Indonesia is moving ahead with its plan to establish a national exchange for mineral and strategic commodities, with palm oil, nickel and coal expected to form the core of the initial trading slate. A presidential spokesperson confirmed the likely inclusions as the government works toward launching the bourse on 1 January, part of President Prabowo Subianto’s wider effort to give the country greater control over pricing for the resources it exports in vast quantities.
Prabowo unveiled the initiative during his 2027 budget speech, framing the exchange as a mechanism for Indonesia to set its own reference prices rather than relying on benchmarks determined overseas. It follows earlier moves to centralise commodity exports, underscoring his determination to convert Indonesia’s natural resource endowment into stronger economic growth.
As the world’s leading exporter of palm oil, thermal coal and nickel products—and a major supplier of coffee, bauxite, tin and copper—Indonesia sees the bourse as a logical next step. Officials are still finalising the operational framework, including which commodities will be listed, presidential spokesperson Prasetyo Hadi said during Independence Day celebrations. He indicated that crude palm oil, nickel and coal would “certainly” be included from the outset.
The Financial Services Authority (OJK) is preparing regulations for release by 17 September, including a phased transition of trading activity into the new platform. A separate presidential decree will specify the commodities formally covered.
The Indonesian Nickel Miners Association, long an advocate for a national mineral exchange, welcomed the announcement. Chairperson Nanan Soekarna described it as recognition that Indonesia should no longer be a “price taker” for minerals it supplies in dominant volumes. The association argues that a domestic exchange could offer buyers and sellers a more transparent pricing reference grounded in real production data from major hubs.
However, secretary general Meidy Katrin Lengkey stressed that the exchange’s credibility will depend on robust data integrity, clear governance and full participation from national miners from the very beginning, rather than on the speed at which trading features are rolled out.
Indonesia already operates commodity exchanges for palm oil, tin and several other products, though activity varies. Tin exports must pass through the local exchange, while trading on the palm oil bourse has remained limited.