Economist: KBLI for Content Creators an Opportunity for More Competitive Digital MSMEs

University of Indonesia economist Adiwarman Karim has stated that the inclusion of business actors in the digital realm, including content creators, in the 2025 Indonesian Standard Classification of Business Fields (KBLI) can be an opportunity to drive the competitiveness of digital MSMEs to become more competitive. “This policy can encourage the global competitiveness of digital MSMEs,” Adiwarman told ANTARA in Jakarta on Friday. He explained that KBLI in the business world is typically used to monitor the productivity of each industry segment, as well as to map innovation, set salaries, and prepare applicable policies for the industry. With the inclusion of the digital content creator category in the KBLI within the digital economic ecosystem, a transformation can be carried out to prepare for the shift from an agrarian economy to an industrial one, and then to a digital economy. “This is important for preparing incentives for digital MSMEs that require different incentives compared to ordinary MSMEs,” he said. The Vice President Commissioner of PT Bank Syariah Indonesia Tbk (BSI) added that the KBLI in the digital economy sector can also assist the government in distinguishing the dynamic growth occurring from digital MSMEs versus traditional MSMEs, so that incentive schemes will be more targeted. According to Adiwarman, the content creator business currently has a competitive dynamic with a relatively low entry barrier, allowing Indonesia to compete globally with equivalent technological capabilities. This competition lies in creativity and the ability to understand market preferences. However, with Indonesia’s large population, the opportunity for Indonesian content creators to thrive in their own country is also very significant. Based on the Indonesian MSME website, the government, through the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), officially launched KBLI 2025 on 17 December 2025, in which the profession of content creator for the first time received explicit legal status as a business activity. Under this regulation, a number of activities in the digital creator ecosystem such as content creators, influencers, YouTubers, and podcasters now have a clear business classification and are required to make adjustments. The obligation to possess a business identification number (NIB) is imposed on creators whose activities or content generate commercial value as a business activity.