Indonesia Morning News For January 30

Govt Opens Opportunity to Raise Non-Subsidized Electricity Tariffs
The government, through the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, said that the non-subsidized electricity tariffs may go up according to the adjustment formulation that will be arranged.
— Netral News

Gov’t: 168 Million SIM Cards Registered
The government revealed that as of Saturday, January 27, about 168 million people had re-registered their mobile phone SIM cards.
— Tempo

Bank Indonesia considers issuing digital rupiah
Despite Bank Indonesia (BI) prohibiting the use of digital currencies like Bitcoin as a payment instrument, the central bank is considering issuing a cryptocurrency or digital rupiah.
— The Jakarta Post

Google says invests in Indonesian ride-hailing firm Go-Jek
Google has invested in Indonesian ride-hailing firm Go-Jek, as part of its strategy to support and participate in the growth of Indonesia’s internet economy, Caesar Sengupta, a vice president at Google said in a company blog.
— Business Recorder

Indonesian’s LGBT community under threat as government sets sights on making gay sex illegal
It’s shaping as a bleak 2018 for Indonesia’s gay and transgender people.
— ABC (video)

Southeast Asia’s top drugmaker sets its sights on consumer market
A glimpse of the future of health care that Kalbe Farma, Indonesia’s largest pharmaceutical company, envisions can be seen in shopping malls, rather than hospitals.
— Nikkei Asian Review

Arla to boost South East Asia presence through Indonesian joint-venture
Arla Foods expects to expand its position in South East Asia through a joint-venture with one of Indonesia’s leading dairy players.
— Foods Navigator

Indonesia making progress on 35,000 MW program
Of the government’s 35,000 megawatts (MW) program, power plants with a combined capacity of 1,358 megawatts were in operation as of Jan. 15, Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry spokesman Agung Pribadi said in a statement on Sunday.
— The Jakarta Post

Indonesia Records Foreign Capital Inflows of $3.5b in January
Bank Indonesia recorded foreign capital inflows of Rp 46 trillion ($3.5 billion) between Jan. 1 and Jan. 26, a 170 percent increase from the same period last year.
— JakartaGlobe

Widodo cements Muslim credentials during South Asia tour
Indonesian President Joko Widodo has made a bid to become a leader of the Muslim world on his six-day tour of South Asia, as he sheds his inward-looking foreign policy ahead of elections later this year and next.
— Nikkei Asian Review

Japan’s SMFG seeks to merge local unit with Indonesian lender BTPN
Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMFG), which is eyeing raising its stake to a majority in Indonesian lender BTPN, has proposed to merge its subsidiary in the Southeast Asian nation with the mid-sized bank.
— DealStreetAsia

A Guide to Navigating the 2018 Risk Landscape in Indonesia
The Indonesian economy presents a stable outlook, but the political landscape of the country paints a bleaker picture.
— The Diplomat

Bangladesh Signs Deal With Indonesia for LNG Imports
Bangladesh signed an agreement with Indonesia on Sunday (29/01) to open talks on imports of liquefied natural gas, as the South Asian country turns to the supercooled fuel to fill a shortfall of domestic natural gas.
— JakartaGlobe

Don’t Ruin World With Protectionism, Indonesia Urges U.S.
The United States needs to resist protectionist trade measures that could “ruin the world” and destroy progress made in reducing global poverty, Indonesia’s finance minister said on Monday.
— U.S. News

House Warns Freeport Divestment Will Be Complicated
Member of Commission VII of the House of Representatives, Kurtubi said the development of PT Freeport Indonesia (PT FI) divestment process becomes complicated despite the fact that in August 2017, an agreement with Freeport has been reached that Indonesia will get 51 percent of the company’s shares.
— Netral News

Indonesia is lifting quota restrictions on Pakistani kinnows
Last Friday, Indonesia’s commerce minister announced the lifting of quota restrictions on kinnow imports from Pakistan.
— Fresh Plaza

Reed Panorama Exhibitions Launch Security, Safety & Facility Management Expo Indonesia
Hundreds of Distinguished Brands and Business Players Showcasing Various New Products, Services and Technology devices in Security System in Indonesia to Offer Solutions for all the Problems and Challenges of the Security System in Indonesia
— AsiaOne

Feature photo Ilya Yakubovich

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Indonesia morning news by AEC News Today is your one stop source for Indonesia news on matters of governance and policies affecting Asean business communities and is published M-F by AEC News Today: Governance, not government; policies not politics.