Indonesia Seeks to Boost Creative Economy Through Open Network

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Digitalization is one of the keys to expanding the market reach of Indonesia’s creative economy products. The Ministry of Creative Economy is promoting access to the Indonesia Open Network (ION) to strengthen local creators' competitiveness.

Deputy Minister of Creative Economy Irene Umar and Indonesia Open Network (ION) representatives discussed these initiatives during a meeting at the Ministry’s office in Jakarta on Wednesday, August 19, 2026.

“This partnership with ION marks an important milestone in opening broader and more inclusive access to digital markets for all creators in Indonesia. This technological integration not only strengthens business infrastructure but also has the potential to multiply the competitiveness and economic value of national creative works on the global stage,” Irene said, as quoted on the Ministry’s official website.

The use of ION will support digital marketing, cross‑border trade, financing, intellectual property (IP) protection, and the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI)‑based technologies. Both parties also discussed strategic program collaborations to drive creative economy growth from the regional to the national level.

Data from the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) shows that the creative economy sector is projected to attract investments totaling IDR 183.01 trillion (approximately USD 10.3 billion) by 2025.

The sector is also expected to generate exports worth USD 31.94 billion and employ 27.40 million workers, dominated by the younger generation.

“Collaboration in leveraging technology and ION’s open network ecosystem can provide an ideal platform to support digitalization and IP protection in the creative economy,” Irene said.

She added that the Ministry plans to form a joint task force to coordinate with creative economy teams in their respective fields. “The biggest challenge is building the capacity of business actors so they can adapt optimally, allowing this fair and sustainable collaboration to be implemented immediately,” she said.

Head of the ION Steering Committee, Sachin Gopalan, welcomed the opportunity for cooperation with the Ministry. “We look forward to collaborating to set up a joint working group with the government, because ION cannot succeed on its own,” Gopalan said.

He noted that collaboration with the government and other stakeholders is necessary to build an ecosystem that empowers young talent, MSMEs, and local creative economy actors. This partnership is expected to expand the benefits of digital transformation for Indonesia’s creative economy sector.

The Ministry of MSMEs and the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs developed ION in collaboration as part of the Indonesia–India Digital Cooperation initiative.

The platform integrates applications and services covering digital marketplaces, logistics, payments, financing, insurance, skills development, and AI‑based commerce. ***