vietjet operates its domestic and international routes with a dynamic and friendly flight crew, serving its passengers with fresh and hot meals, while its aircraft is equipped with comfortable leather seats with a technical reliability rate of 99.64% — the highest rate in the Asia Pacific region. As a fully-fledged member of International Air Transport Association (IATA), Vietjet has obtained the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certificate and has been awarded a 7-star ranking, the world’s highest rate for safety, by AirlineRatings.