Indonesia and Japan have agreed through the signing of the Letter of Intent (LOI) in Implementing the Kayan Hydropower Project on Feb. 28, 2025, to encourage sustainability in the development of the Kayan Hydropower Plant in Peso District, North Kalimantan Province in support of Indonesia's clean energy transition.

Jambi Province's export value contracted by 21.46 percent month-to-month (mtm) from US$216.99 million in December 2024 to US$170.42 million in January 2025. Statistics Indonesia (BPS) Jambi Head Agus Sudibyo explained that the main cause of Jambi's export value decline was the drop in exports of fish and shrimp, vegetable oil, rubber and their derived products, plywood and other derived products, oil and gas, as well as coal.

The development of a nuclear power plant (NPP) in Indonesia, which is planned to be on-grid in 2032, has apparently attracted the attention of Russia, China, and the United States (US). The Indonesian government is finalizing the plan to build the NPP to help achieve its 103 gigawatts (GW) electricity supply target.

The revision of the Indonesian Military (TNI) Law has not only sparked widespread controversy in public but interestingly also revealed a semblance of a rift within the government and military leadership.

Aceh Governor Muzakkir Manaf and Deputy Governor Fadhlullah received a visit from the Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Indonesia Abdulla Salem Al Dhaheri and Mubadala Energy President Director for Indonesia Abdulla Bu Ali. The visit aims to discuss investment opportunities in Aceh, especially in the tourism, agricultural, energy, infrastructure, and special economic zone (SEZ) sectors.

Indonesia’s financial market was thrown into turmoil when the Jakarta Composite Index (JCI) plunged 7 percent to 6,084 on March 18, marking one of its steepest declines in recent years. The market shock stems from growing economic uncertainty fueled by global and domestic issues, including the rumored resignation of Finance Minister Sri Mulyani, transparency concerns related to Daya Anagata Nusantara (Danantara), and a series of incompatible policies. The sharp sell-off underscores mounting fears over the country’s fiscal stability, with investor confidence hanging by a thread.

The government plans to establish 70,000 Red and White village cooperatives at an estimated cost of Rp 350 trillion (US$21.47 billion), with the official launch set for July 12, coinciding with National Cooperatives Day. This initiative aims to strengthen rural economies and tackle key challenges such as extreme poverty by improving access to staple goods. However, concerns have been raised about the project’s feasibility and the potential redundancy it may create alongside existing village-owned enterprises (BUMDes).

The recent scandal over MinyaKita has exposed a crack in the government and structural flaws in the domestic market obligation (DMO) policy. According to economists, the anti-market policy fails to account for volatile crude palm oil (CPO) prices, leaving producers struggling to meet costs and incentivizing violations.