The Today's Headlines section of Indonesia Investments is a regularly updated section which contains the latest information with regard to topics that are currently causing headlines in Indonesia's media. Most of our headlines cover political, economic and social matters. As a consequence of their recent nature, these topics may not have crystallized fully yet and can, therefore, lack a profound analysis. For publications with a more in-depth understanding of subjects, we refer you to our News, Financial or Business columns.
The central bank of Indonesia (Bank Indonesia) will conduct its final monthly policy meeting for 2017 on 13-14 December. Based on statements made by Bank Indonesia Deputy Governor Dody Budi Waluyo on Wednesday (06/12) at Bloomberg's Year Ahead Asia Conference, the benchmark interest rate of Indonesia will likely remain unchanged at 4.25 percent at this year's final policy meeting.
The central bank of Indonesia (Bank Indonesia) will soon issue a new regulation in which it bans the use of bitcoin for domestic payments starting from 2018. Bitcoin is a (virtual) digital currency that is traded at cryptocurrency exchanges for fiat currencies. According to Bank Indonesia, however, the use of bitcoin undermines the sovereignty of the Indonesian rupiah.
Shipping company Pelita Samudera Shipping became the 31st company to have completed its initial public offering (IPO) on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2017. On Tuesday (05/12) the company made its trading debut and saw its shares rise 11.1 percent from IDR 135 a share to IDR 150 a piece (although earlier during the trading day its shares had peaked at nearly +70 percent).
Indonesia has exported over USD $1 billion of certified wood and timber products to the European Union (EU) since the EU recognized Indonesia's Legality Verification System (in Indonesian: Sistem Verifikasi Legalitas Kayu, or, SVLK) certificate. The SVLK certificate, designed to verify the legality of timber products, is now in accordance to the EU's Forest Law enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) action plan.
