TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said the Ministry of Finance has been purchasing government bonds (State Securities/SBN) in the secondary market since last week to stabilise bond prices, a move aimed at helping ease continued pressure on the rupiah.
As of Tuesday, May 19, 2026, the ministry had bought SBN worth Rp2.22 trillion. The purchases were made in stages, including Rp100 billion on Wednesday, May 13, followed by Rp830 billion on Monday, May 18, and Rp1.29 trillion on Tuesday, May 19.
“If they sell, I buy. So foreign investors don’t dump the bonds. Why? Because if bond prices are stable, yields are stable, then foreign capital will come in,” Purbaya said during the APBN Kita press conference at the Finance Ministry office on Tuesday, May 19, 2026. He said the intervention has already helped attract foreign inflows, amounting to Rp500 billion in the secondary market and Rp1.68 trillion in the primary market.
The finance minister said the government still has sufficient capacity to continue intervening in the bond market, noting that the budget balance (SAL) stands at around Rp430 trillion. He added that the ministry is allocating around Rp2 trillion per day for the operation.
Director General of Budget Financing and Risk Management Suminto said the operations are part of cash management conducted by the Ministry of Finance through the Directorate General of Treasury.
He explained that the purchases are temporary in nature and may be reversed later, rather than a permanent buyback.
“So, it is a temporary purchase that can be resold later, not a definitive buyback. The SBN holdings can be used for treasury operations, including resale,” he told reporters at the Finance Ministry on Tuesday, May 19, 2026.
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