Indonesia settles Rp218.3 trillion BLBI debt to Bank Indonesia

The Indonesian government has completed the repayment of Rp218.3 trillion in Bank Indonesia Liquidity Assistance (BLBI) bond debt to Bank Indonesia (BI) as of August 24, 2026. Finance Minister Suahasil Nazara clarified that this settlement only resolves the debt relationship between the government and the central bank as state institutions.

This repayment does not extinguish the state's right to collect outstanding debts from BLBI obligors and debtors stemming from the 1997–1998 financial crisis. Following the conclusion of the BLBI Task Force in late 2024, the collection process has been institutionalized under the Ministry of Finance, specifically through the Directorate General of State Assets and the State Receivables Affairs Committee (PUPN).

Legal expert Hardjuno Wiwoho and economist Rahma Gafmi have urged the government to provide greater fiscal transparency regarding the consequences of this repayment. They emphasized that the public must distinguish between the government's debt settlement to BI and the ongoing asset recovery efforts aimed at obligors to ensure economic justice and prevent a lack of deterrent effects.