Cost of Doing Business in Indonesia: Land, Labour, Power and Logistics (2026)
The cost of doing business in Indonesia is not one number. For a manufacturer it is a stack of seven lines, each priced per unit of output: land, labour, electricity, gas, water, inland freight and port charges. Some are set nationally and cost the same in Medan as in Bekasi. Others move sharply with the […]
How to Invest in Indonesia as a Foreigner: PT PMA, Capital and Licensing (2026)
If you want to know how to invest in Indonesia as a foreigner, the answer for anyone building or acquiring a business is a single vehicle: the PT PMA, a foreign-invested limited liability company. Setting one up runs through ten steps, from checking that your business field is open to filing your first investment report. […]
Why Invest in Indonesia? Seven Structural Reasons for Manufacturers (2026)
Why invest in Indonesia? Most answers are written for a fund manager: a population of more than 280 million, a growing middle class, a young workforce. True, and useless to a manufacturer choosing between Medan, Rayong and Bac Ninh. A factory does not sell to a demographic. It buys feedstock, pays wages, draws power, ships […]
Foreign Direct Investment Indonesia: Trends, Sectors and Entry Routes (2026)
Foreign direct investment Indonesia reached Rp507.6 trillion in the first half of 2026, 50.2% of the Rp1,010.6 trillion in total realised investment that the Ministry of Investment and Downstreaming (BKPM) reported for the period. That is the headline. The useful part for anyone choosing a site is underneath it: which sectors the money went to, […]
The Importance of the Strait of Malacca: Why Indonesia Owns the Coastline
The importance of the Strait of Malacca to global trade is not in dispute. It is the busiest commercial chokepoint on earth, and the arguments about tonnage, chokepoints and vessel classes have been settled for years. A different question has not been settled, and it is the one that matters if you are building on […]
Doing Business in Indonesia: Regulation, Permits and Practical Realities
Doing business in Indonesia means incorporating a foreign investment company, committing to a capital plan, and moving through a risk-based licensing system that has changed materially in the last two years. Most of what is published about the process is out of date on at least one significant point. This guide covers the current company […]