The Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Indonesia Abdullah Salem Al-Dhaheri is exploring cooperation and investment opportunities in Southwest Papua Province.

President Prabowo Subianto appears to have found in Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa a trusted figure capable of managing Indonesia's state finances with both discipline and political loyalty. In just a few months on the job, Purbaya has shown a willingness to take on elite power brokers, both within the government and from circles close to former president Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, without losing sight of President Prabowo's populist agenda.

Total realized investment value to South Kalimantan Province reached Rp25.7 trillion by the third quarter (Q3) of 2025, up Rp 16 trillion quarter-to-quarter (qtq) according to South Kalimantan Investment and One-Stop Integrated Services Office data. The achievement stems from 11,238 projects based on Investment and Downstream Industry Ministry/Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) data, placing South Kalimantan in 16th in terms of total realized investment value.

Timor-Leste formally joined the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) during the group's summit in Kuala Lumpur, after a long wait, thanks in no small measure to the tireless support of Indonesia, which once brutally occupied the tiny territory.

The proposal to establish a family office, a private investment entity, from National Economic Council (DEN) head Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan has recently returned to the public spotlight after Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa rejected the use of the state budget (APBN) to fund the venture. Purbaya said the family office project must be developed entirely through DEN's own resources, emphasizing that the Finance Ministry had no role in designing or planning the project. Luhut responded by pointing to a misperception regarding the proposal, clarifying that the planned project had nothing to do with the state budget. Details of the initiative remain vague, however, so it is uncertain how the new entity will be structured and financed.

Investments to West Java Province soared 36.34 percent year-on-year (yoy) from Rp56.57 trillion in the third quarter (Q3) of 2024 to Rp77.13 trillion in Q3 2025 according to Investment and Downstream Ministry/Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) data, or about 15.7 percent of the total investment value nationally for the period. The achievement made West Java the province with the highest investment realization in Indonesia

The House of Representatives' recess budget has nearly doubled this year, despite mass protests over what the public views as lawmakers' excessive housing allowance amid economic hardships and ongoing calls for budget efficiency. Such budgetary controversies will likely persist, given Indonesia's long-standing tradition of poor accountability in public spending.