JAKARTA -  The Ministry of Trade's UMKM BISA Ekspor programme facilitated 1,217 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) throughout 2025, generating USD 134.87 million in transactions, equivalent to Rp2.27 trillion, according to the Ministry. 

The total includes USD 57.45 million in confirmed purchase orders and USD 77.42 million in potential transactions. A total of 622 business matching activities were conducted, including 399 pitching sessions with Indonesian trade representatives abroad and 223 direct meetings with international buyers.

“This effort is a commitment to ensuring that all MSMEs have equal opportunities to access the global market,” said Budi Santoso, Indonesia’s minister of trade.

Food and beverage products dominated business matching activities at 29.99 per cent, followed by plantation products (14.91 per cent), furniture and home décor (10.94 per cent), textiles and fashion (10.94 per cent), and fishery products (5.63 per cent). 

The United Arab Emirates emerged as the primary partner country, followed by Hungary, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and South Korea.

Beyond regular monthly sessions, the ministry organised thematic business matching events for entrepreneurs with disabilities in September 2025 and women-owned enterprises commemorating International Women's Day. 

These connected Indonesian producers with trade representatives in Chile, Japan, Germany, Thailand, Hungary, and the United Kingdom.

Indonesia’s total exports in 2025 rose by 6.15% year-on-year to reach USD 282.91 billion, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data. This strong performance contributed to a total trade surplus of USD 41.05 billion for the full year.

But despite this massive number in MSMEs export, lending to Indonesia’s small businesses has actually shown very slow growth or even contraction, according to Bank Indonesia. 

The Indonesian central bank has recently launched the PINISI (Indonesia Intermediation Acceleration Program) on February 9 to revive lending to micro, small and medium enterprises after credit to MSMEs contracted 0.3% year-on-year in December 2025.