TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Tempo English compiled the top 3 news on Saturday, April 25, 2026. Here are the highlights: Fitch Ratings Downgrades Outlook for Four Indonesian Banks; Rupiah Strengthens to Rp17,229 on Strong Budget Outlook; and Suckermouth Catfish Surge Signals Ecological Alarm in Jakarta's Rivers.
The following is the list of the top 3 news on Tempo English today:
1. Fitch Ratings Downgrades Outlook for Four Indonesian Banks
Credit rating agency Fitch Ratings has downgraded the credit outlook of four major Indonesian banks. The four banks are Bank Mandiri, Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI), Bank Central Asia (BCA), and Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI).
However, Fitch Ratings has maintained the credit ratings of these four banks at the BBB level. This outlook downgrade is in line with the revised Indonesia's debt outlook from stable to negative in March 2026.
Fitch stated that the revision of Indonesia's debt outlook reflects increasing policy uncertainty with potential implications for medium-term fiscal direction and external buffers. Additionally, Fitch mentioned that the prolonged Iran conflict also poses "downside risk if higher global energy prices weigh on borrowers' debt serviceability."
"However, the banking system's key performance metrics have remained sound, with ample loan-loss reserves and robust capitalization, which provide adequate buffers to absorb potential deterioration under our base case," Fitch wrote in its announcement quoted on Thursday, April 23, 2026.
2. Rupiah Strengthens to Rp17,229 on Strong Budget Outlook
The Indonesian rupiah strengthened by 57 points, or 0.33 percent, to close at Rp17,229 per US dollar on Friday, from Rp17,286 in the previous session.
Currency and commodity analyst Ibrahim Assuaibi said the rupiah’s gain was supported by government confidence in the resilience of the state budget (APBN) amid rising pressure from Middle East tensions, which have pushed up global energy prices.
“When crude oil prices remain highly volatile and exceed the 2026 state budget’s macroeconomic assumption of above US$100 per barrel, the government still has room to contain price increases, particularly for subsidized fuel, without tapping excess budget reserves,” Ibrahim said in a written statement in Jakarta.
He noted that the government’s excess budget balance (SAL), totaling Rp423 trillion, has not yet been used to absorb subsidy pressures stemming from higher energy prices.
3. Suckermouth Catfish Surge Signals Ecological Alarm in Jakarta's Rivers
The rapid spread of suckermouth catfish, locally known as sapu-sapu, in Indonesia’s urban rivers is less about the species itself and more about worsening water quality, according to an academic from Universitas Airlangga.
Veryl Hasan, an assistant professor of aquaculture at the university’s Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences, said the fish, commonly found in heavily polluted waterways such as those in Jakarta, have become dominant because they can survive where most native species cannot.
“Sapu-sapu fish are highly tolerant of poor environmental conditions. When rivers become heavily polluted, many local fish die, while this species continues to survive and reproduce rapidly,” Veryl said in a written statement on Friday, April 24, 2026.
Originally from South America, suckermouth catfish are not considered invasive in their native habitat and are even consumed by local communities. Problems arise, however, when they are introduced into Indonesian waters without natural predators to keep their population in check.
Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
