UK Export Finance, the United Kingdom government’s export credit agency, is prepared to provide up to £4 billion in financing to support a wide range of development projects in Indonesia, according to His Majesty's Trade Commissioner for Asia Pacific Martin Kent. Speaking at the UK-Indonesia Railway Partnership Forum 2026 in Jakarta on July 29, Kent said the financing capacity is available for Indonesia and can be deployed through competitive UK financing solutions aligned with Indonesia’s future ambitions. The agency’s role, as described in the report, is to provide financing and insurance that help overseas buyers and investors carry out projects using British goods and services.
Kent also said His Majesty’s Treasury had recently allocated an additional £50 billion to UKEF to expand the agency’s global operations. In the Indonesian context, he said UKEF is ready to support railway developers by bringing UK expertise across planning, engineering, operations, financing, and transit-oriented development. He framed export finance as a differentiating feature of working with the UK, saying the approach is meant to provide innovative financing tailored to Indonesia’s specific needs.
To make the case for deeper rail cooperation, Kent highlighted the scale of the UK rail industry, saying it is among the world’s most advanced, employs about 100 thousand people, and exports more than £1 billion in railway equipment and services each year. He linked that capability to Indonesia’s rail ambitions by presenting the UK as able to contribute not only capital support but also operational and technical experience relevant to urban rail systems and broader transport development.
Kent said the United Kingdom has already had an active role in Indonesia’s modern transportation network. According to his remarks, British companies contributed to the development of Jakarta’s first Mass Rapid Transit system and also played a significant role in ensuring the operational readiness of Greater Jakarta Light Rail Transit, or LRT Jabodebek, described in the report as the country’s newest urban rail network. He said this work builds on longer-running UK support programs including Future Cities and UK PACT, short for Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions.
Kent expressed hope that the railway forum would lead to stronger Indonesia-UK cooperation in project financing and transit-oriented development, which he described as important to delivering successful urban railway systems. He said he hoped the discussions would identify new opportunities for collaboration, strengthen relationships, and support projects that benefit communities and economies across Indonesia. The remarks position the forum not just as a financing pitch, but as part of a broader effort to deepen bilateral cooperation around rail-led urban development.
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Read the official announcement for the underlying details.