• Foreign Miners exit Indonesia on Low Commodity Prices & Protectionism

    Again a big western mining company plans to exit Indonesia. US-based Newmont Mining Corp reportedly agreed to sell its 48.5 percent stake in copper and gold miner Newmont Nusa Tenggara (the operator of the Batu Hijau mine) for USD $1.3 billion (including contingent payment of up to USD $403 million). The stake is set to be sold to Amman Mineral Internasional. Newmont Chief Executive Gary Goldberg said the move is in line with the company's commitment to lower debt and fund its higher margin mining projects in order to create value for shareholders.

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  • World Bank's Logistics Performance Index: Indonesia Falls to 63rd

    Despite the Indonesian government being eager to push for infrastructure development, Southeast Asia's largest economy fell 10 positions in the World Bank's 2016 Logistics Performance Index (LPI), from 53rd position in 2014 to 63rd position this year. The LPI is determined through a worldwide survey involving operators on the ground (global freight forwarders and express carriers) that provide feedback on the logistics in nations where they operate and those with which they trade. High logistics costs are a problem for any economy as it makes products and services less competitive, while foreigners will think twice before investing in the country.

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  • IPOs in Indonesia: Bakrie Group's Graha Andrasentra Propertindo

    Graha Andrasentra Propertindo became the eight company to list on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2016. The company, controlled by the Bakrie Group, is the operator of recreational park "Jungle Land" in Bogor (West Java). Through the initial public offering (IPO) Graha Andrasentra Propertindo raised over IDR 300 billion (approx. USD $23 million) by offering 2.3 billion shares, or 10.2 percent of its enlarged capital. Underwriter for the IPO was Danatama Makmur.

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  • Number of Foreign Workers in Indonesia on the Decline

    The number of expat workers in Indonesia is declining due to persistently low commodity prices and the government's stricter regulations regarding the hiring of expats. In the first five months of 2016 a total of 72,399 temporary residential permits (including renewals) were issued to expats. It is highly unlikely that the number of expat workers in Indonesia this year will equal the total of 171,944 foreign workers that were active in Indonesia in 2015. Actually the number of expats working in Indonesia has already been on the decline since 2011 (when the commodity slowdown reemerged).

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