The world’s oldest surviving rock art is a faded outline of a hand on an Indonesian cave wall, left 67,800 years ago.
On a tiny island just off the coast of Sulawesi (a much larger island in Indonesia), a cave wall bears the stenciled outline of a person’s hand—and it’s at least 67,800 years old, according to a recent study. The hand stencil is now the world’s oldest work of art (at least until archaeologists find something even older), as well as the oldest evidence of our species on any of the islands that stretch between continental Asia and Australia.
Adhi Oktaviana examines a slightly more recent hand stencil on the wall of Liang Metanduno.
Credit:
Oktaviana et al. 2026
Hands reaching out from the past
Archaeologist Adhi Agus Oktaviana, of Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency, and his colleagues have spent the last six years surveying 44 rock art sites, mostly caves, on Sulawesi’s southeastern peninsula and the handful of tiny “satellite islands” off its coast. They found 14 previously undocumented sites and used rock formations to date 11 individual pieces of rock art in eight caves—including the oldest human artwork discovered so far.
Indonesia’s regulator has published a whitelist of 29 licensed crypto platforms.
Indonesia has taken a decisive step to clarify who can legally operate in its fast-growing crypto market.
Global firms such as Robinhood and OSL Group are expanding into Indonesia amid clearer rules.
Indonesia has drawn a clearer legal boundary around its fast-growing crypto market.
The Financial Services Authority (OJK) has released an official whitelist of licensed digital asset platforms, setting out which exchanges are legally allowed to operate in the country.
The move gives investors a single reference point to check whether a crypto provider is authorised and signals a more structured phase of oversight for digital assets.
It also arrives as global firms step up efforts to enter Southeast Asia’s largest economy, where crypto participation has expanded rapidly alongside traditional capital markets.
The whitelist names 29 approved entities and their associated applications or platforms.
According to Otoritas Jasa Keuangan, the list is intended to help the public distinguish between licensed operators and those that are not authorised.
Users have been urged to trade only with platforms included on the list and to treat any unlisted services as unlicensed operators.
Whitelist reshapes crypto access
By publishing a formal register, the regulator has effectively tightened the gateway into Indonesia’s crypto ecosystem.
Until now, retail users often relied on fragmented information to verify whether an exchange was compliant.
The whitelist consolidates this process, offering a regulator-backed reference that places responsibility on platforms to maintain their licensed status.
The announcement also gives enforcement greater clarity.
Platforms operating outside the list are now explicitly positioned as unauthorised, strengthening the regulator’s hand in tackling illicit or non-compliant activity across digital asset markets.
Global firms move into Indonesia
The regulatory clarity comes as international crypto and trading firms seek exposure to Indonesia’s expanding investor base.
Earlier this month, Robinhood signed agreements to acquire Indonesian brokerage Buana Capital and licensed digital asset trader PT Pedagang Aset Kripto.
The transactions provide the company with a direct route into a market that counts more than 19 million capital-market investors and around 17 million crypto traders.
In September, Hong Kong-based OSL Group completed its acquisition of local exchange Koinsayang.
The deal secured regulatory approval for OSL to offer both spot and derivatives trading services in Indonesia, reinforcing the country’s appeal to established regional players.
Rules tighten around digital assets
The whitelist follows OJK Regulation No. 23/2025, which introduces stricter controls over digital financial assets, including crypto and related derivatives.
Under the regulation, exchanges are barred from facilitating trades in assets that are not registered or approved by a licensed digital asset exchange.
The framework also formalises the treatment of digital asset derivatives. Exchanges must obtain prior approval from the regulator before offering such products.
In addition, platforms are required to implement margin mechanisms using segregated funds or digital assets, while consumers must pass a knowledge test before accessing derivatives trading.
The regulator has said these measures are designed to align Indonesia’s market with international supervisory standards and enhance investor protection.
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Adhi Oktaviana examines a slightly more recent hand stencil on the wall of Liang Metanduno.
Credit:
Oktaviana et al. 2026
