How to Start Forex Trading in Indonesia

With a rapidly growing economy and a rapid spread of technology, more and more traders and forex brokers are turning to the island nation of Indonesia as the next big forex trading sphere. If you’ve ever wanted to trade forex as a resident of Indonesia, an Indonesian citizen or a traveler, our guide will help you get started. 

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Get Started with Forex in Indonesia 

The spread of both domestic and international online brokers offering service to Indonesian trades has greatly expanded the availability of forex trading. To get started with forex indonesia, use the following basic steps to open an account.

1. Find a Stable Internet Connection

Fast, reliable internet service is a must-have when trading forex. If you don’t already have a device connected to the internet, find one with a consistent connection and service before moving forward.

2. Open a Brokerage Account

You cannot buy and sell currencies directly in Indonesia. Instead, you must work through a forex broker, who services your trades on your behalf in exchange for a small fee.

The Financial Services Authority of Indonesia has recently introduced a series of new laws to crack down on local brokers and punish dishonest advertising and excessive commission charges. As a result, the forex market of Indonesia is now well-regulated, and you may safely work with a licensed domestic or international forex broker servicing the Indonesian market.

Indonesian authorities warn, however, not every forex broker offering services to Indonesian residents is properly authorized — the government recommends that Indonesian traders work with domestic brokers. If you aren’t sure if a broker is licensed, visit the Financial Services Authority of Indonesia’s TRUST+ website.  

3. Download a Forex Trading Platform

Depending on the forex broker you choose, you might need to download a 3rd-party trading application like MetaTrader 4 or 5. Be sure that your platform of choice is compatible with your forex broker before you download it.

4. Fund Your Account

After your account is opened, you must deposit trading funds into your brokerage account. Most Indonesian brokers support electronic bank transfers and the use of digital wallets like Perfect Money to fund your account.

If you are a follower of the Islamic faith, you may want to choose a “swap-free” account. These accounts do not accumulate interest in overnight positions, which is compliant with Sharia Law. About 87% of Indonesian residents profess the Muslim faith, so every broker operating in Indonesia is compelled by law to offer swap-free accounts.

5. Place Your 1st Trade

After your funds have cleared and your account is fully opened, it’s time to place your currency trade.  

Indonesia Forex Trading Strategies

The majority of Indonesian traders use a strategy called “technical analysis” to influence their forex trades. When a trader uses technical analysis, he or she looks at price data and candlestick patterns to predict how a currency will move in the future.

In this section, we’ll introduce you to a few technical analysis strategies you can use when formulating your unique trading strategy.   

Return to Mean Strategy

The return to mean trading strategy is based on a simple concept: When a currency fluctuates outside of its standard range of values, it will soon return to the mean. Using a trendline, calculate the mean value and how your currency of choice is increasing or decreasing in value over time. When the currency value moves outside of the standard mean, a buy or sell signal may be triggered. 

Triple Moving Average Crossover

The triple moving average crossover strategy is used by longer-term traders looking for a currency that will steadily increase in value over time. To begin, choose a range of time, for example, 21 days. Then, calculate the average closing price for this period. For each day that a successive bar moves in the same direction as the mean trend, calculate a new average. A buy or sell signal may be triggered when the average mean changes patterns or begins a new trend. 

Reversal Candles

Short-term currency traders often hunt for reversal candles to capitalize on short-term movements in price. A reversal candle is a candlestick that indicates that a currency’s movement trend might reverse in direction. For example, if a currency is steadily rising in value, it will continue to rise until a reversal candle is triggered — the trader would then consider this a “sell” signal and close out of his or her position. Reversal candles may be bullish or bearish depending on their placement and form.  

Forex Trading Example in Indonesia 

Let’s take a look at an example of how forex trading works as an Indonesian trader.

Imagine that you believe that the Australian dollar (AUD) will soon rise in relation to the Indonesian rupiah (IDR). You deposit $100 million IDR into your account and convert the entire lot into AUD. At this time, 1 IDR is equal to about .0001 AUD. After the transaction is complete, you’re left with about $10,000 AUD.

A few weeks later, you see that Australia has shown exceptional GDP growth — and that the value of the Australian dollar has risen in comparison to nearly every other currency. So, 1 IDR is now equal to only 0.00008 AUD. You decide that now is the time to sell, and you convert your entire lot of AUD back to IDR.

At the conclusion of the transaction, you’re left with $125 million IDR. In this example, you’ve gained a profit of $25 million IDR by strategically exchanging your currencies and selling them back when the value of your native currency had fallen.

Making Money with Forex in Indonesia

There are currently no restrictions on the amount of money that forex traders in Indonesia can bring in through their trading. Unlike some other countries, there are also no limitations on the amount of money you can deposit into your international brokerage account. This means that there are no limitations on the amount of profit that you can earn as a forex trader in Indonesia.

Though Indonesia’s forex market is relatively well-regulated, there are a few steps that you can take to protect your investment and prevent yourself from losing money:

• Work only with licensed brokers: Though domestic Indonesian brokers are required to adhere to a select set of laws, not every international broker operating in Indonesia offers these guarantees. Only work with trusted, reliable brokers to protect your financial interests when trading.
• Only trade major currency pairs: If you choose to keep the IDR as your base currency, we recommended that you only trade major currencies — like the USD, AUD and GBP. This will ensure that you’re able to quickly exit your position when you need to.
• Practice your trading strategy first: Before you invest any of your own money, open a demo account and perfect your trading strategy. 

Best Online Forex Brokers in Indonesia

As a trader in Indonesia, you have a wide range of forex brokers to choose from before you trade. If you aren’t sure where you want to open your account, consider a few of our top choices below.  

Forex Terminology

When you first get started in the world of forex trading, it can be confusing to understand what brokers and traders are talking about because forex uses its own language. Familiarizing yourself with some of the most common terms can make it easier to navigate your brokerage platform and the educational resources you use to trade.

Pip: A pip is the smallest possible unit of any given currency. In most cases, 1 pip is equal to 0.0001 of any currency.  

Order: An order is a set of instructions that you give to your broker to tell them what currency you’d like to buy or sell and at what price point.

Lot size: Your lot size is the total number of units of currency that you’re buying or selling. For example, if you place an order to sell $10,000 AUD, your lot size is equal to 10,000.

Call: A margin call is a major risk of trading with leverage. If you borrow money on margin to trade and the value of your portfolio decreases, your lender might require you to deposit more money into your account to maintain your position through a margin call. Margin calls can quickly cause you to lose money or wipe out your earnings, so use leverage with care. 

Trading Forex from Indonesia

With the near-ubiquitous spread of the internet, nearly anyone can get started forex trading — no matter where they live. But before you place your first currency order, be sure to do your research and develop your trading strategy before you invest in the foreign exchange market. Taking just a few days to do your homework and work with a demo account can mean tons of money saved in the long run.

Frequently Asked Questions