IndoTower

The Tower That Refused to Die: How Surya Paloh's $500 Million Skyscraper Survived a Chinese Partner's Betrayal — And Is Finally Rising Above Jakarta

The Tower That Refused to Die: How Surya Paloh's $500 Million Skyscraper Survived a Chinese Partner's Betrayal — And Is Finally Rising Above Jakarta

Groundbreaking by a president. A Chinese partner that vanished with the money. Five years of near-abandonment. And a media conglomerate that quietly bought out the wreckage and kept building. Indonesia 1 Tower — Surya Paloh's Rp 8 trillion twin skyscraper on Jakarta's most prestigious boulevard — is now structurally topped out and scheduled for completion in 2027. This is the story nobody fully told.

Aguan's $6.5 Billion Gamble: How Indonesia's Most Powerful Property Tycoon Lost His Government Lifeline — And What He Does Next

For decades, Sugianto Kusuma — known universally as Aguan — has built Indonesia's most ambitious coastal city from reclaimed swampland. His PIK 2 project, a 2,650-hectare "New Jakarta" positioned 7 minutes from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, was the crown jewel. Then President Prabowo revoked its Strategic National Project status. Forbes Indonesia looks at what happens when the country's most powerful developer loses his government shield — and why the project may survive anyway.

Read →