On 15 February 2016, the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs of Indonesia released a draft revision to the Indonesian Negative Investment List, also known as Daftar Negatif Investasi (DNI).
DNI sets out the list of business fields in Indonesia which are (i) closed from foreign investments or (ii) open for foreign investments with certain restrictions (such as a cap on foreign ownership). DNI was last revised in 2014.
The draft DNI revision states that 64 sectors would see easing in foreign investment restrictions:
35 sectors would be opened for 100% foreign ownership. These sectors include toll roads, restaurants, bar, cold storage, telecommunication device laboratory testing, etc.
In an interview with Reuters, Indonesian Trade Minister Tom Lembong stated, “[These] revisions represent our largest opening to international investment in 10 years. More international investment will bring more capital, more world-class expertise, more technologies to Indonesia.”
The complete revised DNI will only become effective and released to the public once the relevant Presidential Regulation is signed by President Joko Widodo, which is expected to happen within the first half of 2016.