US Dollar Strengthens Against Rupiah Amid August 28-30, 2025 Protests

Large-scale protests erupted in Indonesia from August 28th to 30th, 2025. During this period, the value of the United States dollar (USD) strengthened against the Indonesian rupiah.

On Thursday, August 28th, 2025, the USD exchange rate remained at Rp16,345.

Following the outbreak of unrest, the USD exchange rate rose to Rp16,490 on Friday, August 29th, 2025, and remained at that level the following day, coinciding with the escalation of the demonstrations.

Previously, on Thursday, August 28th, 2025, labor unions in various regions of Indonesia held demonstrations demanding the abolition of outsourcing, rejection of low wages, the formation of a unit to prevent layoffs (PHK), and various other matters related to improving workers' welfare.

On the same day, crowds from various backgrounds gathered near the DPR/MPR building in Jakarta to protest government policies, including a housing allowance of Rp50 million per month for members of parliament.

Demonstrations in front of the DPR/MPR building in Jakarta then turned violent.

The unrest peaked on Thursday evening, August 28th, 2025, when a vehicle belonging to the Indonesian National Police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob) ran over and killed an online motorcycle taxi (ojol) driver in the Bendungan Hilir area, Central Jakarta.

The death of the ojol driver, Affan Kurniawan, sparked public anger. Following this tragic incident, the crowd surrounded the Brimob headquarters in Kwitang, Central Jakarta, demanding accountability from the police.

The protests spread to various regions, including Bandung, Makassar, Surabaya, and Mataram, and continued until Saturday, August 30th, 2025.

On Saturday, August 30th, 2025, crowds also stormed and looted the homes of several officials in Jakarta, namely DPR members Ahmad Sahroni, Eko Patrio, Uya Kuya, and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani.

Before the attacks, these officials had made statements or displayed attitudes considered offensive to the public.