Sandiaga Uno was tasked with a nearly impossible job - helming the Ministry of Tourism of Indonesia during the pandemic. Now, with the border opening, Indonesia is expecting 1.5 million visitors. But, Pak Sandi wants to aim higher. It's not just the quantity, the quality that counts. On this episode, Sandi talks to Shoeb Kagda of SCCI he's on the hunt for investors. He also has a grand plan to add another 3S to tourism: Serenity, Spirituality, and Sustainability.

Making your way in Indonesia’s vast market takes time. But during nearly four decades working as an insurance broker in Indonesia, Murray Samuel has coupled the diligent pursuit of opportunities with an eye on improving people’s lives. After years of visiting Indonesia for a week a month since the early 1980s, he set up a business in Jakarta during the Asian financial crisis in part so that his colleagues here could count on steady work. Murray told Shoeb Kagda, chairman of SingCham, who conducts this week’s interview, that deep local knowledge and developing a reputation for delivering what’s promised are his guiding principles. Here’s Murray Samuel and how doing well and doing good go hand in hand.

Taking his cues from the Jedi master Obi wan Kenobi, Ben Wong reckons a life well lived is one where limits are tested in the pursuit of something new. Ben’s consultancy Kinobi proffers advice on acing interviews and constructing winning resumes as well as other guidance while keeping in mind that when we push the envelope we may fail. 

We are all, from time to time, “fish climbing trees”, Ben says. Obi-wan learned that people and life are nuanced. We all have our own paths. Ben is betting that Kinobi will resonate in Indonesia where its young hungry work force not only compete for relatively few good jobs, but are also more willing to strike out on their own but still need a helping hand. Sadly there are no Jedi mind tricks, just talent, hard work and an unrelenting focus on your destiny.

Pang Xue Kai first got into trading crypto assets like Bit Coin back in 2015 to make a quick buck. By 2018, though, he was funneling his earnings into starting Tokocrypto — a crypto asset exchange in Indonesia. Since then Tokocrypto opened T-Hub: actual bricks- and- mortar clubhouses in Jakarta and Bali where traders, enthusiasts and maybe skeptics could gather to learn more. More T-Hubs are in the works -- one more for Jakarta and another in Surakarta. 

Kai sat down with Vista to talk about what it will take for crypto assets to become a normal thing an investor would buy as part of a balanced portfolio. What rules does the sector still need? Are the big swings in valuation hurting the assets class? Here’s Pang Xue Kai to clarify crypto.

There was a time when a high flying lawyer coming to work in Indonesia from a big international law firm would probably be working on mining deals. While that may still be true, increasingly they look like Joel Shen. Shen, who heads Withersworldwide’s technology practice in Asia is helping shepherd clients and even some regulators through Indonesia’s regulatory thicket to usher in a world where payments, shopping, health and education — to name a few services — are conducted online. To get a deal done, Shen says clients, regulators and the lawyers often find themselves in uncharted territory and have to work together to write the rules that will underpin Indonesia’s transition to the digital economy.

Shoeb Kagda, founder of Synthesis Indonesia and the chairman of the Singapore Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia, kicks off our series with a discussion of what it takes to succeed in Indonesia. 

The veteran journalist who helped start English language publications including magazine Globe Asia and the Jakarta Globe, said investors need to be committed to this market for the long haul. 

There's a lot at stake. The country is at the intersection of two trends transforming the global economy. 

First, the country's vast and young consumer base is driving a rapid shift toward e-commerce, FinTech and digital payments. 

The second is Indonesia's decade long ambition to be a production and design hub for batteries and electric vehicles owing to its endowment of nickel and other minerals. 

To be sure set backs are almost certain. Working with good local partners and taking time to understand the market are key.

Introducing Vista, a weekly podcast by Singapore Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia. Listen to Vista every Monday. Produced by On The Level Media.