Indonesia
USD syndicated Islamic murabaha loans beat sukuk sales amid war stress in bond markets
1Q shows the loans increasingly prominent in funding mix, driven by private nature, lower requirements and accommodating Gulf Cooperation Council banking systems.
ASEAN’s power gamble will shape the region’s economic future
Electricity demand across the wider ASEAN region is rising rapidly. Manufacturing expansion, electric vehicle adoption and the construction of energy-intensive data centres are driving consumption higher and higher every day.
Indonesia, Philippines form nickel alliance to dominate global supply
Indonesia and the Philippines have formalised a strategic alliance to unify the regional nickel industry, effectively creating a nickel cartel that controls nearly three-quarters of the world’s mining output.
The Philippines bets big on nickel’s battery boom
The Philippine nickel sector is itching for a bigger slice of the global critical minerals pie as the world’s appetite for battery metals goes into overdrive.
Copper nation - Indonesia races to become an EV supply chain powerhouse
Indonesia’s ability to scale its copper output and refining capacity places it at the centre of the 'Green Cold War', allowing it to navigate between major powers by offering a high-capacity alternative to more volatile mining jurisdictions.
Three dead after Indonesia’s Mount Dukono erupts
The group included nine Singaporeans, according to officials. Authorities said the hikers had entered the mountain region despite a climbing ban that had been in force for roughly two weeks as a result of heightened volcanic activity.
Asian trade jitters spark fresh Malacca Strait monetisation push
The collapse of maritime stability in the Middle East has cast a long, overdue shadow over the busiest maritime chokepoint in Asia: the Strait of Malacca.
China to list sovereign bonds in Indonesia in reciprocal deal
The deal permits China to issue yuan-denominated sovereign bonds directly on the Indonesian stock exchange for the first time. In return, Indonesia gains equivalent rights to issue Indonesian sovereign debt in China’s domestic market.
India cannot compete with Russia in defence export markets
India has traditionally been a major defence export market for Russia, and while being mostly a vendor - customer relationship between 1960 and 2000, it has now started to evolve in the 'beyond-visual range' era of multi-domain warfare.
Asia-Pacific defence spending hits post-2009 high as China-Taiwan tensions drive regional build-up
Military expenditure the Asia-Pacific region increased sharply in the last year, reaching a total of $681bn - an increase of 8.1% year on year and the largest annual expansion in military spending since 2009
Asia food inflation risks rise on fertiliser shock
Fitch Ratings has warned that emerging markets in Asia could face rising cost pressures across agribusiness sectors and food supply chains if a prolonged US-Iran conflict continues to disrupt fertiliser supplies further into the planting season.
Trump’s Iran gambit leaves APAC region ‘Quad’ dead in the water
The European Union has already, for all intents and purposes broken away from the US. It is only a matter of time before the Quad either ceases to function or decides to go its own way, without the US.
Currency strain forces Bank Indonesia to delay rate cuts
Indonesia’s resilience is being tested. While the country has successfully decoupled its inflation rate from the global energy spike through subsidies, it cannot decouple its currency from global risk sentiment.
China quietly tightens its regional grip across Southeast Asia
Beijing and Hanoi are stepping up co-operation centred on internal security, in the process offering a preview of how China may deepen ties across south-east Asia despite longstanding differences with several countries in the region.
Indonesia, US forge defence partnership
The MDCP is a clear signal that when it comes to regional deterrence and technological modernisation, Indonesia views the US as its primary partner, but it will continue to deal with Russia and China to ensure the lights stay on at home.
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Quality matters: how the Hormuz crisis tests refinery flexibility
The disruption highlights a key reality often overlooked in the oil market: while volumes may be globally fungible, crude quality is not.
ADB projects slower growth in all of Asia
According to an outlook forecast report by the Asian Development Bank, the broad Asia region including its many developing high growth economies are facing what can be best described as the most complex set of headwinds in years.
Naphtha shortages leading to petrochemical plants force majeures and record prices
Petrochemical producers across Asia have begun shutting down operations after disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz reduced supplies of the critical naphtha and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) feedstocks.
Windfall tax delay exposes Indonesia’s challenge in capturing commodity gains
Indonesia recently announced that it had delayed the rollout of its windfall tax proposal on coal and nickel exports. The country noted that the complexity of balancing fiscal needs with industrial policy is behind the delay
Southeast Asia’s energy squeeze
The war in Iran has delivered a systemic shock to global energy markets, but few regions have felt the strain as acutely, or quite as quickly, as Southeast Asia.