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Tag: Indonesia

  • Grab launches e-money service GrabPay Credits

    Grab launches e-money service GrabPay Credits

    Ride-hailing app operator Grab has expanded into the e-money business in Southeast Asia.

    Singapore-based Grab this week unveiled a cashless mobile payment service called GrabPay Credits, which lets consumers store cash credits on its smartphone app.

    Singapore and Indonesia will be the initial test markets before the concept is rolled out in Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines where Grabn operates its ride hailing app.

    Users will be able to top up their accounts at convenience stores or using ATMs by partner banks.

    “Working with local banks, payment providers and merchants, Grab is building one of the region’s largest cashless payment solutions for people with limited access to the banking system,” said Tan Hooi Ling, co-founder of the startup.

    GrabPay considers the move into finance as a natural extension of its ride-hailing service, making it easier and safer for customers to pay for rides and eliminating cash.

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  • German carmaker BMW launches Indonesian-made sedans in luxury push

    German carmaker BMW launches Indonesian-made sedans in luxury push

    German automaker BMW on Wednesday launched its 7 series sedans in Indonesia that will be assembled in the country as it seeks to tap into the long-term demand for luxury vehicles in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy.

    Other luxury car companies such as Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz are also increasingly shifting part of their production to the country of 250 million people to reduce costs and distribute their vehicles more quickly to consumers.

    “We are very positive about the future of Indonesia and therefore we also see an increased potential in the luxury market,” Axel Pannes, managing director of BMW Group Asia, told Reuters on the sidelines of a media launch in Jakarta.

    The German company has invested more than 210 billion rupiah ($15.5 million) over the last five years to assemble a greater number of car models in Indonesia, the 7 series being the latest addition to its local line-up.

    The group sold a total of 3,638 vehicles in Indonesia last year, up 5.7 percent from a year earlier. BMW executives declined to give sales projections for this year or for 2017.

    Global carmakers would benefit from lower import tariffs for certain components if they were to set up local assembly plants, said Jongkie Sugiarto, co-chairman of the Association of Indonesia Automotive Industries.

    The move would also be positive for Indonesia as it brings investment into the country and generates employment, he added.

    The Indonesian government is offering incentives for foreign companies to build cars domestically, said I Gusti Putu Suryawirawan, director-general for metal, machines, transport equipments and electronics at the industry ministry.

    “The aim is for them to produce here and therefore involve local suppliers,” Suryawirawan said, adding that the automotive sector was a key sector for Indonesia’s economic growth.

    Gross domestic product is expected to grow 5 percent this year and up to 5.4 percent in 2017, according to the central bank’s latest estimate.

    The premium car market should be supported next year by the government’s economic stimulus and the roll-out of infrastructure projects, said Kariyanto Hardjosoemarto, a sales operation and product management executive at Mercedes-Benz in Indonesia.

    Indonesia’s tax amnesty scheme, launched in July, may also help to boost luxury car sales as those who were previously concerned by being chased by the tax office would now be less hesitant about making such purchases, Hardjosoemarto added.

  • Alfamart Philippines plans 120 stores

    Alfamart Philippines plans 120 stores

    Alfamart Philippines is set for major expansion with funding secured for as many as 120 new stores.

    Alfamart Philippines is set for major expansion with funding secured for as many as 120 new convenience stores.

    Minority parent company Sumber Alfaria Trijaya already operates 44 stores in the Philippines in a joint venture with SM Retail, through its local subsidiary Alfamart Retail Asia. That company has secured local financing to fund the expansion, which will cost an estimated US$3.8 million.

    The Philippine roll-out is part of  a broader expansion plan for Sumber Alfaria Trijaya which will open 1200 stores in Indonesia this year. Currently, it has 10,086 stores in its home market, including 2958 which are franchised.

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  • Indonesia Island Connectivity Plan

    Indonesia Island Connectivity Plan

    The Indonesian government has invited 33 companies from Norway and Denmark to explore business opportunities as part of plans to enhance inter-island connectivity by upgrading infrastructure and constructing 24 seaports and deep sea ports.

    Both Norway and Denmark are eager to invest in Indonesia’s rapidly growing market, with the Indonesian government proposing investment in its business-to-business and business-to-government schemes focusing on port maritime industry sectors such as management and security.

    Denmark and Norway’s fisheries, shipping, offshore energy and maritime equipment and services make the countries ideal partners, according to Susi Pudjiastuti, Indonesia’s Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister.

    Danish energy firm Danfoss A/S, ship maker Odense Maritime Technology, Norwegian shipping company Wilh Wilhelmsen ASA and technology systems and solutions enterprise Kongsberg Digital were among the companies visiting Jakarta.

    According to Stig Traavik, Norwegian Ambassador to Indonesia, Nordic countries will be able to advise Indonesia on technological matters due to the country’s development of energy efficient ships.

    Traavik said: “We have produced ships running on natural gas instead of diesel, basically it’s like a mini power plant in the ship [able to] reduce the consumption of gas by 20% compared to modern ships that use diesel fuel.”

    Indonesia has faced high operational costs from its ports due to facilities being located hundreds of kilometres apart and operated by different ministries in the country. Rini Soemarno , Indonesia’s State-Owned Enterprises Minister, visited Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden in September to approach the countries for partnerships in energy and fishery sectors.

    Casper Klynge, Danish Ambassador to Indonesia, said: “Denmark is a very small country, but in the maritime area, Denmark and Norway are global superpowers. Every 15 minutes, somewhere around the world, a Danish-operated ship leaves a port.”

    Klynge highlighted that Denmark transports 10% of the world’s goods despite accounting for 0.1% of the global population.

    “Every 15 minutes, somewhere around the world, a Danish-operated ship leaves a port,” he added.

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  • Garuda opens Surabaya-Madinah flight route

    Garuda opens Surabaya-Madinah flight route

    Garuda Indonesia opened the Surabaya-Madina flight route on Tuesday as part of its efforts to expand its flight network in the Middle East.

    The national flag carrier will serve the flight route on Tuesdays using an Airbus A330-300 with a seating capacity of 360, all of them economic class, Garuda Cargo Director Sigit Muhartono said in a written statement released on Tuesday.

    “As the flag carrier of the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, Garuda Indonesia will always try to facilitate Muslims wishing to perform religious services in the Holy Land. With the new flight route inaugurated today, we hope the people of East Java and surrounding areas will find it easy and comfortable to travel to the Saudi main cities of Jeddah and Madinah by direct flight,” he added.

    The Surabaya-Madinah flight route will accommodate not only people who want to travel to the Holy Land for umroh (minor hajj) but also businessmen, tourists and migrant Indonesian workers.

    “With the Surabaya-Madina flight route, Garuda Indonesia offers umroh pilgrims an alternative flight route that enables them to opt to depart from Surabaya to Madina and return to Surabaya from Jeddah,” he explained.

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  • Bank Mandiri Partners with LINE for E-transactions

    Bank Mandiri Partners with LINE for E-transactions

    State-owned lender Bank Mandiri has joined hands with chat app operator LINE Indonesia to integrate its Mandiri e-cash product with LINE pay service. The partnership is aimed at facilitating LINE users in carrying out electronic transactions.

    “E-cash transfer can now be done as easy as sending a text in chat app LINE,” Director for Banking & Technology Bank Mandiri Rico U. Frans said in a written statement on Monday.

    Rico claimed that the service can be enjoyed by both Mandiri customers and non-customers. For Mandiri e-case users, the service can be accessed by integrating their Mandiri e-cash number with LINE Pay. Whereas those who do not have Mandiri e-cash, may create an account in LINE Pay menu.

    “The collaboration is based on shared market target, i.e. youth with digital lifestyle,” he said. LINE Pay e-cash would enable Bank Mandiri to provide easy service to over 90 million LINE users in Indonesia.

    Meanwhile, LINE Indonesia Managing Director Ongki Kurniawan said that the cooperation will help develop financial technology and a cashless society. As well as to help unbanked users to be able to carry out transactions.

    LINE Pay e-cash, Ongki said, is the easiest way to open a bank account. People can download LINE app in Google Play Store and Apple Store and register their phone number in LINE Pay e-cash account to do bank transactions.

    “It can be used to buy phone credit, electricity tokens, bank transfers, as well as online and offline shopping as easy as chatting on LINE,” he said.

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  • President calls for serious effort to attract 10 million Chinese tourists

    President calls for serious effort to attract 10 million Chinese tourists

    President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has called for a serious effort to attract at least 10 million Chinese tourists to visit Indonesia per year.

    “Some 150 million Chinese citizens travel abroad every year. Most of them travel to the US and Europe. I want some 10 million Chinese tourists to visit Indonesia,” he said at a function to familiarize the public with the second phase of tax amnesty program here on Friday night.

    The president said he has signed an agreement with the Chinese government related to Chinese tourists visit to Indonesia.

    “The agreement has been in place. We only prepare flights from China to Indonesia. If the flights are already there, the target of attracting 20 million tourists can be achieved in 2019,” he said.

    The government is developing 10 key tourist destinations expected to attract more tourists, he said.

    “The target of tourist arrivals two years ago was 9 million. We want to increase the target to 20 million in 2019 by all available means including improving our positioning, diversifying products, and building brands,” he said.

    To achieve the target, the government continued to carry out tourism promotion in major cities abroad, he said.

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  • Rupiah continues to fall to Rp13,529 per dollar on Friday evening

    Rupiah continues to fall to Rp13,529 per dollar on Friday evening

    The Indonesian rupiah fell 20 points to close at Rp13,529 per dollar in the Jakarta interbank spot market on Friday evening, compared to the previous close of Rp13,509 per dollar.

    “The US dollar continued its rally against the majority of the main global currencies, including rupiah, along with investors optimism about the looming Fed rate hike in December 2016,” chief researcher Ariston Tjjendra of Monex Investindo Futures said here on Friday.

    The US dollars appreciation was also supported by US president-elect Donald Trumps plan to raise fiscal budget and slash taxes to boost economic growth and curb inflation rate.

    “The faster-than-expected US economic growth will lead to an increase in the inflation rate, which may encourage the Fed to tighten its monetary policy in 2017,” he stated.

    Under these circumstances, funds parked abroad in developing nations will move to the US, which will automatically cause the dollar to appreciate against other currencies, he noted.

    On the other hand, the prices of global crude which dropped this weekend also influenced commodity currencies, including rupiah.

    On Friday evening, WTI Crude fell by 0.88 percent to US$47.54 per barrel, while Brent Crude dropped 1.18 percent to touch US$48.42 per barrel.

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  • Fashion reseller Banananina joins e-commerce race

    Fashion reseller Banananina joins e-commerce race

    Jakarta branded fashion reseller Banananina has moved into eCommerce in a bid to reach potential customers outside the Indonesian capital.

    The company, which launched in 2009 through now-defunct eCommerce site Multiply, offers apparel, bags, shoes, accessories and beauty products. Its new website will also offer men’s products for the first time.

    Founder Fitri Maya Safira says the new sales channel is expected to grow daily transactions from 30 to 70 items.

    Banananina claims its luxury goods all have original guarantees as they come from licensed suppliers. Online buyers will be given a return guarantee, particularly for shoes.

    Fitri says her company’s customers live as far apart as Aceh, Bandung,  Biak, Jayapura, Makassar, Surabaya and Timika.

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  • Singapore Airlines to cut 5 weekly flights to Jakarta

    Singapore Airlines to cut 5 weekly flights to Jakarta

    Singapore Airlines will cut five weekly flights to Jakarta, from Dec 1, as directed by the Indonesian civil aviation authorities, the airline said.

    SIA which has been operating 63 flights a week to and from Jakarta has been told to cut five flights a week due to runway maintenance works at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

    The five affected flights are SQ962 and SQ963 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

    SIA apologised to customers for the inconvenience and said it will progressively contact those affected to accommodate them on other flights.

    Responding to media queries, a Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) spokesman said the authority is aware of SIA’s plans.

    “CAAS hopes that the runway maintenance works will be completed expeditiously and that the impact on airlines will be fairly distributed,” she said.

    CAAS also hopes that the Indonesian civil aviation authorities will be able to allow Singapore Airlines to resume all 63 weekly services to Jakarta as soon as possible to reduce the impact on business travelers and tourists, who rely heavily on air services to travel between Singapore and Jakarta.

    The latest development comes several weeks after SIA said it had had to postpone plans for a thrice-weekly Singapore-Jakarta-Sydney service, which had been due to start on Nov 23.

    The Indonesian authorities had also cited runway maintenance works as the reason for withdrawing approval for the route.

  • Facebook Is Next on Indonesia Tax List as Google Deal Nears

    Facebook Is Next on Indonesia Tax List as Google Deal Nears

    Indonesia is eyeing Facebook as its next target in a government tax crackdown as it nears a settlement with Google Inc. Facebook, which counts more than 88 million Indonesians among its users, owes about 2 trillion rupiah ($148 million) to 3 trillion rupiah in unpaid taxes and penalties, Muhammad Haniv, head of the special taxpayers office at the Finance Ministry’s Tax Directorate-General, said on Wednesday in Jakarta. The office has sent a letter to the company in Ireland, calling for a meeting to discuss the issue and seek information on the company’s business interests in Indonesia, he said.

    Yunita Purnamasari, an external spokeswoman for Facebook in Jakarta, said Thursday she couldn’t comment at this stage on the tax demand. Apple, which is also being targeted by the tax office along with Twitter and Yahoo!, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

    Indonesia’s government is seeking to boost revenue as it tries to keep the budget deficit below the legal limit of 3 percent. Authorities have turned to Instagram Inc. stars and merchants peddling goods and services on social media to bridge a revenue shortfall as an ambitious tax amnesty program loses steam after earning the government 97.1 trillion rupiah in the first three months of its start in July.

    Indonesia’s government plans to drop claims on any unpaid taxes and penalties it has sought from Google if a settlement is arrived through negotiations, Haniv said. The settlement with Google, the largest unit of Alphabet Inc., may come as early as next week and the government will focus on ensuring the company pays all future taxes, he said. The company owes about 5 trillion rupiah in taxes and penalties, he said.

    Taj Meadows, Google’s head of policy communications for Asia Pacific, declined to comment on Wednesday and referred to an earlier statement that said the company had paid all applicable taxes and will continue to fully cooperate with the Indonesian government.

    Indonesian tax officials have visited Google’s office in central Jakarta several times in recent months. The government had earlier sent Google a warning letter for refusing a tax audit that can result in criminal punishment, Haniv said in September.

  • Indonesia, Netherlands to strengthen economic ties

    Indonesia, Netherlands to strengthen economic ties

    Indonesia and the Netherlands have pledged to strengthen economic cooperation in the future, boosted by a number of new business deals inked by the two governments and businesses.

    The partnership will involve various areas including agriculture and infrastructure development as stated during the three-day visit by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, which concluded on Wednesday.

    Rutte underlined Indonesia’s role as Netherlands’ strategic partner, saying that both countries had a lot to offer in the economic field, especially owing to the former’s status as Southeast Asia’s biggest economy.

    “Indonesia plays a big role in the region. It is one of the central players in ASEAN and Indonesia’s leadership in this region is highly valued,” Rutte said in a limited press briefing. “The country will contribute to maintaining stability in the world, particularly in this region.”

    The importance of the two countries’ economic ties is highlighted by an already robust bilateral trade, which amounted to €3.2 billion (US$3.4 billion) last year, according to figures released by the prime minister. Netherlands is now the main market for Indonesian exports to Europe.

    Dutch businesses invested a total of $1.3 billion in 2015, down 24.4 percent from 2014, in 421 projects, according to data from the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM).

    During his visit, Rutte led a Dutch delegation comprising ministers, including Infrastructure and Environment Minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen, business leaders from 110 companies, educational institutions and NGOs.

    Rutte’s second state visit to the former Dutch colony in three years followed a similar visit by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to the Netherlands in April.

    The delegates signed 38 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and letters of intent (LoIs) covering economic and non-economic issues, such as water management, flood protection, climate change and health care, with their Indonesian counterparts, further intensifying ties between the two countries.

    On the occasion, Rutte also said the Netherlands was keen to enhance its bilateral relationship as business prospects in Indonesia had improved due to extensive reforms, particularly on the ease of doing business.

    “[Dutch] businesspeople find it is increasingly easier to do business here. But still, there is more room for improvement,” he said, adding that the 14 economic reform packages issued by Jokowi’s administration would boost the business climate, although they still depended on implementation.

    Indonesia climbed 15 places to 91st on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index for 2017 as its deregulation moves have attracted the attention of global investors.

    The Netherlands has reasserted its commitment to helping Indonesia develop its infrastructure, particularly in port construction and the National Capital Integrated Coastal Development (NCICD), popularly known as the Giant Seawall.

    Another major interest for the Dutch delegation is seaport management, according to Rutte. This follows an agreement signed last year by Indonesia’s state-owned port operator Pelindo I and the Port of Rotterdam Authority to develop a nationally strategic port at Kuala Tanjung, North Sumatra.

  • Indonesia Considers Importing Cows from Mexico

    Indonesia Considers Importing Cows from Mexico

    Indonesia is considering to import cows from Mexico and negotiations are now underway for that, an agriculture ministry official disclosed on Wednesday.

    “Private parties and a local government were currently in the process of negotiations,” Syukur Iwantoro, an expert staff on innovation and technology under the ministry, said after attending a calf harvest event.

    Regarding permit for import of up to 400,000 heads of cows, he admitted that private parties would be given full authority for this purpose and negotiations were on with partners in Mexico.

    Iwantoro noted that the government would ensure that cows to be imported from Mexico are free of foot and mouth disease.

    “So far, the government has been in touch with a number of countries, including Australia, in connection with beef supply,” he disclosed.

    He recalled that the government has put in place several alternatives to prevent escalation of beef prices in various regions in the country.

    “Price of beef in different regions in Indonesia varies from Rp85,000 to more than Rp100,000 per kilogram,” he pointed out.

    The imported cows were to be distributed in Jakarta and surrounding areas.

    “The country is now importing almost 700,000 heads of cows. So far, most of the cows are being imported from Australia,” he stated.

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  • BRI Launches JCB Platinum Credit Card for Travelers

    BRI Launches JCB Platinum Credit Card for Travelers

    PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk. (BRI) and PT JCB International Indonesia, a subsidiary of JCB International Co., Ltd., the international operations subsidiary of JCB Co., Ltd. (collectively “JCB”), today announced the launch of the BRI JCB Platinum Credit Card in the BRI JCB Indonesia Open 2016. The card will be ready in the market in the next spring 2017.

    Bank BRI is a leading bank in Indonesia with an extended network of more than 10,000 outlets and more than 100,000 e-Channel outlets. JCB brand cards are currently issued in 21 countries and territories with 95 million cardmembers around the globe. BRI has cooperated with JCB for JCB card acceptance at BRI merchants with BRI EDC machines since April 2016. The launch of this new product is the next step of the partnership.

    BRI JCB Platinum Credit Card is a strategic complement to the BRI product line for the consumer segment, especially as a credit card product to tap the traveler segment.

    BRI JCB Platinum Cardmembers can enjoy special features such as:

    1. Double BRI points at all merchants such as restaurants, airlines, golf courses and car rental.

    2. Triple BRI points for transactions overseas.

    3. 0% installment conversion for all transactions overseas for the first 12 months.

    BRI points earned by BRI JCB Platinum Cardmembers can be converted into airline miles, exemptions of card annual fees and a variety of other exciting promos.

    “We are optimistic about issuing 50,000 cards from early Q1 2017 until Q4 2017,” said Sis Apik, Managing Director of BRI.

    “BRI believes that this JCB brand credit card will grab the travel segment, increase the BRI number of cards and card usage for travel, for both domestic and overseas destinations,” he added.

    To give extra convenience to BRI JCB Platinum Cardmembers who travel abroad, JCB provides a variety of features that support travel needs such as free access to 28 airport lounges in Japan, 26 lounges in China, 2 lounges in Korea, and 1 lounge each in Singapore, Thailand, and Hong Kong.

    Besides that JCB provides JCB Plaza Lounge in several world-class business and travel destinations: Tokyo, Paris, Honolulu, Hong Kong, Guam, and Singapore. Last but not the least JCB also provides free wifi hotspot access and discounts at many selected merchants in Japan.

    “JCB is very excited and proud to have a partnership with BRI for the issuance of BRI JCB Platinum Credit Card that means JCB market share expansion in the premium credit card segment in Indonesia. Our strategy to tap the premium segment has resulted in 60% growth in the number of JCB cards in the market since 2014,” said Koichiro Wada, Director PT. JCB International Indonesia.

    “As you may know traveling overseas is increasing year on year especially to Asian countries, therefore we are confident that the BRI JCB Platinum Credit Card with special features for travelers will be very interesting for Indonesians who love to travel, and increase the cashless society in Indonesia,” he added.

    The uniqueness of the BRI JCB Platinum Credit Card is not only the card features, there is also the card design of the Nuri Irian bird which is an exotic bird from the jungle of Papua, East of Indonesia. It expertly mimics diverse sounds and has charming feathers, ranging from blue, red, and green that dominate the whole body as well as black on the head, back and neck.

    In addition to beauty, the Nuri Irian bird also illustrates openness and freedom as the species loves being outdoors and singing beautifully. This is in line with the purpose of the BRI JCB Platinum Credit Card issuance for the traveler as well as the spirit of BRI and JCB to always develop and present new products and give the best service to their customers.

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  • Promotion, collaboration sought to boost tea exports

    Promotion, collaboration sought to boost tea exports

    The government should give more attention to Indonesia’s tea industry by intensifying promotional efforts and strengthening collaboration among ministries to reverse the trend of declining exports that started a few years ago, a public policy expert suggests.

    “The Trade Ministry, for example, can collaborate with Pak Arief Yahya [the tourism minister]. So while traveling overseas, they could promote Indonesian teas,” University of Indonesia’s public policy lecturer Riant Nugroho said on Monday.

    The declining tea exports, which was partly caused by there being limited land for tea plantations, could also be solved through better coordination with the Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Ministry, he added.

    “Talk to them and find out ways so they won’t use all the available area to build [the planned] Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway, for example,” he said, referring to the megaproject designed to better connect Jakarta and the capital of West Java, Indonesia’s largest tea-producing region.

    Ranked as the seventh largest tea producer in the world, Indonesia’s tea exports dropped to 62,700 tons last year from 92,000 in 2009, with the value going down to US$128 million from $171 million in the same period.

    Only 6 percent of the 62,700 tons exported last year comprised value-added processed tea.

    “Tea production in the country still faces a lot of challenges, such as the limited area for plantations, outdated machinery and low tea prices at the farm level,” said the Trade Ministry’s director general for foreign trade, Dody Edward.

    Among the largest of Indonesia’s tea export destinations are Russia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Australia and Germany.

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