The Financial Times has 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 south-east 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.”

Lakshmi said: "I am delighted to be joining the FT and to be given the opportunity to cover Indonesia. I look forward to reporting on Indonesia as it transitions to a new president, its rapidly expanding economy and growing strategic importance in the region."

The FT's Jakarta bureau is the latest addition to its network in Asia, with bureaus across the region and in Hong Kong, its editorial base. The FT continues to invest in its Asia-Pacific coverage as the region grows and takes an ever greater share of the world economy.

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For more information, please contact: Danielle McGuigan | danielle.mcguigan@ft.com 

About the Financial Times

The Financial Times is one of the world’s leading business news organisations, recognised internationally for its authority, integrity and accuracy. The FT has a record paying readership of 1.2 million, more than one million of which are digital subscriptions. It is part of Nikkei Inc., which provides a broad range of information, news and services for the global business community.