Jakarta. Indonesia’s downstream mineral industry has emerged as the country’s top investment magnet in the first half of 2025, fueled by the government's push to build a regionally competitive electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem.

Investment Minister Rosan Roeslani said on Tuesday that the downstream mineral sector drew Rp 280.8 trillion ($17.2 billion) in realized investment during the first semester of 2025, accounting for nearly 30 percent of the country’s total investment inflows in the period.

Foreign investors remain the dominant players in this sector, Rosan noted.

“In downstream mineral industrialization, foreign investment still plays a major role, comprising 72.5 percent of total investment, while domestic investment accounts for only 27.5 percent,” Rosan said during a press conference in Jakarta. “This is because EV battery technology evolves very rapidly.”

Rosan explained that consistent investment in research and development, along with access to the latest technology, is critical to supporting the growth of the mineral downstream sector -- one reason foreign investors lead in this space.

“We want investments entering Indonesia to bring the latest technological advancements, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing,” he added.

Rosan detailed the breakdown of investment across various mineral commodities in the first half of the year:

• Nickel: Rp 94.1 trillion
• Iron and steel: Rp 21.5 trillion
• Copper: Rp 40 trillion
• Tin: Rp 3.5 trillion
• Bauxite: Rp 27.7 trillion
• Other minerals including silica sand, gold, silver, cobalt, manganese, coal, Buton asphalt, and rare earth metals: Rp 7 trillion

Nickel industrialization plays a strategic role as a key raw material in EV battery production. “Indonesia holds 42.5 percent of the world’s nickel reserves,” Rosan emphasized.

Total realized investment in Indonesia during the first half of 2025 reached Rp 942.9 trillion ($57.6 billion), or 49.5 percent of the government’s full-year investment target of Rp 1,905.6 trillion. The figure represents a 13.6 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024.

The investments created employment for approximately 1.2 million people.

Foreign direct investment accounted for Rp 432.6 trillion ($26.4 billion), or 45.9 percent of the total, while domestic direct investment stood at Rp 510.3 trillion ($31.2 billion), making up 54.1 percent.