Enviro News Asia, Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto received a visit from the former British Prime Minister (1997–2007), The Right Honourable Sir Tony Blair, at the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs office on Friday (April 19). During the visit, the two discussed the energy transition, global geopolitical developments, financial inclusion, and digitalization in Indonesia.
The discussion began with the topic of escalating geopolitical tensions in various regions of the world. Airlangga and Sir Tony Blair expressed hope that the situation would not worsen, as it could also negatively impact the global economy. Furthermore, the former UK Prime Minister shared his optimism that Southeast Asia—particularly Indonesia as the largest country in the region—will become a center of economic growth in the future.
Continuing the discussion, Minister Airlangga presented several of Indonesia’s achievements in financial inclusion and its future targets. “Indonesia’s financial inclusion continues to increase. In 2023, the financial inclusion rate reached 88.7%. Indonesia is now aiming for a financial inclusion rate of 90% by 2024,” explained Minister Airlangga in his official statement on Friday (April 18, 2025).
Tony Blair praised Indonesia’s achievements in financial inclusion and its ambitious targets. To meet these goals, both parties agreed that digitalization is the most appropriate strategy to ensure sustainable and equitable economic growth that benefits all levels of society.
Several updates were also shared regarding the support provided by the Tony Blair Institute (TBI) to the Indonesian government. This support is aimed at fostering productive cooperation between the two sides and positioning Indonesia as a model for successful inclusive economic growth in various regions.
“We are willing to share our experience to assist the Indonesian government in promoting positive growth in the areas of digitalization, financial inclusion, and energy transition,” said Sir Tony Blair.
In discussing the energy transition, Minister Airlangga outlined several financing cooperation commitments made with partner countries, including the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC), the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII), as well as Masdar’s planned investment in a 1.2 GW solar power plant in Indonesia’s new capital, Nusantara (IKN).
The discussion also addressed future technological challenges, particularly the development of artificial intelligence (AI), which has significant impacts on all aspects of life, both positive and negative. Both agreed that governments must be prepared to face these impacts through comprehensive, adaptive regulations capable of anticipating the various challenges that lie ahead. **
