Indonesia has recently begun to publicly demonstrate objections toward FX firms, both domestic and foreign which operate within its jurisdiction. The nation’s governmental information site, TRUST+, have embarked on a program of listing almost every FX firm as having complaints lodged against it. In addition, a number of main sites and representative offices of very well-known Western brokers and signal service providers are listed as being blocked in Indonesia.

This move comes after Indonesia has become an attractive destination for some retail participants in the forex industry. Whilst the Western world’s financial markets’ regulators have long since set forth comprehensive, and in some cases very expensive stipulations with regard to the means by which FX firms operate, a number of the world’s major brokers and ancillary service providers have been looking east toward emerging market economies.

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With a largely untapped client base, sizable and young domestic population and very few hindrances in relation to government red tape, Indonesia has become an area which many retail brokers consider important. Those who have made inroads into the Asia-Pacific region have garnered a client base from the region over recent times, as was reported by Forex Magnates in detail in the Quarterly Industry Report for Q4 of 2012.

Emerging market economies still have a very long way to go before the national governments of nations such as Indonesia, implement stringent consumer protection laws and resource-heavy entry barriers such as in North America, Australia or Europe. However, this recent publication may indicate that either the regulation of FX in some form is on the Indonesian government’s to-do list, or that the country wishes to stem foreign competition in order to establish home-grown firms.

In order to go some way toward establishing the possible reasoning behind the move, Forex Magnates spoke to Ottelo Deiy, Regional Head, South-East Asia at TNC Markets, who explained that in his opinion, “The regulators have been cautious of margin FX products as investors have faced numerous difficulties with unregulated players hence the forced attack on this product.”

“Domestically investors are overcharged and conditions are not favourable hence the attraction of FX and CFD trading. The regulators will be making some harsh reforms in the coming months,” stated Mr. Deiy.

Indonesia may be following in the footsteps of Turkey, which back in 2009 played host to a number of OTC FX firms offering many products, and in particular binary options, to a very willing client base, with very little regulatory oversight, if any at all. Today, things are somewhat different, with Turkey having become one of Western Asia’s most prominent financial markets economies, and has a very organized regulatory structure to go with it.

Decade of FX In Indonesia

Indonesia has a somewhat longer history of FX market participants operating within its jurisdiction, some of whom are indigenous. But most of them, as with companies which target a Chinese audience, originate from Russia, and were the first to enter the Indonesian market back in 2003, viewing its potential along the same lines as that of China.

The sites which the Indonesian government portal refers to are:

123belajarforex.com
a-1forex.com
campusforex.blogspot.com
fbs.com
fbsindonesia.com
fbs-indonesia.com
fxcmid.com
gainscope.com
gofbs.com
instafx.biz
instafxneo.com
instasurabaya.com
instavalas.com
jeniusforex.com
jogja-ifx.com
lampungtrading.com
livetradingforex.net
medangold.com
mysmartfx.com
nordfx.com
primaexchanger.com
primatrading.net
pundiarta.com
ramos-exchange.com
speedtrader.com
cobratrading.com
finamglobal.com
forex-mmcis.com
aaafx.com
ironfx.com
mayzus.com
scottrades.com
tusarfx.com
3tgbrokers.com
ac-markets.com
amiralmarkets.co.id
amiralmarkets.com
afbfx.com
agea.com
alpari.com
anakbawangfx.com
andalastrade.com
asiafbs.com
askobit.com
avafx.com
avatrader.com
axitrader.com
belajar-trading.com
betonmarkets.com
bforex.com
bfsforex.com
bmrckita.com
cakrafx.com
choicetrader.com
acehinstafx.bz
acehinsta.com
a-1forex.com
alinstaforex.blogspot.com
citifxpro.com
cmcmarkets.com
cmsfx.com
corsacapital.org
dukascopy.com
ecn4x.com
exness.com
fbs.com
fbsneo.com
finexo.com
forex.com
forex4u.co.id
forex4u.org
forex-a1.com
fxcast.com
fxcc.com
fxclub.com
fxcm.co.uk
fxcm.com
fxcompany.net
fxd24.com
fxdana.com
fxdd.com
fxempire.com
fxind.com
fxnet.com
fxopen.com
fxoptimax.com
fxprimus.com
fxpro.com
fxwaveranger.com
gcitrading.com
getforexrebate.blogspot.com
gfcmarkets.com
gftforex.com
hantecfx.com
hmslux.com
hotforex.com
hotspotfx.com
hymarkets.com
instaforexid.com
instafx.asia
instafxtrader.com
instapips.com
interactivebrokers.com
ironfx.com
just2trade.com
lightspeed.com
liteforex.com
easy-forex.com
lqdmarkets.com
markets.com
masterforex.org
maxofx.com
mbtrading.com
mrcmarkets.com
myfxbook.com
oanda.com
octafx.com
onlineforexbroker.biz
optionhouse.com
optionxpress.com
paxforex.com
pepperstone.com
placetrade.com
profit-fx.blogspot.com
roboforex.com
rvdmarkets.com
saxobank.com
sesefx.com
skyeastfx.com
sogotrade.com

SOURCE: http://trustpositif.kominfo.go.id/?lang=en

With this in mind, a matter for consideration for many brokers and signal providers could be that it is possible that the governments of the emerging markets of the Far East may be investigating the possibilities of raising the currently low entry barriers.

Whether this is occurring in order to protect customers, or to protect the domestic FX industry, is perhaps a moot point.