Indonesia did not unveil new 300,000 rupiah banknote
False claims about bogus banknotes have inundated Indonesian social media for years, the latest of which shows a purported new 300,000 rupiah ($17) bill. Indonesia’s state-owned note printing company said they did not receive any order from Bank Indonesia to print banknotes in that denomination.
“Appearance of a new 300,000 Indonesian rupiah banknote,” reads Indonesian-language text overlaid on a TikTok video on September 17, 2025.
“Bank Indonesia officially issues 300,000 Indonesian rupiah banknotes, symbol of a new era of the rupiah. The 300,000 Indonesian rupiah banknote is an addition to the series of rupiah currently in circulation.”
Screenshot of the false post taken on September 24, 2025 with a red X added by AFP
The video features an image of a pink-coloured banknote, with a person’s face against a backdrop of plants and a farmer — resembling banknote designs in Indonesia (archived link).
It goes on to show the reverse of the note bearing the number “80”, seemingly indicating that the note was released to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Indonesia’s independence (archived link).
The same clip also spread elsewhere on Facebook.
Some users appear to believe the clip shows genuine new banknotes issued by the country’s central bank, Bank Indonesia.
“Makes payments easier,” said one user.
“A sign of inflation,” wrote another.
Adi Sunardi, head of corporate secretary of the Indonesian banknote printing company, PT Peruri, told AFP by phone on September 23 the claim is a “hoax”.
He said the company “has never received any order from Bank Indonesia to print a 300,000 rupiah denomination”.
The central bank also previously said in a TikTok post on June 20 that it had not issued a special banknote for the country’s 80th anniversary (archived link).
In an Instagram post on August 23, Bank Indonesia warned against another hoax that similarly claimed it had issued new 250,000 rupiah banknotes (archived link).
“The last official commemorative banknote issuance was for the 75th anniversary of Indonesian independence in 2020,” the post said.
The central bank’s website shows it last revised the rupiah’s design in 2022 (archived link).
AFP has previously debunked similar misinformation about new banknotes here and here.
