--- title: "Indonesia Central Bank Tightens Rules on Dollar Purchases to Support Rupiah" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/285318424.md" description: "Indonesia's central bank has tightened rules on dollar purchases to support the weakening rupiah, limiting monthly purchases to $50,000 per person. Governor Perry Warjiyo emphasized the need for genuine demand rather than speculation. Analysts expect these measures to provide short-term relief amid geopolitical tensions and fiscal concerns. However, doubts remain about the effectiveness of these interventions, with some economists predicting limited impact unless external factors improve, such as U.S. rate cuts and geopolitical stability. The central bank may need to consider rate hikes to further support the rupiah." datetime: "2026-05-06T05:58:56.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/285318424.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/285318424.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/285318424.md) --- # Indonesia Central Bank Tightens Rules on Dollar Purchases to Support Rupiah By Ying Xian Wong and Amanda Lee Indonesia's central bank tightened rules on dollar buying to shore up the rupiah after it again weakened to new lows, under pressure from uncertainty both at home and abroad. Bank Indonesia Gov. Perry Warjiyo vowed that the central bank will intensify intervention in onshore and offshore foreign-exchange markets, adding that the rupiah is "undervalued and should strengthen moving forward." The rupiah strengthened slightly after the BI's renewed pledge late Tuesday. The dollar reached 17,410 rupiah on Wednesday after touching 17,445 the prior session, LSEG data shows. Under the new measures, monthly domestic dollar purchases will be limited to $50,000 per person, down from $100,000, unless the buyer provides a legitimate reason to buy a bigger amount. The move is aimed at ensuring dollar purchases are backed by genuine underlying needs, rather than driven by speculative activity, DBS senior economist Radhika Rao said. The central bank will also coordinate with the finance ministry to buy government bonds on the secondary market, part of efforts to maintain adequate liquidity, strengthen capital flows and increase oversight of banking and corporate activities. Analysts expect the measures to deliver near-term relief to the beleaguered rupiah, which has been buffeted by the market turmoil spurred by the Middle East conflict, and persistent concerns about Indonesia's fiscal position and investability. Lloyd Chan, analyst at MUFG Bank, said BI is right to view the rupiah as undervalued, adding that markets are overlooking the implications of higher non-energy commodity prices for Indonesia. Although Indonesia faces the same war-driven energy shock as other economies, its position as a producer of other commodities means it can benefit from higher prices of certain goods. But as geopolitical uncertainty keeps driving safe-haven demand for the dollar and Indonesia's new fuel subsidies add to existing fiscal pressures, there are doubts about how much the BI can really do. For iFast Capital's Kevin Khaw Khai Sheng, the central bank's latest measures can buy time "and slow the bleeding," but not much more. A meaningful rupiah rebound is unlikely while it is still facing external headwinds from the Middle East conflict and U.S. tariffs, and persisting domestic fiscal deficit worries and capital outflows due to investability concerns, he said. Recovery likely hinges on factors outside the BI's control, such as U.S. rate cuts, a de-escalation of the Iran crisis, and the return of investor confidence in Indonesia's governance. Kenanga economist Muhammad Saifuddin Sapuan shared a similar view, expecting limited impact from intervention and FX controls if global risk sentiment stays weak. The need to support the rupiah could force BI to resume rate hikes as early as this month, despite the risk that poses to economic growth, he added. Write to Ying Xian Wong at yingxian.wong@wsj.com and Amanda Lee at amanda.lee@wsj.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires May 06, 2026 01:49 ET (05:49 GMT) Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. ### Related Stocks - [EIDO.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/EIDO.US.md) - [IDX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/IDX.US.md) - [D05.SG](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/D05.SG.md) - [MUFG.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/MUFG.US.md) - [8306.JP](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/8306.JP.md) - [AIY.SG](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/AIY.SG.md) - [NWS.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NWS.US.md) - [NWSA.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NWSA.US.md) - [NWS.AU](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NWS.AU.md) - [NWSLV.AU](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/NWSLV.AU.md) ## Related News & Research - [Indonesia's Prabowo announces 2027 fiscal deficit target of 1.8% to 2.4% of GDP](https://longbridge.com/en/news/287004034.md) - [Indonesia raises $1.7 billion from bond auction](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286097465.md) - [Fund managers boost equity exposure despite rate hike fears](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286971363.md) - [3 energy stocks that are quietly becoming the trades of the year](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286790976.md) - [European Undervalued Small Caps With Insider Action For May 2026](https://longbridge.com/en/news/286721352.md)