Indonesia Rejects US$30 Billion Loan Offer, Purbaya: IMF-WB Faces Sour with No Interest Income

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa revealed that he received a loan offer from the World Bank and IMF amounting to between US$25 billion and US$30 billion to secure fiscal stability amid economic uncertainties arising from the war between the United States and Israel against Iran in the Middle East.

However, the offer, which emerged during the IMF-World Bank Spring Meeting in Washington DC last week, was rejected. Purbaya believes Indonesia’s fiscal capacity remains very strong to prevent shocks from global economic pressures equivalent to US25billionorapproximatelyRp428.55trillion(exchangerateRp17, 142/US).

“I told them that I don’t need it right now because I already have reserves of nearly US$25 billion for our country, so we’re safe,” Purbaya said at the Juanda I Building of the Ministry of Finance, Jakarta, on Tuesday (21/4/2026).

In response to the rejection, Purbaya claimed that the faces of the World Bank and IMF leaders immediately turned sour. He attributed this reaction to their loss of potential income from loan interest.

“Wow, their faces (World Bank & IMF) turned sour because they couldn’t lend the money, they couldn’t get the interest. But whatever the situation we have, we must use it as the most optimal weapon,” Purbaya explained.

“If we have more, we use it; if less, we still use it; basically, we never lose. So we design policies well, we calculate the impacts, not just guess,” he emphasised.