As part of efforts to create a more conducive environment for e-commerce, the Indonesian government plans to introduce a set of regulations, called the “e-commerce roadmap”, in the next 3-6 months.
The country’s e-commerce industry has been growing rapidly but still lacks a proper regulatory framework, Coordinating Economic Minister Sofyan Djalil said after a closed-door meeting with the Trade Minister and the Communications and Information Minister on March 6.
He noted that the roadmap will provide clear guidelines on logistics services, payment gateways and taxes, among others.
According to the Ministry of Communications and Information, Indonesia recorded 12 billion USD in commerce transactions in 2014 and expects to generate around 20 billion USD this year, necessitating a legal framework to ensure its sustainable development.
The regulations are intended to boost the growth of local e-commerce players and prevent foreign investors from taking advantage of the circumstances.
However, the regulations have been facing opposition from a number of local e-commerce associations who believe they will hinder start-up businesses.
The ministries will discuss issues and prioritise obstacles to be addressed immediately.
With around 297 million mobile subscribers and 83.6 million Internet users, the Southeast Asian country is currently a hotbed for e-commerce.
The Lippo Group, an Indonesia conglomerate, recently announced that it will invest 500 million USD to develop mataharimall.com, a website selling products from the group’s fashion retail chain PT Matahari Department Store./.
The country’s e-commerce industry has been growing rapidly but still lacks a proper regulatory framework, Coordinating Economic Minister Sofyan Djalil said after a closed-door meeting with the Trade Minister and the Communications and Information Minister on March 6.
He noted that the roadmap will provide clear guidelines on logistics services, payment gateways and taxes, among others.
According to the Ministry of Communications and Information, Indonesia recorded 12 billion USD in commerce transactions in 2014 and expects to generate around 20 billion USD this year, necessitating a legal framework to ensure its sustainable development.
The regulations are intended to boost the growth of local e-commerce players and prevent foreign investors from taking advantage of the circumstances.
However, the regulations have been facing opposition from a number of local e-commerce associations who believe they will hinder start-up businesses.
The ministries will discuss issues and prioritise obstacles to be addressed immediately.
With around 297 million mobile subscribers and 83.6 million Internet users, the Southeast Asian country is currently a hotbed for e-commerce.
The Lippo Group, an Indonesia conglomerate, recently announced that it will invest 500 million USD to develop mataharimall.com, a website selling products from the group’s fashion retail chain PT Matahari Department Store./.
