Airlangga: Investing in Danantara Securities Is Not Money Laundering
JAKARTA, DDTCNews - Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, stated that the purchase of special securities issued by Danantara, such as patriot bonds and merah putih bonds, does not constitute money laundering.
According to Airlangga, the purchase of securities or investment activity cannot be deemed money laundering, as investors place their funds in official instruments. He also assessed that this new policy does not undermine global confidence in Indonesia as a member of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the organisation that combats money laundering regimes.
"With regard to FATF, we are already a member. Naturally, our investment s not part of money laundering," he said, as quoted on Thursday (25/6/2026).
Airlangga also stated that the bonds issued by Danantara represent a new investment product, the launch of which will prioritise transparency and disclosure of information, and will be governed by clear procedures and regulations.
Accordingly, he argued that the issuance of investment products by Danantara cannot simply be associated with money laundering.
"New products always employ mechanisms and a degree of transparency that are not related to money laundering or matters pertaining to financial crime," said Airlangga.
Previously, Minister of Finance, Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, responded to the matter of purchases of patriot bonds and merah putih bonds, which are to be protected from general criminal prosecution, tax criminal penalties and civil lawsuits.
He stated that the government will not trace the origin of funds used by investors to purchase Danantara's special securities. In his view, the incoming funds will be managed to stimulate the domestic economy.
"The money used to buy patriot bonds will not have its source scrutinised, but for other matters, for instance, if an investor has other businesses, those can be pursued [by law enforcement]," he said in the Tanjung Priok area on Tuesday (23/6/2026).
On another note, Indonesia was officially admitted as a full member of the FATF in 2023. Full membership of the FATF carries significant importance, given that this Paris-based institution plays a pivotal role in setting global standards for anti-money laundering regimes.
The FATF defines money laundering as the process of treating or processing the proceeds of a crime to disguise their illicit origin. One of the FATF's duties is to develop recommendations that set out the measures governments must take to implement anti-money laundering programmes effectively.
Please also note that Law 4/2026 concerning the Amendment to Law 4/2023 on the Development and Strengthening of the Financial Sector (pengembangan dan penguatan sektor keuangan/P2SK in Indonesia) provides that Danantara may issue general securities as well as special securities such as patriot bonds and merah putih bonds.
Referring to Law 4/2026, every purchase of special securities instruments by an investor constitutes a lawful transaction within the national financial system. Accordingly, the state grants protection in respect of the purchase of such special securities, namely protection from general criminal prosecution, special criminal penalties, including tax criminal prosecution, and from civil lawsuits.
Further, Law 4/2026 also provides that data and information arising from the purchase of special securities may not be used as a tax base, nor may they be used as legal evidence in litigation before a court.
On another note, the state's protection in respect of the purchase of such special securities applies only to transactions conducted on the primary market. (dik)
