BI Expands DHE SDA Placement Beyond USD, Now Allows Use of Chinese Yuan

Bank Indonesia has broadened the instruments for placing foreign exchange proceeds from natural resource exports (DHE SDA) by allowing the use of non-US-dollar currencies in the Himbara state-owned banks. The policy enables exporters to place DHE SDA in a range of foreign currencies with tenors of up to 12 months. BI Governor Perry Warjiyo said that previously DHE SDA placements were mainly in the US dollar, but exporters can now also utilise currencies such as the Chinese yuan. ‘We have broadened the currencies beyond the US dollar; now we are expanding to non-dollar currencies. As you know, we have deepened the foreign exchange market, and the Chinese yuan is now traded domestically,’ Perry said at a rules dissemination event on export governance at the Office of the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, Jakarta, Thursday, 21 May 2026, as quoted by Antara. He noted the rising use of the yuan in domestic transactions. Last year, the value of local-currency transactions with China exceeded USD 25 billion per year; by 2026, it had reached around USD 3.7 billion per month. ‘We have already cooperated with these banks and with the central bank in China that domestically there are transactions. Under these conditions, businesses holding yuan can conduct various transactions in the domestic market, from spot cash transactions to swaps and forwards,’ Perry added. BI also broadened the DHE SDA placement instruments to give exporters greater flexibility in managing export proceeds. For information, the government will begin implementing new rules on DHE SDA through Government Regulation No. 2 of 2026 and Government Regulation No. 21 of 2026 from 1 June 2026. Under the policy, exporters in the natural resource sector are required to place 100 percent of DHE SDA into the Himbara system. Additionally, exporters must place at least 30 percent of DHE SDA for the oil and gas sector and 100 percent for the non-oil and gas sector in dedicated accounts within the Himbara system. The placement rules apply for at least three months for oil and gas commodities and 12 months for non-oil and gas. The government also lowers the limit on converting DHE foreign exchange to rupiah from 100 percent to a maximum of 50 percent.