Indonesia tightens rules on crypto influencers

TLDR

Indonesias financial regulator has introduced a strict new rulebook for financial influencers, including those promoting crypto, with licensing and disclosure now mandatory.

1. Indonesias Financial Services Authority (OJK) issued POJK No. 6/2026, requiring finfluencers to be certified or licensed and to disclose all paid promotions and economic interests.
2. Crypto promotions are now largely limited to channels of licensed financial firms, which are held liable for the content of influencers they partner with and can face fines up to 15 billion rupiah.
3. Influencers, exchanges, and projects have about six months to adjust marketing practices, and this move may push other ASEAN regulators toward similarly tight rules.

Deep Dive

1. What The New Rules Actually Do

OJK has enacted POJK No. 6/2026, a dedicated framework for financial influencers that covers investments, lending, and digital assets, effective 24 June 2026.

Influencers who give views or recommendations on financial products must now meet competency, certification, or licensing requirements and clearly disclose if they are paid or have any economic interest in what they promote.

The regulation explicitly includes crypto, and OJK frames it as a response to retail harm from misleading content and manipulative schemes, including a recent 5.35 billion rupiah fine on an influencer for stock manipulation.

2. Impact On Crypto Promotions And Liability

For crypto, promotions are restricted to channels operated by licensed financial services providers (PUJK entities), according to the OJK-focused writeup of POJK No. 6/2026.

Licensed firms are explicitly responsible for influencer content they pay for, and violations linked to that content can result in fines of up to 15 billion rupiah, plus potential blocking or suspension of accounts in coordination with the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs.

Practically, this makes unlicensed solo crypto gurus much riskier counterparties for exchanges and token projects, and encourages a shift toward fewer, more formally engaged and supervised spokespeople.

3. What To Watch Next In Indonesia And Regionally

Existing commercial influencer deals have a six month transition window, so the real test will be how aggressively OJK enforces these rules once that grace period ends.

Key signals to watch are: 1) visible changes in Indonesian crypto marketing, such as more corporate-branded channels and fewer informal shill groups, and 2) any high profile enforcement actions against crypto finfluencers.

The framework intentionally mirrors moves in markets like Singapore and India to rein in retail-targeted financial content, so similar influencer rules could spread across Southeast Asia, reshaping how projects launch and promote in the region.

Conclusion

Indonesia has moved from warning about risky financial influencers to a formal licensing and liability regime that directly covers crypto promotions.

For users, this should mean more transparent, accountable marketing. For exchanges, projects, and influencers, it raises the bar on compliance and shifts value toward those who can operate within a regulated, fully disclosed sponsorship model.