Silver note commemorating Indonesian independence is not legal tender

Published on July 2, 2025 at 10:52
3 min read
By AFP Indonesia

Ahead of the 80th anniversary of Indonesia's independence, a video surfaced in posts alongside false claims it showed a new 80,000 Indonesian rupiah (US$5) banknote released to mark the milestone. The video in fact shows a commemorative silver plate and the Indonesian central bank said it had not issued a new banknote denomination.

"BI (Bank Indonesia) releases 80,000 Indonesian rupiah banknote for Indonesia's 80th anniversary," reads a post on SnackVideo shared on June 21, 2025.

Indonesia celebrates its independence day on August 17.

The post's attached video shows a silver plaque resembling a banknote printed with an image of Indonesia’s first president, Sukarno, with the number 80 in its top-left and bottom-right corners. Superimposed Indonesian-language text repeats the claim the country's central bank has released an 80,000 rupiah banknote.

Screenshot of false post captured on June 30, 2025, with a red X added by AFP

The same claim was also shared on TikTok here, here and here.

Commenters appeared to believe the note was legal tender, with one user asking, "Where can I find it?"

Although Bank Indonesia did release a limited edition 75,000 Indonesian rupiah banknote for the 75th anniversary of independence in 2020, the circulating video does not show an official note released in the Southeast Asian country (archived link).

The central bank also said in a TikTok post on June 20 that it had not issued a special banknote for the 80th anniversary, warning that the circulating posts were a "hoax" (archived link).

A reverse image search on Google found the circulating video was first uploaded to TikTok on June 16, where the user said it showed a "commemorative silver sheet for Indonesia's 80th anniversary" and that it was "not a banknote" (archived link).

Screenshot of false post (left) and the TikTok post from June 16, 2025 (right)

Keyword searches found the sheet was produced by Mint Indonesia, a company offering commemorative coins and notes.

The same silver note can be seen in an Instagram video by the company promoting a commemorative coin collection for the 80th anniversary (archived link).

Screenshot comparison of the June 16 TikTok post (left) and Mint Indonesia's Instagram video (right)

A Mint Indonesia sales administrator confirmed to AFP on July 2 that the silver plate is made by their company. Images of the product's packaging, provided by Mint Indonesia, also state it is for "collection purposes only" and "not legal tender".

Image of the commemorative silver plate, provided by Mint Indonesia, with disclaimers that it is for "collection purposes only" and "not legal tender" highlighted by AFP

AFP has debunked multiple misleading claims about supposed new banknotes here, here and here.

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