Digital Asset Enforcement Reform in Indonesia: A Polycentric Governance Approach

Syamsul Maarif

Abstract

Digital assets are growing quickly in Indonesia, which has caused a lot of legal and institutional problems, especially when it comes to settling disputes over cryptocurrencies, tokenised assets, and other blockchain-based tools. Despite regulatory recognition, there remains a critical gap between legal frameworks and effective remedies for victims, highlighting the urgency of enforcement reform. This article examines the key legal problems, including regulatory fragmentation, ambiguity in asset classification, cross-border enforcement barriers, limitations in digital forensic capacity, and weak inter-agency coordination. Using a normative-doctrinal method combined with comparative analysis of cases and regulatory developments, this study adopts a polycentric governance approach to assess how administrative, civil, and criminal enforcement pathways interact and where they fail. The findings reveal that enforcement inefficiencies occur across the entire dispute chain, leading to inadequate victim recovery, legal uncertainty, and reduced market trust. This study proposes a sequenced reform framework, including the enactment of a consolidated digital asset law with functional classification, strengthening regulatory authority with asset preservation powers, reforming insolvency law to recognise digital property, establishing standardised forensic and evidentiary protocols, and enhancing cross-border cooperation mechanisms

Keywords

Digital Assets Governance; Enforcement and Restitution; Insolvency Reform.

Full Text:

PDF

References

Alston, E., Law, W., Murtazashvili, I., & Weiss, M. (2022). Blockchain Networks as Constitutional and Competitive Polycentric Orders. Journal of Institutional Economics, 18(5), 707–723. https://doi.org/10.1017/S174413742100093X

Backer, L. C. (2016). Governance polycentrism or regulated self-regulation. In K. Blome et al. (Eds.), Contested Regime Collisions (1st ed., pp. 198–225). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781316411230.009

Bahtera, H. R. A., Setiono, J., & Fadri, I. (2025). Legal Protection for Crypto Asset Investors in Indonesia Within an Incomprehensive Regulatory Framework. Jurnal Greenation Sosial Dan Politik, 3(3), 521–529. https://doi.org/10.38035/jgsp.v3i3.433

Berutu, J. R., Yuhelson, Y., & Prasetyo, D. A. (2025). Regulatory Shifts and Legal Certainty in Cryptocurrency Trading. Asian Journal of Social and Humanities, 3(9), 1687–1693. https://doi.org/10.59888/ajosh.v3i9.578

Brown, I. & Marsden, C. (2013). Regulating Code: Good Governance and Better Regulation in the Information Age. MIT Press.

Dwitanti, A. I., & Puji Simatupang, D. (2022). Tax Imposition and Legal Enforcement on the Digital Asset of NFT. Unram Law Review, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.29303/ulrev.v6i2.250

Erwanto, E., & Santoso, A. P. A. (2024). Study of Crypto Currency in Indonesia. JISIP, 8(3), 1527. https://doi.org/10.58258/jisip.v8i3.6870

European Union. (2023). Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 on Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA). Official Journal of the European Union, L 150, 40–205.

Fahira, S. H., Daimah, D., & Mu’amar, I. (2024). Cryptocurrency Regulation in Indonesia. Indonesian Cyber Law Review, 1(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.59261/iclr.v1i1.3

Financial Action Task Force (FATF). (2021). Updated Guidance for a Risk-Based Approach to Virtual Assets and VASPs.

Financial Action Task Force (FATF). (2023). Indonesia: Mutual Evaluation Report. Paris: FATF.

Financial Action Task Force (FATF). (2024). Targeted Update on Implementation of the FATF Standards on Virtual Assets and VASPs (5th Update).

Financial Action Task Force (FATF). (2025). Targeted Update on Implementation of the FATF Standards on Virtual Assets and VASPs (6th Update).

Financial Stability Board (FSB). (2023). Global Regulatory Framework for Crypto-asset Activities. Basel: FSB.

Financial Stability Board (FSB). (2025). Thematic Review on FSB Global Regulatory Framework for Crypto-asset Activities. Basel: FSB.

Fröwis, M., Gottschalk, T., Haslhofer, B., Rückert, C., & Pesch, P. (2020). Safeguarding the Evidential Value of Forensic Cryptocurrency Investigations. Forensic Science International: Digital Investigation, 33, 200902. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fsidi.2019.200902

Gunningham, N., & Holley, C. (2016). Next-Generation Environmental Regulation. Annual Review of Law and Social Science, 12(1), 273–293. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-lawsocsci-110615-084651

IOSCO. (2023). Policy Recommendations for Crypto and Digital Asset Markets: Final Report. Madrid: IOSCO.

Iris Ng, Y. K. (2025). The Legal Recognition and Regulation of Digital Assets. Highlights in Business, Economics and Management, 52, 52–61. https://doi.org/10.54097/ybywwm42

Izmi, N., & Siagian, A. W. (2024). Technological Innovation of the Crypto-Asset Financial Sector in Indonesia after Law Number 4 of 2023. The International Journal of Financial Systems, 2(1), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.61459/ijfs.v2i1.34

Kartono, K., Susanti, N. S., Soewita, S., Salim, A., & Imron, A. (2024). Legal Ambiguity in Handling Cryptocurrency Evidence. Interdiciplinary Journal and Hummanity (INJURITY), 3(11), 768–776. https://doi.org/10.58631/injurity.v3i11.1307

Kochergin, D. (2022). Crypto-assets: Economic Nature, Classification and Regulation. International Organisations Research Journal, 17(3), 75–130. https://doi.org/10.17323/1996-7845-2022-03-04

Kokorin, I. (2023). The Anatomy of Crypto Failures and Investor Protection under MiCAR. Capital Markets Law Journal, 18(4), 500–525. https://doi.org/10.1093/cmlj/kmad019

Law Commission of England and Wales. (2023). Digital Assets: Final Report (Law Com No. 412). London: Law Commission.

Lipson, J. C., & Skeel, D. A. (2025). FTX’d: Conflicting Public and Private Interests in Chapter 11. Stanford Law Review, 77, 369.

López-Aguilar, P., & Solanas, A. (2022). Cross-Border Exchange of Digital Evidence Using Blockchain. In Applications in Electronics Pervading Industry, Environment and Society (Vol. 866, pp. 132–138). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-95498-7_19

Luhmann, N. (2004). Law as a Social System. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198262381.001.0001

Mulyadi, D. (2025). Legal Analysis of Trading in the Digital Age. Ipso Jure, 2(7), 77–88. https://doi.org/10.62872/mwftad66

Nelson, F. M., Prosperiani, M. D., Ramadhan, C. R., & Andini, P. P. (2024). Cracking the Code: Investigating the Hunt for Crypto Assets in Money Laundering Cases in Indonesia. Journal of Indonesian Legal Studies, 9(1), 89–130. https://doi.org/10.15294/jils.vol9i1.4534

Ngozi Samuel Uzougbo, Ikegwu, C. G., & Adewusi, A. O. (2024). International Enforcement of Cryptocurrency Laws. Magna Scientia Advanced Research and Reviews, 11(1), 068–083. https://doi.org/10.30574/msarr.2024.11.1.0075

Noor, A., Arifin, Moh., & Astuti, D. P. W. (2023). Crypto Assets and Regulation: Taxonomy and Framework. JED, 8(3), 303–315. https://doi.org/10.26618/jed.v8i3.10886

Ostrom, E. (2010). Beyond Markets and States: Polycentric Governance of Complex Economic Systems. American Economic Review, 100(3), 641–672. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.100.3.641

Paterson, J. (2024). Decentralised Finance, Regulation, and Systems Theory. Oñati Socio-Legal Series, 14(5), 1296–1314. https://doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl.1916

Perlman, L. (2019). A Model Crypto-Asset Regulatory Framework. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3370679

Prawira, M. Y., & Alamsyah, F. (2023). The Implementation of Mutual Legal Assistance between Indonesia and Switzerland. Indonesian Comparative Law Review, 5(2), 58–74. https://doi.org/10.18196/iclr.v5i2.17435

Remolina, N., Gurrea-Martínez, A., & Liu, D. (forthcoming). The Treatment of Digital Assets in Insolvency. In Oxford Handbook of Digital Assets and the Law. Oxford University Press. SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4915592

Rodríguez De Las Heras Ballell, T. (2024). The Emergence of Principles and Best Practices on Digital Assets. European Journal of Risk Regulation, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1017/err.2024.55

Rusman, R., & Fakrulloh, Z. A. (2024). Reform of Law Enforcement to Strengthen the Legal System in Eradicating Money Laundering Through Cryptocurrency. Journal of Social Research, 4(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.55324/josr.v4i1.2332

Scorpan, A. (2021). Reflections on Legal Deficiencies Affecting Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Asset Recovery. Administrarea Publica, 3(111), 136–142. https://doi.org/10.52327/1813-8489.2021.3(111).15

Soerjadi, D. F., & Kusmiadi, R. (2024). Transition of Crypto Asset Supervision from Bappebti to OJK. Action Research Literate, 8(11), 3322–3327. https://doi.org/10.46799/arl.v8i11.2531

Steele, S., & Morishita, T. (2020). Lessons from Mt Gox: Practical Considerations for a Virtual Currency Insolvency. In D. W. Arner et al. (Eds.), Research Handbook on Asian Financial Law (p. 479). Edward Elgar.

UNIDROIT. (2023). Principles on Digital Assets and Private Law. Rome: UNIDROIT.

Werbach, K. D. (2016). Trustless Trust. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2844409

Wibowo, A. (2023). Barriers and Solutions to Cross-Border Asset Recovery. Journal of Money Laundering Control, 26(4), 739–750. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMLC-01-2022-0022

Yadav, Y., & Stark, R. J. (2024). The Bankruptcy Court as Crypto Market Regulator. Southern California Law Review, 96(6).

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.