Jakarta. The Indonesia Stock Exchange has seen the fastest growth in Asia over the past five years and gained 42 new listings so far this year, bringing the total to 656, its president said on Thursday.

The bourse has a target to attract 75 new listings in 2019 and there is still hope that it may achieve this in the remaining two months.

"There are around 30 candidates in the pipeline, so hopefully we can achieve the target," Inarno Djajadi, president director of the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX), told Beritasatu.com.

He said the bourse's membership had been growing at an average rate of 25 percent over the past five years.

"We are above Vietnam and Thailand, and of course, far ahead of Malaysia, which only grew at 1 percent, and Singapore, which saw a decline," he said.

Citing data by Ernst & Young, Inarno said the IDX was the world's seventh-most active stock market in terms of new listings.

The Indonesian bourse is celebrating its 42nd anniversary on Thursday.