Indonesian and Philippine Business Leaders Unite, Ready to Become the World's Nickel Axis
The Indonesian Nickel Miners Association (APNI) and the Philippine Nickel Industry Association (PNIA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Strategic Nickel Industry Development Cooperation.
The MoU signing was witnessed by Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs of Indonesia Airlangga Hartarto, alongside Philippine Secretary of Trade and Industry Hon. Maria Cristina A. Roque, and took place as part of the Indonesia-Philippines High Level Business Roundtable at Jpark Island Resort, Cebu, on Thursday (7 May 2026).
This high-level business forum was held coinciding with the official visit of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto to the Philippines to attend the 48th ASEAN Summit, serving as a concrete follow-up to discussions on regional economic cooperation at the 27th AECC Summit held on 6-7 May 2026.
“This collaboration is not just an ordinary partnership. It is the foundation for the Indonesia-Philippines Nickel Corridor, a structured platform that connects Indonesia’s downstream processing and smelter strengths with upstream nickel ore supplies from the Philippines. This will become an inseparable axis for the world’s nickel reserves and production,” said Coordinating Minister Airlangga, quoted from a press release on Friday (8 May 2026).
The MoU between APNI and PNIA covers strategic and long-term oriented cooperation scopes, including (i) exchange of information to stabilise regional and global nickel trade, (ii) joint development of nickel downstream technology and utilisation of value-added from side products of processing industries, and (iii) joint human resource development to support a sustainable nickel industry ecosystem.
Coordinating Minister Airlangga explained that Indonesia currently has a massive nickel downstream ecosystem, with processed nickel product exports reaching USD9.73 billion in 2025. Projections of USD47.36 billion in investments and absorption of 180,600 workers are targeted by 2030. These smelters require stable ore supplies with the appropriate silicon-to-magnesium ratio (Si:Mg), which can be met from Philippine nickel ore through blending processes.
“With this corridor, the Philippines will no longer just be a raw ore exporter. The Philippines will integrate into a higher regional value chain, while Indonesia gains supply security (feedstock security) for our battery and stainless steel upstream industries. This aligns with the directives of the 27th AECC Summit to strengthen critical supply chains in the ASEAN region,” added Coordinating Minister Airlangga.
Furthermore, Coordinating Minister Airlangga emphasised that nickel is a critical mineral with a central role in the energy transition. Nickel derivative products can be integrated into national and regional energy resilience strategies through strengthened energy storage, both for electric vehicle (EV) batteries and solar panel energy storage batteries. Thus, nickel downstream processing not only supports the industrial sector but also directly contributes to a clean and sustainable energy mix.
To accelerate downstream processing and strengthen the nickel industry’s competitiveness, the Indonesian Government is also continuing to promote the development of integrated Special Economic Zones (SEZs) with critical mineral supply chains. SEZs can serve as locomotives for smelter investments, battery raw material processing, and centres for international-standard downstream technology innovation.