Regulators in Hong Kong and Singapore are said to have sought clarity from Standard Chartered following CEO Bill Winters' "lower-value human capital" comments. Bloomberg's Avril Hong reports. (Source: Bloomberg)
Regulators in Hong Kong and Singapore are said to have sought clarity from Standard Chartered following CEO Bill Winters' "lower-value human capital" comments. Bloomberg's Avril Hong reports. (Source: Bloomberg)
Indonesia will “listen to the market” as it builds a body to oversee key commodity exports, according to Pandu Sjahrir , chief investment officer of sovereign wealth fund Danantara. Asked about market confusion on the radical new policy , Sjahrir said investors were trying to absorb the news and details would be provided over the coming weeks, though the policy would focus initially on coal and cr...
Indonesia will “listen to the market” as it builds a body to oversee key commodity exports, according to Pandu Sjahrir , chief investment officer of sovereign wealth fund Danantara. Asked about market confusion on the radical new policy , Sjahrir said investors were trying to absorb the news and details would be provided over the coming weeks, though the policy would focus initially on coal and crude palm oil. “The idea is to increase transparency, accountability, traceability — and of course it will have to be market friendly,” he said in a Bloomberg TV interview. “We are listening to the players, to the market. We want to make sure this is accretive both for producers and for shareholders involved.” President Prabowo Subianto ’s plan to channel Indonesia’s biggest commodity exports through a state-owned entity caught markets and even many of the administration’s own top officials by surprise this week. The Jakarta stock benchmark has slumped to a one-year low as investors seek clarity on what the policy will mean for a key segment of Southeast Asia’s largest economy. Indonesia is the world’s top exporter of thermal coal, palm oil and ferronickel — and shipments of all three will be handled Danantara Sumberdaya Indonesia, under the sovereign wealth fund, according to Prabowo’s announcement. The policy is aimed at curbing under-invoicing, or under-declaring the value of cargoes, a practice that Prabowo says costs the country $150 billion every year. Read More: Indonesia’s Radical Export Experiment Upends Its Commodity Trade The former special forces commander has railed against elites that he says profited from Indonesia’s natural wealth at the expense of its population. But he is also under pressure to boost government revenue to fund fuel subsidies during an energy crisis, plus costly policies introduced by his own administration including free school meals. Concerns about excessive government spending and deteriorating governance have battered the Indonesian curr...