USD Sales Dominate the Money Changer Market in Indonesia

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – Sales of the US dollar (USD) are currently dominating the money changer market in Indonesia. This surge has been driven by a significant appreciation of the USD against the rupiah.

As a result of this exchange rate shift, the number of people coming to exchange USD for rupiah has risen sharply compared to previous months. Branch Manager of Dolarasia Tebet, Pebi Nurpadilah, confirmed the statement to RRI Voice of Indonesia on Tuesday, May 19, 2026.

“If we compare it to previous days or last month before this exchange rate rose, before the Rupiah weakened, and then look at the past few weeks, the increase in people exchanging dollars is quite significant,” Pebi said.

Many people are rushing to trade their foreign currency for local money right now. Pebi has noticed a huge jump in the number of customers coming in each day.

The Branch Manager explained, “It has increased by roughly 30% to 40% daily. If we compare it to previous months before the rupiah weakened. So, the public’s enthusiasm is likely due to this momentum, with the exchange rate being high, leading them to exchange more dollars.”

On the other hand, the public’s purchases of USD have actually slowed down due to high selling prices. In addition to exchange rate factors, this decline in buying interest has also been influenced by Bank Indonesia policies tightening purchase quotas.

The purchase limit, which was previously set at 100,000 USD, has now been progressively reduced from 50,000 to just 25,000 USD. This policy, aimed at curbing the weakening of the rupiah, has also been implemented at private money changers.