The FT is opening a Jakarta bureau

The Financial Times announced the opening of a new bureau in Jakarta, Indonesia, and the appointment of A. Anantha Lakshmi as Jakarta correspondent.

Lakshmi will cover the Indonesian economy, the largest in Southeast Asia, as it transitions to a new president, its politics, business and commodities sector, including the booming nickel industry.

Lakshmi joins the FT from Reuters, where she served as bureau chief of Malaysia and Brunei. In her previous role she covered a wide range of issues from corruption scandals and regional geopolitics to modern slavery in global supply chains. Prior to that she covered commodities and companies from Singapore and India.

The FT’s Asia editor Robin Harding said: “Indonesia is the world’s third-largest democracy and it’s important to the global economy. We’re very happy to once again have a bureau in Jakarta and to have Anantha joining us – we’re looking forward to lively coverage and in-depth analysis of a country that’s on the rise.”