Luhut Meets BlackRock, Urges Not to Be Pessimistic About Indonesia

National Economic Council (DEN) Chair Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan revealed that representatives from the US-based global investment firm BlackRock visited him last week. The two parties discussed Indonesia’s economic development. During the meeting, Luhut asked BlackRock not to be too pessimistic about Indonesia’s economic prospects. He argued that the government’s digital transformation based on artificial intelligence (AI) will be able to solve various problems in the country. “Last week a representative from BlackRock came to my office. I had lunch with him at the office. I explained to him, I said, don’t be too pessimistic about Indonesia. With this government technology (GovTech), we can solve many problems,” Luhut said at a Law Supremacy and Economic Growth Seminar at the DEN office in Central Jakarta, Thursday (25/6/2026). According to Luhut, the BlackRock representative questioned the government’s seriousness in running the programme. He asserted that President Prabowo Subianto has approved and will review one of the GovTech pilot projects. The project in question relates to a digital social protection system (perlinsos) based on AI. The system is targeted for a national rollout in October-November 2026. Luhut also conveyed that now is the best moment to invest in Indonesia. He believes the national economic fundamentals remain strong despite various challenges. “I told BlackRock, this is a golden opportunity to invest in Indonesia. Indonesia will never collapse. Indonesia is a great country, we have many smart people and many good people. There may be some issues here and there, but we can solve everything,” Luhut stated. The implementation of AI-based GovTech will reduce direct contact in public services and accelerate the deregulation process. AI can read and harmonise various data simultaneously, thereby increasing transparency and strengthening rule enforcement.