Myanmar is asking the World Bank, Asia Development Bank (ADB), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for almost US$1 billion in funds to buy COVID-19 vaccines, said U Tun Tun Naing, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Planning, Finance and Industry (MOPFI). “Like other countries, Myanmar is trying to get […]
Central Bank will consider further rate liberalisation
September 17, 2019 by
The Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM) will consider further liberalising interest rates and allow private banks more freedom to set their own rates to be more competitive, U Soe Min, deputy governor of the CBM told Parliament on Monday. The CBM will seek assistance and advice from the International Monetary Fund in doing so and […]
EU’s threat to scrap trade preferences spurs Myanmar’s reforms
December 19, 2018 by
Economic reform is getting a second wind in Myanmar as the government tries to lure back foreign investors scared away by reports of human rights abuses against the country’s Rohingya Muslim minority. The government has announced the easing of restrictions on foreign banks and the creation of a new ministry to oversee foreign investment in […]
China to hold 70% stake in Myanmar’s planned strategic seaport
October 16, 2018 by
Myanmar will hold a 30 percent stake in its strategic deep-water seaport project led by cash-rich China, giving Beijing a 70 percent interest, under their final agreement reached during recent talks between the two countries, according to a visiting senior Myanmar official. That is an improvement for the emerging Southeast Asian economy from the initially […]
Myanmar’s Waiting for the Western Investment That Never Came
July 9, 2018 by
Among business leaders in Myanmar, would-be investment from the U.S. and Europe is known by the wry acronym NATO. “No Action, Talk Only,” Sean Turnell, special economic consultant to Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi, said in an interview, underscoring the country’s history of missed opportunities and unfulfilled potential. As Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing economy began […]
Vietnam’s Viettel announces business strategy for Myanmar operations
June 12, 2018 by
Vietnam’s Viettel Group unveiled on Monday the business strategy for Mytel, its Myanmar-based telecom company, which will begin operations this Saturday, June 9. Mytel will focus on the data segment and new digital services, with D-A-T-A being its motto. “[This] stands for D-igital & new services, A-dvanced technology, T-rustworthy, A-ffordable & various services,” the company […]
Myanmar risks falling into a China debt trap
June 12, 2018 by
To understand China’s top priority in Myanmar, forget Beijing’s involvement in the country’s sputtering peace process, or efforts to restart its backed but now suspended US$3.9 billion Myitsone hydroelectric dam, or even securing rights to extract copper at the locally resisted Letpadaung mine outside of Mandalay. Those are all subordinate interests to what China really […]
Confident of long term growth, Serge Pun bets big on tourism, property
April 23, 2018 by
Investors looking for clues on where the Myanmar economy is headed may glean some insight from Serge Pun’s recent corporate maneuvers. The 65-year-old Myanmar tycoon has not been idle of late. Last month, units of Peninsula Residences Yangon, a collection of 96 private luxury homes, went on sale. The homes are part of the Yoma […]
Local banks struggle to meet CBM regulations amid slower economy
February 16, 2018 by
Local banks are finding it difficult to meet a set of new regulations set by the Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM) in July 2017 to modernise the domestic financial sector and better attract foreign direct investments at a time of slower growth. Under a new Financial Institutions Law, the CBM has ordered banks to maintain […]
Myanmar woos Asian tourists amid Rakkhine crisis
February 2, 2018 by
YANGON — These are anxious times for Myanmar’s tourism industry, as the country’s international reputation takes a battering. But shares in Myanmar tycoon Serge Pun’s Memories Group — which includes hotel construction and travel management services — have defied the uncertainty. The company’s shares have risen 12.3% since their January 5 debut to 0.32 Singapore […]
