Responding to New Tariffs on Furniture & Pharmaceutical Imports in the US, the New Face of SOE Authorities

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The following is important information related to the development of the business universe that needs attention today based on the curation of the SUAR Team.

Anticipate New US Tariffs on Pharmaceuticals and Furniture

After announcing trade tariffs on dozens of countries in August, US President Donald Trump has set new tariffs on imported products. Starting October 1, imports of pharmaceutical products to the US will be subject to a 100% tariff and household products and furniture at 50%. This needs to be anticipated by related industry players.

The business community regrets the existence of this new tariff. This is because it can reduce the competitiveness of Indonesian furniture and pharmaceutical products. Entrepreneurs must rack their brains to find potential new market diversification other than the US.

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Strengthening the Quality of SOE Governance Without Closing the Space for Private Enterprise

The Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) will change its face. In a meeting of the DPR RI Working Committee (Panja) with the government on Friday (26/9/2025), it was agreed that the nomenclature of the Ministry of SOEs would be changed to the SOE Regulatory Agency (BP). This change is not just a name change. BP BUMN will have the function of regulating and supervising SOEs, while investment management will still be handled by Daya Anagata Nusantara (Danantara) - a strategic investment management institution established earlier this year by President Prabowo Subianto.

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Not Just a Toy, Indonesia's Game Industry Potential Reaches USD 3.66 Billion

The States of Indonesia's Game Industry White Paper report released by game developer Agate International states that by 2024, the potential market value of Indonesia's game industry is estimated to reach USD 3.66 billion. With 3.37 billion game downloads in 2022 and a transaction value of USD 2 billion, Indonesia is now the third largest globally. However, this market is dominated by foreign game developers, leaving only 0.5% of the market for local game developers. The economic value of this ecosystem also comes from purchases to support the performance of game players. Mobile game users in Indonesia alone have spent around Rp 5.6 trillion on in-app purchases, a 15.6% increase over 2022. On average, each gamer spends Rp 91,362 per game.

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Indonesia ready to send qualified caregivers to Singapore to absorb labor force

In the midst of a shortage of domestic job vacancies, there is a large demand forcaregiver labor from Singapore. Provision from vocational training institutions (LPK) in the form of language, work skills training, and cultural insights into prospective destination countries, is very valuable for prospective migrant workers to become quality caregivers. To ensure that prospective migrant workers are equipped ashigh skilled labor, Deputy Minister for the Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (Wamen P2MI), Christina Aryani visited the Vocational and Productivity Training Center (BBPVP) in Bekasi, West Java, Tuesday (23/9/2025).

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Building a Resilient Economic Ecosystem ala Gresik SEZ

Of the total investment in the Gresik Special Economic Zone (SEZ) of IDR 92.8 trillion, the dominant contribution came from the private sector or business actors amounting to IDR 83.3 trillion. This shows the high investor confidence.
The effectiveness of Gresik SEZ is inseparable from its strong investment pull factors. The strategic location with adequate industrial infrastructure, such as integrated port access, reliable energy and water supply, and good road networks, ensures smooth operations and reduced logistics costs for investors. The availability of this physical infrastructure streamlines business processes, from raw materials to product distribution, which directly contributes to the low Incremental Capital Output Ratio (ICOR) figure in the region.

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Strategic Forum: Indonesia-Canada CEPA & Indonesia-European Union CEPA: This strategic discussion organized by the Indonesian Ministry of Trade will explore the opportunities, challenges, and strategies for utilizing the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with Canada and the European Union to promote more inclusive and sustainable trade. Taking place on Monday, September 29, 2025, 09:00-15:00 WIB, at the Auditorium of the Indonesian Ministry of Trade, this forum will engage stakeholders to synergize and collaborate in maximizing the great potential of CEPA. Participants can join the event offline at the venue or via live streaming on the Ministry of Trade's YouTube channel.

Release of the 2020-2024 Annual Indonesia Fund Flow Balance publication: As a routine agenda, this Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) publication aims to present a comprehensive picture of investment data and information in Indonesia during the 2020-2024 period. It covers the development of annual financial and non-financial investments in various transactions by six main economic institution sectors (Non-financial Corporations, Financial Corporations, General Government, Households, LNPRT, and Overseas). The release of this data is scheduled for Monday, September 29, 2025, the results of which can be accessed by the public through the official BPS website.

"The opportunity to protect ourselves from defeat lies within our own hands, but the opportunity to defeat the enemy is provided by the enemy himself" (Sun Tzu - Chinese Strategist)