Indonesia Offers ‘Golden Visa’ to Entice Foreign Investors

A rare Super Blue Moon rises over the buildings in Jakarta, Indonesia, 31 August 2023. (EPA)
A rare Super Blue Moon rises over the buildings in Jakarta, Indonesia, 31 August 2023. (EPA)
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Indonesia Offers ‘Golden Visa’ to Entice Foreign Investors

A rare Super Blue Moon rises over the buildings in Jakarta, Indonesia, 31 August 2023. (EPA)
A rare Super Blue Moon rises over the buildings in Jakarta, Indonesia, 31 August 2023. (EPA)

Indonesia is introducing a golden visa scheme to attract foreign individual and corporate investors in an attempt to boost its national economy, a statement from the ministry of law and human rights distributed on Sunday said.

“The golden visa is granting a residence permit for an extended period of five to 10 years," director general of immigration, Silmy Karim said in the statement.

The five-year visa requires individual investors to set up a company worth $2.5 million, while for the 10 years visa, a $5 million investment is required.

Other countries around the world including the US, Ireland, New Zealand and Spain have introduced similar golden visas for investors, seeking to attract capital and entrepreneurial residents.

Meanwhile, corporate investors are required to invest $25 million to get five-year visas for directors and commissioners. They need to invest double, or $50 million, to gain a 10 year visa.

Different provisions apply to individual foreign investors who do not want to establish a company in the Southeast Asian country. The requirements range from $350,000 to $700,000 in funds that can be used to purchase the Indonesian government bonds.

“Once they arrive in Indonesia, golden visa holders no longer need to apply for permit,” Silmy Karim said.



Oil Prices Ease as Markets Weigh China Stimulus Hopes

FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
TT

Oil Prices Ease as Markets Weigh China Stimulus Hopes

FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)

Oil edged lower on Thursday in light holiday trade as the dollar's strength offset hopes for additional fiscal stimulus in China, the world's biggest oil importer.

Brent crude futures settled down 32 cents, or 0.43%, at $73.26 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate crude closed at $69.62, down 0.68%, or 48 cents, from Tuesday's pre-Christmas settlement.

Chinese authorities have agreed to issue 3 trillion yuan ($411 billion) worth of special treasury bonds next year, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing two sources, as Beijing ramps up fiscal stimulus to revive a faltering economy.

"Injecting a stimulus into a nation's economy creates increased demand, and increased demand pushes prices higher," said Tim Snyder, chief economist at Matador Economics, Reuters reported.

The World Bank on Thursday raised its forecast for China's economic growth in 2024 and 2025, but warned that subdued household and business confidence, along with headwinds in the property sector, would keep weighing it down next year.

The US dollar continued to edge up higher after hitting a milestone last week. A stronger dollar makes oil more expensive for holders of other currencies.

The latest weekly report on US inventories, from the American Petroleum Institute industry group, showed crude stocks fell last week by 3.2 million barrels, market sources said on Tuesday.

Traders will be waiting to see if the official inventory report from the Energy Information Administration confirms the decline. The EIA data is due at 1 p.m. EST (1800 GMT) on Friday, later than normal because of the Christmas holiday.

Analysts in a Reuters poll expect crude inventories fell by about 1.9 million barrels in the week to Dec. 20, while gasoline and distillate inventories are seen falling by 1.1 million barrels and 0.3 million barrels respectively.

Elsewhere, southbound traffic in Turkey's Bosphorus Strait was set to resume on Thursday, having been halted earlier in the day after a tanker suffered an engine failure, shipping agent Tribeca said.