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The article discusses the broader market development needed by Indonesia to improve its Islamic finance industry. Topics covered include the 1.5 billion U.S. dollar 10-year Islamic bond or sukuk priced by Indonesia on September 3, 2014, the country's Muslim population, and the assets of the country's shariah commercial banks or shariah business divisions of conventional banks.

Preliminary findings from Indonesia's investigation into the crash of a Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-500 on 9 January support an in-flight upset scenario in which the crew was suddenly caught out by the insidious development of an asymmetric thrust condition. Sriwijaya has issued an internal safety recommendation reminding its pilots to maintain awareness during critical phases of flight and to write detailed reports of any aircraft maintenance issues. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses how the large sukuk from Indonesia and Hong Kong raised the demand for corporate deals in September 2014. Topics covered include how companies priced convertible deals ahead of the U.S. initial public offering of the Chinese Internet-based e-commerce company Alibaba. Also mentioned are the opportunities being sought by Indonesia's corporates to do international sukuk deals.

An interview with Bank Indonesia Governor Agus Martowardojo is presented. Topics discussed include the bank's transformation into an independent and credit central bank since the 1997 Asian financial crisis, its role in ensuring financial system stability and controlling inflation, and its independence from the Indonesian government. Also mentioned are Indonesia's economic and monetary targets, encouraging foreign investments, and Martowardojo's plan to deepen the financial markets.

The article focuses on the impact of political and financial uncertainties on the equity and markets in Indonesia. The projected increase in institutional and foreign direct investments in the markets are in standstill because of reports on the decline in key commodity exports and a trade deficit of 1.5-billion U.S. dollar. A rise in domestic fiscal deficit and the future strategy of the U.S. Federal Reserve are expected to influence the direction of the markets.

The article considers the investigation by Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) of a fatal May 9, 2012 accident of a Sukhoi Superjet 100 jet transport during a demonstration flight. The investigation's finding that the air pilot's silencing of terrain-avoidance warnings he believed incorrect was primarily responsible for the crash is discussed.

The article discusses the collapse of the mutual funds industry in Indonesia in 2005. After peaking at Rp113 trillion (US$11.5 billion) in February, mutual fund assets have plummeted to Rp32.4 trillion, a sell-off of huge proportions. Regaining the squandered trust of investors is a daunting task. To address this problem, many mutual fund companies tied up with banks such as Bank Mandiri and Bank Negara Indonesia. But the mutual fund investors did not mark their bonds to market, so getting accurate bids was tough, which in turn hurt market liquidity.

The article reports that Indonesia's investigation of an aircraft accident of a C212 jet transport produced by Indonesian Aerospace which crashed during a February 12, 2011 test flight has concluded that neither of the airplane's two jet engines were functioning when the accident took place. The National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) also concluded the test had been poorly organized.

The article reports that an investigation by Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee has determined that a crack in a water-spray deflector of a Boeing MD-90 jet transport operated by the airline Lion Air prevented the plane's nose landing gear from deploying during a landing.

The article reports that Indonesian airline Sriwijaya Air has suspended two of its air pilots after a flight landed at the wrong destination.

The article reports that the development of civil transport planes from 19 to 50 seats has been aimed by the strategic co-operation between PT Dirgantara Indonesia and Airbus Military SL.

The article discusses the highlights of a roundtable discussion among financial experts regarding ways in which Indonesia can best meet its infrastructure deficiencies. The extent of infrastructure concerns in terms of hindering the ability to attract investors to Indonesia is considered. The Indonesian government's initiatives to create or issue new regulations and policies are seen as reactions to concerns by domestic and foreign investors.

The article reports on the first public-private partnership (PPP) arranged by the Indonesian government. According to Gita Wirjawan of the government's investment coordinating board BKPM, the first PPP project involves a 1,200 megawatt power plant in east Java and will cost 3.2 billion U.S. dollars. He also expressed his optimism over the signing of a land acquisition bill by the end of 2011. Also included are information on the government's infrastructure investment targets.

The article reports on the safety audit to be conducted by Indonesian authorities to Merpati Nusantara Airlines, following the fatal accident involving a Xian Aircraft MA60. The aircraft analysts will examine the flight recorders of the twin turboprop which was crashed while it attempts to land in Kaimana, Papua New Guinea. Meanwhile, Sardjono Jhony Tjitrokusumo, the company's president, struggles on the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) certification issues following the incident.

The article announces the recipients of "Asiamoney" best domestic bank awards in Indonesia in 2011 including Best Domestic Bank and Best Debt House winner Bank Mandiri and Best Equity House awardee Mandiri Sekuritas.

The article reports that Asian markets will grow in 2010, with Thailand and A-shares particularly strong performers, according to Laurence Balanco, the region's best quantitative/technical analyst based on the latest Brokers Poll of "Asiamoney." Balanco predicts that the MSCI Asia ex-Japan could increase by 18%-20%. He also sees a rise in Indian and Indonesian stock markets.

The article gives the highlights of a discussion between experts about how Indonesia can attract more investors and bolster the size and liquidity of its capital markets. The participants include: Ito Warsito, president director of the Indonesian Stock Exchange (IDX); Veronica Lukito, chief executive officer (CEO) and managing director of Ancora Capital; and Pahala Mansury, chief financial officer (CFO) of Bank Mandiri. They discuss the prospects for the growth of the Indonesian economy. They also address the trends in the Indonesian stock market.

The article reports on the investigation which found that a poor airmanship and lack of training have led Aviastar BAe 146-300 freighter to crash to the mountain while attempting a go-around at Wamena, Indonesia.

In this article, the author ponders on what Indonesia has to do in order to achieve its ratings goal in 2010. He mentions the Indonesia Awards Dinner that was conducted by the journal "Asiamoney" on January 27, wherein Investment Coordinating Board head Gita Wirjawan urged the nation to become an investment grade country. The country's 10-year bonds issued on January 14 is also noted.

This section offers news briefs related to financial deals in Asia. Australia and New Zealand Banking Group raised 1 billion Australian dollars from the sale of bonds which did not carry a government guarantee. Bank of America is considering to sell up to a third of its 16.7% stake in China Construction Bank (CCB) after a lock-up period ends. The central bank has decided to cut its overnight policy rate in Indonesia as it forecast that inflation in the country will slow in the coming months.

The article reports on the delay of the privatization of state-owned enterprises (SOE) in Indonesia. State enterprises minister Sofyan Djalil admits that the government would not be able to sell stakes in airline Garuda and Krakatau Steel until late of 2009, but says he is still pressing ahead with plans to create a domestic version of Temasek. Djalil believes that most SOEs are well placed to weather the global financial storm, he is keeping an eye on the impact on firms operating in exposed environments. Djalil is also eager to pursue a plan to bring state-owned enterprises under a holding company structure, based on the likes of state investment agencies such as Temasek in Singapore and Khazanah in Malaysia.

The article reports that aircraft accidents in Indonesia and Africa have contributed to the failure of the International Air Transport Association to meet its goal of slashing the commercial air transport accident rate for Western-built aircraft. The organisation set a target to reduce the 2006 figure of 0.65 hull losses per million flights to just 0.49 in 2008. But accidents in Indonesia quadrupled the Asia-Pacific region's rate to 2.76, while Africa and Latin America showed only marginal improvements, to 4.09 and 1.61 respectively.

Provides an update on the results of the investigation being conducted into the fatal Lion Air Boeing MD-82 landing overrun at Solo, Indonesia, in November 2004. Factors that contributed to the twinjet's siding off the runway; Tailwind at the time of the incident according to flight-data recorder information; Details of the incident.