Finance Ministry Has Bought Rp2.22 Trillion of Government Securities to Stabilise the Rupiah

Finance Minister Purbaya disclosed that the ministry has bought Government Securities (Surat Berharga Negara, SBN) in the secondary market since last week to stabilise bond prices. The intervention is expected to help shield the rupiah from further pressure. As of Tuesday, 19 May 2026, the Ministry of Finance had purchased Rp2.22 trillion of SBN. Purbaya detailed that purchases amounted to Rp100 billion on Wednesday, 13 May 2026. The next purchases were Rp830 billion on Monday, 18 May 2026 and Rp1.29 trillion on Tuesday, 19 May 2026. “If they sell, I buy. So foreigners will not dispose of (the bonds). Why? Because if bond prices are stable and yields are stable, they (foreign capital) will come here,” said Purbaya at the APBN Kita press conference at his office on Tuesday, 19 May 2026. He claimed the ministry’s intervention had successfully attracted foreign funds or capital inflows of Rp500 billion in the secondary market and Rp1.68 trillion in the primary market. The State Treasurer said the government still has sufficient resources to intervene in the bond market. According to Purbaya, the Budget Surplus Balance (SAL) is currently around Rp430 trillion. The ministry, meanwhile, allocates Rp2 trillion per day for this operation. Director General of Financing and Risk Management at the Ministry of Finance Suminto explained that the operation undertaken by the Ministry of Finance is cash management. He said the purchases of SBN are conducted by the Directorate General of Treasury. “So these are temporary purchases that can be sold later, not a closed buyback. Rather, these are purchases of SBN that can be used for treasury operations, including resale,” he told reporters at the Ministry of Finance on Tuesday, 19 May 2026.