The Microfinance Businesses Supervisory Committee instructed microfinance institutions (MFI) in Myanmar to ease loan collections among those who are not able to repay during the pandemic, said U Set Aung, deputy minister of Planning, Finance and Industry. “The committee [Microfinance Businesses Supervisory Committee] will inspect whether the MFIs follow the orders and take action if […]
Microfinance institutions in Myanmar face COVID-19 cash flow crisis
May 28, 2020 by
Travel restrictions, government orders to defer repayments and lend at lower interest rates have reduced the ability of microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Myanmar to operate at a time when there is a pressing need for capital from the rural population due to COVID-19. The inability to collect repayments from some borrowers has led to road […]
Food security concerns mount as COVID-19 disruption leaves Myanmar farmers unable to plant
May 11, 2020 by
Food security concerns in Myanmar are looming as farmers are unable to start the new growing season due to COVID-19 disruptions. “Since COVID-19, there is no longer usual trading as crops simply don’t sell anymore,” said Ba Myint, a farmer in Taungup township in southern Rakhine State, where the primary crops are rice and beans. […]
Ex-Oway Director’s e-commerce app Ezay makes life easy for rural woman retailers in Myanmar
April 2, 2020 by
Ezay connects ‘mom-and-pop’ shops with wholesalers in Myanmar, and products delivered the same day or the next day Kyaw Min Swe’s sister runs a small retail shop in Nattalin in the rural Bago region in Myanmar. Seeing her struggles in getting stock to the shop and having to constantly ask her spouse for help, Min […]
Problems rise for micro-finance borrowers
November 12, 2018 by
Microfinance institutions (MFIs) in Myanmar have lent more than K3.9 trillion to three million small-scale borrowers since the business of microfinance emerged in the country up until February this year, according to Financial Regulatory Department under the Ministry of Planning and Finance. But while the additional lifeline has brought financial relief to borrowers, many have […]
