Jakarta. Indonesia expects a balance of payments surplus of $9 billion this year, more than previously forecast but less than 2016's surplus, central bank deputy governor Mirza Adityaswara said on Monday (11/09).

In June, Bank Indonesia's said the outlook for 2017's surplus was $5.9 billion. In 2016, the surplus was $12.1 billion.

Adityaswara, speaking at a parliamentary hearing, did not explain the anticipated increase, but said the surplus in 2018 may decline to $6 billion. For both 2017 and 2018, he said he expects the current account deficit to remain around 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).

Indonesia's balance of payments surplus shrank to $739 million in the second quarter of 2017 compared to $4.5 billion in the previous quarter.

Reuters