The Knowledge to Decide

Indonesia has emerged as an attractive healthcare market. The industry has surged by 300% since 2005, with national healthcare expenditure reaching USD26 billion in 2014. Recognizing the investment potential, the South East Asia (SEA) Hospital Expansion Summit 2015 gathered industry leaders and government officials to discuss opportunities and challenges in this sector. Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Spire Research and Consulting group, was invited as a guest speaker at the South East Asia Hospital Expansion Summit 2015. In his presentation, Bahar gave a brief overview of Indonesia’s healthcare sector, focusing on investment prospects for private firms. Bahar mentioned that in 2012, Indonesians spent around USD11.5 billion (yearly) for healthcare services abroad. Wealthy Indonesians still opt for medical treatment overseas to treat complicated conditions, preferring medical tourism destinations like India, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. To promote

Indonesia boasts 90 million internet users with online retail sales of USD2.6 billion in 2014. The e-commerce boom has fed robust growth in express courier services. Recognizing this trend, the Indonesia Supply Chain & Logistics Summit 2015 gathered industry leaders and government officials to discuss key industry trends, opportunities and challenges. Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Spire Research and Consulting group, was invited as a guest speaker at the Supply Chain & Logistics Summit 2015. In his presentation, Bahar highlighted Indonesia’s booming e-commerce industry, focusing on the surge in the express courier services market. Bahar mentioned that outsourced/contract logistics services in Indonesia are worth approximately USD29 billion, with more than 2,500 players in 2015. The industry is supported by growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and domestic consumption. At the same time, Indonesia’s e-commerce market continues to shine. A po

To commemorate World Autism Awareness Day, Spire released its pro-bono study focusing on Indonesia’s autistic children, working in collaboration with Rumah Autis (Home for the Autistic) – an Indonesian NGO that provides therapy and raises awareness about autistic children. The first-of-its-kind autism mapping project highlighted the rising number of autism cases in children. These findings were published in The Jakarta Post – a prominent Indonesian online news portal. Autism – a complex developmental disorder – is on the rise in Indonesia. As more children are diagnosed with this condition, Indonesia needs to provide more affordable therapy centres and schools. According to the findings of the study, over 139,000 children (under the age of 17) suffer from this condition – with 25,000 children in West Java alone. These children often do not receive adequate medical attention due to the uneven distribution of therapists and high costs. The findings reveal that each child with A

South East Asia’s automotive sector has recorded impressive growth over the last decade. With 1.2 million vehicles sold in 2013, Indonesia is spearheading this phenomenal growth story. Recognizing the growth potential, the South East Asia Automotive Summit 2015 gathered industry leaders and government officials to discuss key industry trends, opportunities and threats. Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Spire Research and Consulting group, was honoured to be invited as a guest speaker at the South East Asia Automotive Summit 2015. In his presentation, Bahar spoke about Indonesia’s rapidly advancing automobile industry giving centre-stage to the Low Cost Green Car/ Low Emission Car (LCGC/LEC) segment. Bahar noted that the Indonesian automobile market story was very different in 2014. It was plagued by slow annual growth (around 5%), the falling Indonesian Rupiah, political uncertainty and post-election disputes. Inflation, luxury taxes, pull-backs in subsidiz

The demand for digital technology is on the rise. How are industry players catering to changing technology needs? Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights in Kompas – Mega Bazaar – a leading newspaper in Indonesia. Digital technology enhances the way we work. In the digital realm, productivity takes precedence – especially in the corporate segment. Technology and features that accompany a device are always changing, encouraging innovations along the way. Bahar opined that IT spending worldwide is about 2-3% of the total revenue of all of the companies in the world. The banking and financial industry in Indonesia has a higher level of IT spending when compared to the average in other industries. This is where Lenovo – the number one PC manufacturer globally – seems to understand the changing demands from society. It constantly innovates – with its latest edition in the multimode devices under the business segment.

With the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) due this year, competition in the IT industry is set to intensify. Will Indonesia’s IT sector thrive under these conditions? Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights in Kompas News – a leading newspaper in Indonesia. Personal computer (PC) shipments, tablet computers, ultra-mobile and mobile phones are expected to reach global sales of 2.5 billion units in 2015 – a rise of 3.9% in comparison to 2014. While PCs are still growing in developed markets such as the US, weak growth of PC’s in developing markets is attributed to strong demand for smartphones and table computers. Nonetheless, the IT industry in Indonesia will continue to charge ahead. Bahar highlighted that the highest sales in Indonesia are seen in tablet computers and smart phones. Within ASEAN, Indonesia offers the greatest market opportunities for consumer IT. The nation is expected to reac

Indonesia is now poised to become a popular holiday destination for national and international tourists. The growing tourism sector is becoming economically significant. Against that backdrop, the third South East Asia Hotel Expansion Summit 2014 gathered key industry stakeholders and service providers from Indonesia’s travel and tourism sector to discuss the market outlook and potential business opportunities. Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, was amongst the prestigious list of speakers at the 3rd Annual SEA Expansion Summit 2014 held in Jakarta, Indonesia. In his presentation, Bahar emphasized how the tourism sector boosts the economy. 2014 saw a record number of inbound tourist arrivals, at 8.6 million. He shared that Indonesia’s travel and tourism sector is expected to grow further due to the implementation of a common ASEAN Visa, expected by the end of 2015. However, the nation still struggles with challenges such a

Indonesia is the world’s ninth largest aquaculture producer. What business prospects lie in Indonesia’s aqua farming industry? Spire Research and Consulting was honored to be a speaker at the Indonesia Ocean Investment Summit 2014 in Jakarta, on behalf of the Norwegian Embassy. The event aimed at exploring sustainable fishery and maritime industrial development opportunities in Indonesia. At the event, Erwin Widjaja, Director, Indonesia of Spire Research and Consulting, spoke about aqua farming and the untapped opportunities in this industry. Fisheries activities need to be developed in order to provide national food security and reduce poverty. He shared that Indonesia’s fisheries extend to an impressive 5.8 million km – three-quarters of the entire national territory. Widjaja commented that opportunities in aqua farming are abundant. Indonesia is at an advantage because 76% of its surface area is under the Equatorial Ocean. There is an increasing demand for high-value fish

Indonesia is the world’s third largest aquaculture producer. What business prospects lie in Indonesia’s aqua farming industry? Spire Research and Consulting was honored to be a sponsor and speaker at the Indonesia Norway Business Council (INBC) Salmon Evening in Jakarta – an event aimed at exploring trends and potential business opportunities in Indonesia’s aqua farming industry. At the event, Franklin Crum, Manager, Client Service of Spire Research and Consulting, spoke about aqua farming and the untapped opportunities in this industry. He remarked that Indonesia, being the third largest aquaculture producer worldwide (trailing closely behind China and India), saw an average annual increase of 30.9% in aquaculture production volume from 2009 to 2012. Crum commented that opportunities in aqua farming are abundant. There is an increasing demand for high-value fish species such as snapper, grouper, pompano and barramundi as well as rising supply of fingerlings (young fish) for

With 100 days in power for Joko Widodo – the newly elected President of Indonesia – what does the business community have to say about his leadership? Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights on Bloomberg Businessweek Indonesia. Indonesia – the world’s fourth most populous country – held its latest direct Presidential elections on 20th October 2014. Elected President Joko Widodo – popularly known as Jokowi – completed his first 100 days this January. Most in the business community have been all praises for the government’s performance so far. It is difficult to evaluate a government’s performance based on its first 100 days in power but Bahar opined that Jokowi’s government has taken initiatives to improve certain industries directly, especially fisheries and marine. The new government’s current focus lies on fixing transportation and revamping the climate for investment issues using one door licensing. It remains

Christmas is a time for celebration and delivering joy through gifts. How do Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) celebrate Christmas and how do the holidays affect e-retailers sales? Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights in Bloomberg Businessweek Indonesia. Whether it is a family affair, attending Christmas mass or indulging in feasting, Christmas is celebrated across the globe. For CEOs in Indonesia, Christmas always brings joy. As Bahar pointed out, the festive season is synonymous with family time. His family indulges in the age-old tradition of Secret Santa where each family member receives a secret gift. At the same time, Indonesian CEOs celebrate Christmas in many ways. These include attending Christmas mass, hosting dinner receptions for extended family members as well as employees, exchanging gifts and installing Christmas icons for décor at home. On the other hand, the festive season gives e-retailers a reas

The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) aims to achieve regional economic integration by creating a single-market economy for freer movement of investments, skilled labor, capital as well as goods and services. Countries that possess qualified business resources are sure to benefit from this move. Is Indonesia prepared to provide a qualified workforce? Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his views on Indonesia’s Koran Sindo. Indonesia – being one of the largest economies in the world – is set to become a major player in the region. However, the nation must gear up to face the upcoming regional integration for not only commodities and services but also manpower. Bahar opined that although the Indonesian workforce – which totals 90 million people – is acknowledged in terms of knowledge and professionalism abroad – at home – they get only minimum wage. This is why Indonesians need to adopt a more professional outlook and learn from the

Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) in Indonesia make up much of the nation’s economic and employment activity. MSEs constitute 98% of all businesses and provide 94% of employment. To explore the market potential of this ‘unbanked’ segment, Spire Research and Consulting conducted a study to evaluate potential demand for Mobile Money and Branchless Banking services (MM & BB). The findings of the study were published in a report released by TNP2K, a public-private coalition of Indonesian and international agencies working towards poverty reduction. Spire’s study was conducted across four provinces, namely Bali, South Sulawesi, West Java and South Sumatra. 400 survey interviews with MSE owners and 16 Focus group discussions were conducted in August and September 2013. The findings revealed that MSEs can potentially make use of a number of MM & BB services wherein neither the gender nor the province of the MSE owner would be a hindrance. This is due to the fact that women fo

Indonesian banks have launched a novel channel that allows customers to withdraw cash through drive-through automated teller machines (ATMs). However, Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, sounded a cautionary note on the risks and limitations of the new platform. Drive-through ATMs have become more common in countries across the Asia Pacific, such as China (through Citibank), Australia (through Bendigo Bank and NAB) and particularly Indonesia. Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) first launched its drive-through ATM service in 2004, and is now seeing an average usage rate of approximately 7,600 transactions per month in each of its 29 drive-through destinations. BNI plans to expand this service with an additional 15 new drive-through ATMs for motorcycles in 2014. However, Bahar commented that security concerns – especially issues pertaining to magnetic ATM card cloning and robbery – would deter customers from transacting at drive-through ATMs

Indonesia’s aquaculture industry is ranked 4th globally in terms of production tons. Franklin Crum, Manager, Client Service of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his views on the future outlook for Indonesia’s aquaculture industry on MNC Business Channel – Economic Buzz. Crum commented that Indonesia’s water conditions have provided a favourable environment for wet aquaculture (otherwise known as fish farming); allowing a wide range of tropical fish species to breed. The aquaculture industry has shown great potential in Indonesia; contributing 1% towards its GDP. Indonesia is one of the leading Asian countries in this industry, alongside China, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Republic of Korea, Japan and Bangladesh. The industry had registered a total revenue of USD 7 billion in 2012, seeing compound annual growth (CAGR) of 25.9% between 2008 and 2012. The figure is expected to grow to USD14.3 billion by 2017. Crum shared that the Indonesian government has allocate

Mobile and digital banking are now the drivers of rural banking. Many banks in South East Asia are intensively reaching out to the rural unbanked population. Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his views on this growing industry trend in FST Media. Bahar observed that many banks in Indonesia are now targeting the unbanked. Only about a quarter of the Indonesian population has access to traditional banking services. Besides, with Indonesia’s mobile phone usage running at over a 100 per cent penetration rate, it is natural for banks to offer mobile financial solutions to the unbanked. To better target this market, some banks are partnering with microfinance institutions to enable the unbanked to sign up for a bank account the paperless way. These institutions would then help users to conduct banking transactions via their mobile devices. Indonesia’s central bank, Bank Indonesia, has launched a pilot program, ‘Mobile Payment S

Indonesia’s mobile phone market is poised for growth. With the advent of smartphones and 4G Technology, how will service operators continue to lure customers? Aditya Teja, Senior Manager, Client Service (Telecommunication) of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights on MNC Business Channel – Economic Buzz. Indonesia’s mobile phone market holds immense potential with approximately 310 million subscribers recorded in 2013. There are a total of 10 service operators in Indonesia at present; with Telkomsel leading the way, followed by Indosat and XL Axiata. At present, the market is segmented by varying consumer concerns on benefits and bonuses, rather than price wars. With the advent of 4G Technology, service operators foresee faster and improved quality connections to come; with voice, SMS and data remaining as the main sources of revenue. On the other hand, the telecommunication industry also lends support to other industries such as banking, multimedia and health