With international Women’s Day approaching, the latest report from Grant Thornton, a leading global independent assurance, tax and advisory firm, shows that gender equality in Indonesia is still a matter of concern. The Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR) reveals that the proportion of business leadership positions held by women in Indonesia has declined below the global average (22 percent), hitting a new record low of 20 percent (from 41 percent last year).

Read column ›

Indeks harga konsumen Indonesia turun di bulan Februari 2015, mencatat deflasi 0,36% dalam basis month-on-month (m/m), sementara tingkat inflasi tahunan (y/y) nasional berkurang menjadi 6,29%, turun dari 6,96% (y/y) di bulan sebelumnya. Tekanan-tekanan inflasi berkurang terutama karena menurunnya harga cabai dan bahan bakar. Berkurangnya tingkat inflasi di negara dengan ekonomi terbesar di Asia Tenggara ini bisa menyediakan ruang bagi bank sentral (Bank Indonesia) untuk memotong suku bunga lebih lanjut di tahun ini.

Read column ›

Mitra Keluarga Karyasehat, operator rumah sakit dan unit usaha dari Grup Kalbe, menargetkan untuk meraup Rp 4,2 trilliun dalam penawaran umum perdana (IPO) di Bursa Efek Indonesia (BEI) pada Maret 2015. Perusahaan ini akan menawarkan 261,9 juta saham, setara dengan 18% dari modal ditempatkan dan disetor penuh perseroan. Lima persen dari total saham ini adalah saham baru, sementara 13% adalah saham didivestasi private equity firm Lion Investment Partners.

Read column ›

The recently unveiled Indonesian regulation that forces the country’s 4G smartphone and tablet manufacturers to use at least 40 percent locally-produced components in their cell-phone devices is a source of concern for tech companies such as Apple and Samsung that are eager to expand into Indonesia where smartphone penetration is still low. Moreover, the restriction may encourage smartphone smuggling in Southeast Asia’s largest economy. The new regulation will come into effect on 1 January 2017.

Read column ›