Indonesia suspends social aid for beneficiaries linked to online gambling

Indonesia's Ministry of Social Affairs has suspended 2026 social assistance (bansos) distributions for 1,494,652 beneficiaries of the Sembako Program who are indicated to have engaged in online gambling transactions. This data was obtained through matching records with the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK). Of those flagged, 794,475 are also recipients of the Family Hope Program (PKH).

Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf stated that the ministry is currently conducting investigations and verifications alongside the PPATK and the Ministry of Communication and Digital to determine if these individuals still meet the criteria for aid. The ministry aims to provide further details on the investigation results by next week.

Separately, economist Didik J. Rachbini from the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef) has criticized the current government's "inward-looking" economic policies. He argued that relying solely on domestic consumption and government spending is insufficient for long-term growth, suggesting that Indonesia must transition to an "outward-looking" approach to compete in global markets and increase foreign exchange reserves.