Help Strengthen the Rupiah, Purbaya Urges USD Holders to Sell Now

Help Strengthen the Rupiah, Purbaya Urges USD Holders to Sell Now

Jakarta, VIVA – Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa continues to press to strengthen the rupiah by issuing global bonds denominated in US dollars, with a target of US$2–3 billion.

After intervening in the bond market since last week, Purbaya said the issuance of these bonds aims to add USD supply in the domestic market while strengthening the rupiah.

“The global (bond) US$2–3 billion is additional dollar supply in the domestic market,” Purbaya said at a press conference for the APBN KiTa at the Ministry of Finance, Jakarta, Tuesday, 19 May 2026.

He also stated that to date there has been around Rp 1.3 trillion of funds entering the bond market. This occurred after the government sought to maintain stability in the bond market since the end of last week.

“The rupiah has been volatile; the government has taken steps to stabilise the bond market; Rp 1.3 trillion has entered on Friday, Monday and Tuesday this week,” he said.

He explained that yields on bonds in the secondary market have fallen in line with the inbound investment. Purbaya confirmed that his side continues to monitor movements of every fund that comes in.

“So we’ve already managed to bring foreign investors back to us, maybe not all, but clearly amid the external volatility they have entered,” said Purbaya.

Therefore, to speed up the rupiah’s appreciation against the US dollar, Purbaya urged USD holders to sell promptly.

“So if you are holding dollars right now, just sell them. You won’t make a profit, you know.”