Destry Highlights Indonesia's Economic Strength, But Credit Remains a Challenge

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Bank Indonesia (BI) governor candidate Destry Damayanti has revealed that Indonesia’s economic growth momentum is good and prudent going forward. This was disclosed during the fit and proper test for the BI Governor on Wednesday (26/8/2026).

Destry said Indonesia’s economic growth is strong and competitive among emerging markets in the region. Secondly, domestic inflation is maintained amid higher global inflation turmoil.

“Year on year, with inflation of 2.18% in August 2026, this is still within our target of 2.5% plus or minus 1%,” she said.

Thirdly, she is confident that Indonesia’s economy can grow high in line with the government’s fiscal discipline. Indonesia’s fiscal deficit, Destry said, is recorded as the lowest among peer countries.

The final asset is the government’s controlled debt ratio. As of June 2026, the government’s debt ratio was 41.26%, the lowest compared to Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand.

“Overall, this shows that Indonesia’s economic fundamentals are quite strong and able to maintain stability amid global economic challenges,” she said.

However, Destry highlighted a number of sectors that must be boosted because Indonesia’s economy is still below its optimal level, namely credit growth, non-cash retail spending, MSME credit and undisbursed loans.

“Credit growth can still be encouraged to optimise Rp 2,048 trillion, or 21.8% of the ceiling,” she said.

From these challenges, Destry sees that maintaining stability alone is not enough; BI needs to strengthen its policy mix. Therefore, BI must be adaptive in this regard.