Indonesia Morning News For May 1

Rp 185.3t invested in Indonesia in first quarter, up 11% yoy
The Indonesian Coordinating Investment Board (BKPM) says the country booked a total of Rp 185.3 trillion (US$13.32 billion) in investment from both domestic and overseas investors in the first quarter of 2018.
— The Jakarta Post

ExxonMobil to buy Indonesian lubricant firm Federal in $436 million deal
ExxonMobil (XOM.N) has agreed to acquire Indonesian motorcycle lubricant maker PT Federal Karyatama (FKT) in a $436 million transaction, FKT’s parent PT Mitra Pinasthika Mustika (MPMX.JK) said on Monday.
— Reuters

Indonesia president pledges no government intervention in monetary policy amid weak rupiah
Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo promised on Monday that the government will not intervene in monetary policy decisions by the central bank in response to a weakening rupiah currency.
— Channel NewsAsia

Indonesia offers to host historic Trump-Kim meeting
Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo on Monday offered to host a planned meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, while stressing that peace in the Korean peninsula is beneficial for all in the region.
— Nikkei Asian Review

Indonesian clampdown shows tackling illegal fishing could be best way to sustainable future
Tackling illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing could be more effective at creating a more sustainable industry than curtailing overall catches, according to a recently-published research paper that highlighted advances made in Indonesia.
— Food Navigator-Asia

Bank BJB Successfully Disburses Credit of IDR71 Tln in Q1 2018
In the first quarter of 2018, PT Bank Pembangunan Daerah Jawa Barat and Banten Tbk (IDX:BJBR) or bank bjb successfully disbursed loans up to IDR71 trillion, growing 13.2 percent YOY compared with the same period last year.
— Netral News

Foreign Direct Investment in Indonesia Rose 12.4% in Q1-2018
Total direct investment (foreign plus domestic investment) in Indonesia rose 11.8 percent year-on-year (y/y) to IDR 185.3 trillion in the first quarter of 2018, showing robust investor appetite and giving rise to optimism that Indonesia’s full-year direct investment target of IDR 765 trillion can be achieved.
— Indonesia Investments (media release)

Trade mission records $279.19 m potential in Dhaka
The Indonesian trade mission on Apr. 26-28 to Dhaka, Bangladesh, has recorded US$279.19 million in potential transactions, which includes train cars, automotive products, food and beverage products and spices.
— The Jakarta Post

INASGOC Earmarks Rp165 Bn for 2018 Asian Games Promotions
Indonesian Asian Games Organizing Committee (INASGOC) has earmarked Rp165 billion, or 2.5 percent from all the funds it has collected so far, to promote the 2018 Asian Games.
— Tempo.co

China still largest export market for Indonesia
Global consumer demand for such tropical fruits as mangosteen, bananas, and pineapples is strong.
— Fresh Plaza

Telkom Posts 4.3 Percent Revenue Growth to IDR32.3 Tln in Q1 2018
PT Telkom Indonesia (Persero) Tbk (IDX:TLKM) or Telkom gained revenue of IDR32.3 trillion in the first quarter of 2018, up 4.3 percent from the first quarter of last year.
— Netral News

Many more to fall in Indonesia’s e-KTP scam
With ex-House of Representatives speaker and Golkar party leader Setya Novanto headed to prison for 15 years, Indonesia’s Anti-Corruption Commission (KPK) is now turning its attention to the cast of other high-profile politicians and figures implicated in the country’s most blatant case of theft from the public purse.
— Asia Times

IFC may extend $320m loan to Indonesian power producer Bajradaya Sentranusa
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is considering a proposal to extend a loan of up to $320 million to Indonesia’s Bajradaya Sentranusa (BDSN), it said in a recent disclosure.
— Deal Street Asia

Semen Indonesia Pays out Dividend of IDR805.6 Bln
PT Semen Indonesia Tbk (IDX:SMGR) throughout 2017 earned a net profit of IDR2.01 trillion, of which around 40 percent or IDR805.68 billion will be allotted as dividends to be distributed to shareholders.
— Netral News

PTTEP Indonesia, CECT Collaborate on Efforts to Achieve SDGs
PTTEP Indonesia, the local unit of Thailand’s PTT Exploration and Production Public Company, kicked off a series of nationwide seminars in Jakarta last week, aiming to bring together the public and private sectors, including NGOs and academics, to establish concerted efforts to help the country achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
— Jakarta Globe

Workers urge govt to hike wages, improve employment conditions
Workers, activists and students are set to commemorate International Workers’ Day, also known as May Day, on Tuesday by staging a rally to call for higher minimum wages and better working conditions.
— The Jakarta Post

Indonesia financial industry able to withstand much weaker rupiah — regulators
Indonesia’s financial industry can withstand a stress test of the rupiah weakening to 20,000 to the dollar, worsening non-performing loan levels and rising interest rates, the chairman of the Financial Services Authority (OJK) said on Monday.
— The Edge Markets

Indofood Obtains Net Profit of IDR1,19 Trillion at End of March 2018
PT Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk (IDX:INDF) printed net sales of IDR17.63 trillion at the end of March 2018, down slightly by 1.1 percent over the previous period of IDR17.83 trillion.
— Netral News

Indonesia Could Become a Blockchain Hub But Needs More Education And Tech-Savvy First
Last week, I highlighted four industries poised for blockchain disruption in Indonesia.
— Forbes

Radical groups infiltrating varsities across Indonesia
Up to 39 per cent of undergraduates in Indonesia have been indoctrinated with some form of radicalism, with almost a quarter in favour of conducting jihad to establish an Islamic state in the world’s most populous Muslim nation.
— The Straits Times (paywall)

Ahead of End of Prepaid SIM Card Registration Period, Subscribers Crowd Operator’s Outlets
Thousands of XL Axiata mobile subscribers crowded XL Center outlet at Lotte Avenue, Kuningan, Jakarta, Monday (4/30/2018), to register prepaid SIM cards as the registration period will end on April 30, 2018.
— Netral News

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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.

Indonesia Morning News For May 1 added by Stella-maris Ewudolu on May 1, 2018
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Stella-maris Ewudolu

Journalist at AEC News Today

Stella-maris graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Education from Ebonyi State University, Nigeria in 2005.

Between November 2010 and February 2012 she was a staff writer at Daylight Online, Nigeria writing on health, fashion, and relationships. From 2010 – 2017 she worked as a freelance screen writer for ‘Nollywood’, Nigeria.

She joined AEC News Today in December 2016.