Purbaya's Aide: Zero-Risk Retail Government Bond Investment, Suitable for Beginners

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – The Directorate General of Financing and Risk Management (DJPPR) at the Indonesian Ministry of Finance said that in 2025 the government issued retail government securities (SBN) totalling Rp153 trillion. This was stated by Director General Suminto at the Jogjakarta Financial Festival 2026, on Saturday (23 May 2026).

“Last year, 2025, we issued retail SBN totalling around Rp153 trillion. The previous year it was Rp148 trillion. The number of individual retail investors is around 1 million,” Suminto said.

He noted that public interest is considerable. However, he lamented that many people entering the financial sector to invest lack strong literacy. Financial literacy is vital. This poses a risk as they could fall prey to fraudulent investments.

Suminto went on to explain about retail SBN. Retail SBN is an investment instrument issued by the state with zero or near-zero risk.

“Retail SBN, besides serving as a funding source, is also very important as an investment instrument for the public, and it is a zero-risk instrument,” he said.

Why is retail SBN zero risk?

Suminto explained that this instrument carries near-zero risk because it is issued by the country, the Republic of Indonesia, as sovereign. As a country, Indonesia will not default or fail. Indonesia’s fiscal resilience is strong.

Therefore, he emphasised that retail SBN is a very good investment instrument for people who want to start investing.

“So if we practise investing, we should start with the lower-risk side. That is why it will align with our financial literacy and our understanding of financial instruments,” he said.