Indonesia's central bank unexpectedly cut policy rates on Wednesday, resuming its monetary easing to prop up growth in Southeast Asia's largest economy despite financial market volatility that has sharply weakened the rupiah currency.

It also comes just three months after President Prabowo Subianto took office with an ambitious goal of boosting growth to 8 per cent in the next five years. Indonesia has been growing at a steady rate of 5 per cent over the previous decade, except for during the Covid pandemic.

Indonesia’s central bank caught markets off guard with a surprise rate cut, upending expectations that it would keep policy settings on hold to help stabilize the rupiah.

Indonesia unexpectedly reduced its key interest rate in its first monetary policy decision this year, moving to bolster economic growth even after the local currency recently weakened beyond the key level of 16,