Indonesia Swaps Reverse Repo, Operation Twist for New Tools
Views:
1970-01-01 08:00
Bank Indonesia is issuing new rupiah securities to replace its existing reverse repurchase facility and “Operation Twist” bond

Bank Indonesia is issuing new rupiah securities to replace its existing reverse repurchase facility and “Operation Twist” bond sales to provide a more powerful tool for luring foreign funds, according to Governor Perry Warjiyo.

The new instrument called SRBI will be issued starting Sept. 15 and they will substitute the central bank’s reverse repurchase operations for the 6-, 9- and 12-month tenors, Warjiyo said in an investor call on Thursday. It will also expand on their Operation Twist, which only involved the outright selling of government bonds to push up short-term yields.

Read more: Indonesia Taps New Tool to Aid Rupiah as Rates Kept Steady

The SRBI promises more attractive rates as it will be offered through variable rate tender auctions. The papers will also be tradable to both domestic and foreign investors in the secondary market. A similar FX security is in the works, Warjiyo said.

“This is more pro-market,” the governor said during the briefing, which was dominated by questions about the new securities. “This is the new era of Bank Indonesia.”

Backed by as much as 1,100 trillion rupiah in Bank Indonesia’s government bond holdings, the SRBI is aimed at creating a stronger anchor for the rupiah that’s been undercut by outflows, especially as the central bank expects as many as two more interest-rate hikes in the US.

The rupiah sank as much as 0.4% on Friday, ending three days of gains, ahead of a key Federal Reserve meeting at Jackson Hole. Investors have grown lukewarm to Indonesian assets, selling $1.3 billion of bonds and stocks so far this month to weaken the rupiah 1.4%.

Here’s what analysts say:

Josua Pardede, economist at Bank Permata

Duncan Tan, currency and rates strategist at DBS

Citigroup note

Euben Paracuelles, economist at Nomura

--With assistance from Matthew Burgess.

(Updates with rupiah movement, analyst comments)

Tags bi ij bon world bnk markets cos business bnli ij gov fin frx idr industries asia eppersons alltop