Indonesia Pushes for a Fairer Share of Global Digital Wealth

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia is actively seeking a larger share of the value generated by its rapidly growing digital economy. Communications and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid argued that being Southeast Asia’s largest digital market should naturally translate into greater domestic economic benefits.

Minister Meutya Hafid highlighted this stance during her address at the “DEAL 2026 Digital Ecosystem Alignment” in Jakarta on Tuesday, 23 June 2026. She revealed that the country's digital economy had been projected to reach approximately US$99 billion by 2026.

This figure represents roughly one-third of the entire ASEAN digital economy. However, the minister stressed that market size alone does not equate to economic strength if the wealth flows overseas.

"There must be an equitable distribution or a fairer share between global companies," she said.

She noted that while digital transactions and user activities are generated domestically, the economic value is often recorded elsewhere. Specifically, these massive profits are routinely captured at the overseas headquarters of global technology giants.

"So, even though the digital economy figures are high, the fact that they’re recorded at the platforms’ headquarters, which are far from Indonesia, means it’s essentially a huge loss, not a strength," she remarked.

Indonesia is therefore pursuing a strategy focused on retaining more value domestically by strengthening national digital infrastructure, cloud services, data capabilities, digital platforms, and innovation ecosystems. The government views this as essential for transforming digital growth into productivity gains, job creation, and broader economic development.

This domestic push aligns perfectly with President Prabowo Subianto's broader economic vision for the country. The government wants to ensure digital transformation boosts the real economy rather than just expanding Indonesia's role as a consumer market.