The Investment Management Agency Daya Anagata Nusantara, commonly known as Danantara Indonesia, is reportedly exploring potential investment opportunities amid talks of a possible merger between PT GoTo Gojek Tokopedia Tbk (GOTO) and Grab Holdings.

Danantara's prospective investment is being viewed as a mechanism to preserve national ownership in the merged entity of these two tech giants.

Wijayanto Samirin, a senior economist from Paramadina University, believes that Danantara’s initiative is highly likely to receive support from President Prabowo Subianto.

This expectation stems from the President’s strong commitment to a people-centered economy and national interests.

“Considering the President’s focus on grassroots economic development and safeguarding national interests, it is quite plausible that he would support this plan,” Wijayanto stated in his remarks on Monday (June 9, 2025).

He continued, “Imagine that the GoTo-Grab ecosystem currently involves about 4 million driver and courier partners, millions of MSMEs, and tens of millions of users.”

According to him, the existence of GoTo’s ecosystem significantly affects the livelihoods of many, ranging from drivers and small business owners to digital payment networks.

“This ecosystem effectively connects tens of millions of economic actors — from motorcycle taxis, taxis, couriers, to payment systems — and holds immense potential for future expansion across various economic subsectors,” Wijayanto elaborated.

He further emphasized that the government has a responsibility to ensure that this ecosystem benefits and supports the well-being of everyone involved.

If the aim is to promote an inclusive, people-based economy, then having influence over such a system is crucial.

“In this context, government involvement through Danantara as a shareholder is the most practical strategy to safeguard both public and governmental interests,” he explained.

According to a report from Bloomberg, Danantara has already initiated preliminary discussions with GoTo regarding the possibility of acquiring a minority stake if the merger with Grab proceeds.

Sources familiar with the discussions revealed that Danantara’s investment plan is intended to ease the Indonesian government’s concerns over the potential impact of the GoTo-Grab merger.

This move would potentially allow the Indonesian government to hold equity in one of Asia’s largest tech companies.

However, as of now, no official statement has been issued by Danantara regarding this investment exploration.

This article was originally published on Kompas.com under the title "Ada Rumor Danantara Hendak Beli Saham GoTo, Ekonom Sarankan Hal Ini".