Indonesia’s Vice President’s office recently invited Bitcoin advocates to discuss whether adding crypto to the nation’s reserves could make sense.
It was a session full of big ideas about money. According to Bitcoin Indonesia on X, the talks looked at using BTC mining as part of a reserve mechanism.
No policy has been set yet, but officials showed real interest in learning more.
Exploring Bitcoin As A Reserve Asset
Based on reports, the discussion centered on whether crypto could help Indonesia diversify its nearly $153 billion foreign reserves, up slightly from $152 billion in May 2025.
The country traditionally holds gold, US dollars and government bonds. Introducing the crypto asset would be a major shift. Bitcoin Indonesia shared resources like The Bitcoin Standard and Ray Dalio’s The Changing World Order to back up their points.
They even tied Michael Saylor’s price forecast for 2045 to the 100th anniversary of Indonesia’s independence, which seemed to resonate with officials.
BIG NEWS: 🇮🇩 Indonesia is exploring Bitcoin as a national reserve.
We were invited to the Vice President’s office to present how Bitcoin could benefit the country.
What we discussed could shape the future of Indonesia’s economic strategy. 🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/QGKgGRRgEU
— Bitcoin Indonesia (@bitcoinindo21) August 5, 2025
Talking Education And Outreach
Reports have disclosed that advocates want to build a bottom-up push—starting with schools, universities and local communities—to make sure people understand both the promise and the risks of digital assets.
Indonesia just raised crypto transaction taxes on August 1 2025. Domestic trades now carry a 0.21% levy and overseas trades face 1%. VAT on purchases was removed, but mining faces a higher 2.2% VAT.
From 2026, mining income will fall under regular income or corporate tax. In 2024, over 650 trillion rupiah changed hands in crypto trades. Those figures show why regulators feel the need to tighten rules even as they explore new ideas.
Indonesia is waking up to Bitcoin.
Adhit from the VP office says „Indonesia must also continue to educate about Bitcoin in the future.“
— Bitcoin Indonesia (@bitcoinindo21) August 5, 2025
Comparisons With Other Nations
Other countries have made bold moves. El Salvador added BTC as legal tender in 2021 and now holds 6,067 BTC. Bhutan has mined 11,711 BTC—approximately $1.3 billion—in secret since 2020, with crypto accounting for as much as 40% of its GDP.
Kazakhstan is considering crypto investments in ETFs or blockchain companies to diversify state funds. And in the US, President Donald Trump’s administration established a Strategic BTC Reserve with 198,109 BTC (approximately $17.5 billion), describing the crypto as “digital gold.”
What’s Next For Jakarta?
For Indonesia, the road ahead is open. Policymakers will have to balance BTC’s price fluctuations and energy consumption against possible benefits. Other plans could include pilot mining initiatives, public-private collaborations or formal white papers on digital-asset policy.
Meanwhile, reports have disclosed that the next round of discussions may involve Bank Indonesia to assess market impacts and legal frameworks for the country’s planned crypto stockpile.
Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
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