Auteur de la note

Wesley I. Romain

Wesley I. Romain is a Sparker at Asia Centre. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Southeast Asian Studies and International Relations from INALCO University in France and a master’s degree in International Affairs with a specialisation in Cyber Security from King’s College London in the UK. His interests include geopolitics, trade, technology, global supply chain, and investment risk in Southeast Asia and Greater China. While completing his academic exchange programme at the University of the Philippines Diliman, Wesley was engaged with Philippine-based NGOs dedicated to fostering peace in the conflict-affected areas of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in the southern Philippines. He is a native French speaker with English as a second language. He is also fluent in Filipino, conversational in Mandarin, and has basic knowledge of Indonesian and Burmese.

Autres analyses

When the temples are still bleeding: Thailand-Cambodia, a war of memories • Arnaud Leveau, PhD

16 December 2025 No Comments

PDF | Thailand-Cambodia, a war of memories When the temples are still bleeding: Thailand-Cambodia, a war of memories By Arnaud Leveau (PhD), President of Asia Centre The armed clashes between Thailand

Prix Asia Centre 2025 | Chinese Mongolian Diplomatic Relations • Thomas Mikan

2 December 2025 No Comments

PDF | Chinese Mongolian Diplomatic Relations Chinese Mongolian Diplomatic Relations Thomas Mikan was selected among the ten shortlisted essays to be published on Asia Centre’s website, following his submission to

Digital Aesthetics: How China Employs Digital Authoritarian Methods to Control Personal Expression Online • Kristýna Kociànovà

28 November 2025 No Comments

PDF | Digital Aesthetics Digital Aesthetics: How China Employs Digital Authoritarian Methods to Control Personal Expression Online Kristýna Kociànovà was selected among the ten shortlisted essays to be published on

Asia Sparks | Unravelling Illegal Online Lending in Indonesia’s Digital Economy • Wesley I. Romain

Unravelling Illegal Online Lending in Indonesia’s Digital Economy

Wesley Issey Romain is a Sparker at Asia Centre. This program aims to coach young specialists of Asia and allow them to post analysis for Asia Centre. With his second contribution to Asia Centre, Wesley is bringing his expertise in Southeast Asian politics.

You may (re)discover Wesley’s first publication “Marcos-Duterte: The Epilogue of a Dynastic Alliance” here

Read his insightful paper by clicking the PDF button!

In Indonesia’s rapidly digitalizing financial landscape, illegal online lending has emerged as one of the most pressing challenges since the early 2020s. Unregulated platforms exploit regulatory loopholes, burden borrowers with predatory practices, and pose broader risks to consumer protection and economic stability. Understanding this issue is crucial, as illicit online lending not only threatens vulnerable consumers but also undermines efforts to promote safe, inclusive, and sustainable financial growth in one of ASEAN’s leading countries. This report aims to examine the prevalence and impact of illegal online lending in Indonesia’s digital financial landscape and assess its implications for the country.

Firstly, it will provide a brief overview of digital lending in Indonesia, highlighting the importance of financial inclusion in the country’s evolving digital economy. Secondly, it will examine its risks and challenges, with a focus on illegal lending practices and the associated financial crime threats to borrowers. Lastly, it will evaluate the existing policy gaps in the country’s regulation of digital lending and present potential solutions to strengthen oversight, enhance protection, and promote responsible financial inclusion.

Unravelling Illegal Online Lending in Indonesia’s Digital Economy :

Asia Sparks :

Asia Centre has developed a new program: Asia Sparks, a coaching program for the new generation of researchers. It brings together seniors, called coaches, and Sparkers, young researchers wanting to produce intellectual work on Asia. Each research project is referred to as a “Spark.” This project is coordinated by Arnaud Leveau, President of Asia Centre, and the coaches consist of various experts from Asia Centre. Ultimately, the work produced may be published in Asia Trend issues.