Articles by Tempo.co

Technology

Why Himbara Bank Shares Are Falling in the Prabowo Era

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Every morning before work, Iqbal Aldrinsyah follows a small ritual: he opens his securities app on his phone. He does not always trade, sometimes he just checks to make sure his portfolio of state-owned bank shares has not sunk further. For the past year, the once-uplifting green graphs have turned red. “I’m holding on for now, rather than taking a cut loss,” said the 34-year-old construction company employee on Wednesday, October 29, 2025.Iqbal has held shares in two state-owned banks for three years, 10 lots each. He once believed in the strength and reputation of the State-Owned Banks Association (Himbara). Back then, one of those bank shares climbed to around Rp5,000 (about US$0.3) per unit, nearly reaching Rp6,000 (US$0.36). Now it sits at just Rp4,000 (US$24). “I used to be optimistic,” he said. “Now I can only hope.”He pinned his hopes on the so-called ‘Danantara effect.’ The the Daya Anagata Nusantara Investment Management Agency (Danantara), was reportedly buying up state-owned bank shares to prevent further decline. But so far, nothing much has changed. The only remaining comfort is the dividend payments, which is still coming in, though smaller now as Himbara’s profits shrink. “At least the dividends help ease the pain,” Iqbal said.The Indonesia Stock Exchange recorded steep drops in the share prices of state-owned banks over the past year. Bank Mandiri (BMRI) fell the most—down 29.19 percent, or 1,970 points—to Rp4,780 (US$0.28) per share. Bank Negara Indonesia (BBNI) dropped 14.83 percent to Rp4,450 (US$0.26), Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BBRI) slid 16.35 percent to Rp3,940 (US$0.23), and Bank Tabungan Negara (BBTN) declined 11.39 percent to Rp1,245 (US$0.07).Read the Complete Story in Tempo English Magazine

Technology

Ways to Protecting the Media Business from AI Disruption

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A troubling report landed on the desk of the Indonesian Cyber Media Association (AMSI). Several member companies reported a sharp decline in search engine traffic, down 30 to 50 percent. The tidal wave of artificial intelligence (AI) keeps crashing into newsrooms. AMSI General Chair Wahyu Dhyatmika suspects that generative AI tools providing information summaries make audiences lose their incentive to click on original news sources.“The potential losses are enormous, and this only worsens the media sustainability crisis we already face,” Wahyu told Tempo on Tuesday, October 21, 2025. AMSI’s members rely heavily on digital advertising. Their business models are fueled by clicks, impressions, and user engagement. With as much as half of their search traffic disappearing due to AI-powered features, online media advertising revenue has plummeted.On top of falling revenue, online media must now shoulder higher server costs due to the growing number of AI crawlers and bots extracting content from their sites without a license. One AMSI member reported that almost 30 percent of its traffic now comes from AI bots, including ChatGPT and Google’s chatbot. These autonomous computer programs, able to mimic human browsing behavior, continually access content to train AI models and answer user queries without permission from the content owners.Wahyu considers this as a serious threat to the media industry. Companies must pay more to expand server capacity to handle bot traffic. Yet media outlets receive no compensation in return, even though producing verified and accountable information requires substantial costs.Read the Complete Story in Tempo English Magazine

Technology

18-Year-Old Founders' AI Startup Videotto Raises Seed Funding from East Ventures

TEMPO.CO, Singapore - Videotto, a Singapore-based AI-native video editing startup founded by two 18-year-old innovators, has secured seed funding from East Ventures, a leading venture capital firm in Southeast Asia, according to a press release received by Tempo on October 28, 2025.Founded by Tay Yao Ming (Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer) and Ian Lee (Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer), Videotto was born from the founders’ frustration with the complexity of traditional video editing tools.“Last year, I was running a podcast interviewing young founders, but it took me 20 hours to edit a single episode and turn it into short-form clips. That’s when I got the idea and approached Ian to build an AI Video Automation Platform together,” said Tay Yao Ming.“Now, Videotto serves to level the playing field for creators globally — redefining how content is produced at scale and making professional video creation accessible to everyone, from individual creators to global brands.”Videotto leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to simplify video editing. Users can upload long-form footage, and the system automatically identifies the best moments, adds captions, arranges scenes, adjusts sound and lighting, and applies smooth transitions. The platform can also generate multiple short videos optimized for various social media platforms, tailoring content automatically for each channel.Over time, the AI learns each user’s editing style and preferences, allowing creators to produce polished, ready-to-share videos with just a few clicks.The product will be publicly showcased at the Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology (SWITCH) 2025, held from October 29 to 31, under the booths of Singapore Polytechnic and Ngee Ann Polytechnic — marking Videotto’s first public demonstration of its technology.“We had a great first meeting with Yao Ming and Ian. It was impressive to see how they think about their business and their commitment to making it work,” said Willson Cuaca, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at East Ventures.“I met Yao Ming a few weeks ago during the POL-ITE Entrepreneurs’ Challenge Dialogue organized by ACE.SG. His pitch left a strong impression on me, and I decided to invest the next day.”Cuaca added that the investment aligns with East Ventures’ founder-first thesis — that innovation can come from anyone, regardless of age or background. “At East Ventures, we believe that AI is not just a technology, but a tool to level the playing field and empower individuals like them to create meaningful impact,” he said.Videotto.com currently operates with a focused four-person strike team. Alongside co-founders Yao Ming and Ian Lee, Felix Isaac Lim and Chong Kah Hian — both young AI prodigies — work tirelessly to strengthen the company’s infrastructure and scale its systems architecture. With the newly secured funding, Videotto plans to accelerate product development, expand its technical talent pool, and acquire high-value clients across the region.About VideottoVideotto is an AI Agent that helps livestreamers, creators, and agencies transform long videos into short, engaging clips — delivering up to 100 times greater efficiency in the video editing process.About East VenturesFounded in 2009, East Ventures is a leading, sector-agnostic venture capital firm that supports over 300 tech companies across Southeast Asia. As an early believer in Indonesia’s startup ecosystem, East Ventures has backed notable companies such as Tokopedia, Traveloka, Ruangguru, ShopBack, Xendit, Sociolla, and Fore Coffee.East Ventures has been recognized as one of the most consistent top-performing VC funds globally by Preqin and remains committed to sustainable investment through ESG-embedded practices.Editor’s Choice: Citi: AI Could Boost Global Banking Profits by US$2 TrillionClick here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News