Profile of Djarum Group Boss Michael Bambang Hartono Who Has Passed Away
Owner of the Djarum Group, Michael Bambang Hartono, passed away today. Djarum’s Corporate Communications Manager, Budi Darmawan, stated that Bambang breathed his last at the age of 86 this afternoon in Singapore.
“The entire Djarum family deeply mourns the passing of our leader, Michael Bambang Hartono, on Thursday, 19 March 2026, at 13:15 Singapore time,” he said when contacted today.
Budi has not yet been able to confirm when Bambang’s body will return to Indonesia. The management of PT Djarum has not received official information from the family.
Quoting from the Djarum website, Bambang was the son of Oei Wie Gwan, the owner of the Djarum clove cigarette company in Kudus, Central Java. Bambang also has a sibling named Robert Budi Hartono, and both are now among Indonesia’s richest people.
Bambang and Robert are currently listed as the Ultimate Beneficiary Owners or business owners of PT Bank Central Asia Tbk (BCA). The two brothers control several other companies, such as PT Global Digital Niaga Tbk (Blibli), through PT Dwimuria Investama Andalan.
In BCA, PT Dwimuria is the controlling entity with 54.94 percent of shares, while in Blibli it holds 4.8 percent of shares. Bambang and Robert also control Blibli through PT Global Investama Andalan, which owns 76.57 percent of shares.
Quoting from Forbes’ official website, Michael Bambang Hartono ranks 158th among the world’s richest people. His wealth is estimated at around US$17.5 billion or Rp295.7 trillion this year.
The Bambang family’s assets are said to include properties in Jakarta and the Polytron electronics brand. However, over the past three years, Forbes has recorded a decline in his wealth: US$23.1 billion in 2023, US$25.5 billion in 2024, and US$21.5 billion in 2025.
Another aspect known about Bambang is that he won a bronze medal in the bridge event at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. At that time, he was the oldest athlete competing at 78 years old. The government bonus for him was Rp150 million, but Bambang redirected that prize money for the development of bridge sports in Indonesia.