Tag: Myanmar investment

Myanmar: foreign investment rush raises hopes….and concerns

Jun 17, 2013 3:00am by Gwen Robinson

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One of the most visible symbols so far of Myanmar’s opening to the west was the recent launch of Coca-Cola’s new bottling operations at its joint-venture plant on the outskirts of Yangon. Less visible was the changing dynamic around the seemingly unstoppable surge of foreign investment interest in the previously secretive country. Continue reading »

Tags: Coca-Cola, Myanmar economy, Myanmar investment Posted in Asia, Myanmar | Permalink

Myanmar: a $300bn economy by 2030

May 29, 2013 9:27pm by Gwen Robinson

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While some of the world’s biggest professional services firms have rushed into Myanmar to set up shop, the big management consultants have been conspicuously absent from the rush – at least, so it has seemed.

But, what do you know? McKinsey & Co, in typically discreet style, has trumped them all with a comprehensive report on the country’s prospects and policy suggestions, to be formally presented – gratis – to the government of President Thein Sein. Continue reading »

Tags: McKinsey, Myanmar economy, Myanmar investment Posted in Asia, Myanmar | Permalink

China’s ups and downs in Myanmar open the door for Japan

Apr 16, 2013 11:44am by Gwen Robinson

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As beyondbrics reported yesterday, Myanmar’s new trasparency zeal could be a nightmare for China, given the close relationship between the two nations on various projects.

So how are China’s investments in the country going? And which other countries are waiting in the wings? Continue reading »

Tags: China-Japan, China-Myanmar, Myanmar investment Posted in Asia, China, Japan, Myanmar | Permalink

Myanmar cleans house – China’s worst nightmare?

Apr 15, 2013 1:28pm by Gwen Robinson

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You're signing what?

It’s hardly a move to please China. Myanmar, up to recently a loyal neighbour with seemingly endless willingness to open up its abundant natural resources to Chinese companies, is preparing to sign the awkwardly-named Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.

Norway-based EITI, which comprises governments, civil society, international organisations and resources companies, oversees a voluntary regime for the natural resources industry that has struck fear in the boardrooms of multinationals around the world. Continue reading »

Tags: China-Myanmar, EITI, Myanmar investment Posted in Asia, Myanmar | Permalink

US eases restrictions on four major Myanmar banks

Feb 24, 2013 10:58pm by Gwen Robinson

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The US has taken further steps to ease restrictions on US corporate investment and business activities in Myanmar, following intense debate within the US Treasury and the State department after Washington softened sanctions against the country last July.

The move frees US citizens and companies to conduct business with four of the country’s biggest banks, of a total 19 banks. All four banks have faced US sanctions and at least two of the institutions are controlled by people who have been on so-called US “blacklists”, naming individuals with close business and financial links to the former military regime. Continue reading »

Tags: banking, Myanmar investment, sanctions, US-Myanmar Posted in Asia, Myanmar | Permalink

Myanmar telecoms: boom times ahead?

Jan 16, 2013 2:50am by Jake Maxwell Watts

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Myanmar’s government on Tuesday took its first big step towards promised liberalisation of the country’s long closed telecommunications market, with a surprise announcement inviting foreign tenders for two national telecoms service licenses. Continue reading »

Tags: Myanmar economy, Myanmar investment, Myanmar telecoms, telecoms Posted in Asia, Myanmar | Permalink

Taiwan’s HTC calls on Myanmar

Jan 14, 2013 5:54am by beyondbrics

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By Sarah Mishkin and Gwen Robinson

HTC, the Taiwanese smartphone maker, is the latest foreign investor lured to Myanmar and the potential of its growing consumer base.

What edge does HTC think it has against Samsung, its much larger competitor that already has big operations in the country? Perhaps the fact that, as it has done most notably in China, HTC’s phones are designed specifically for the local market, with an operating system capable of handling Myanmar’s alphabet, not something supported by most software.

Tags: Myanmar investment, smartphones, technology Posted in Myanmar | Permalink

Myanmar: ANZ and StanChart lead the march of western banks

Dec 7, 2012 11:16am by Gwen Robinson

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Photo: Bloomberg

Australia’s ANZ has become the first western bank to gain approval from Myanmar’s authorities to open a representative office since the easing of western sanctions earlier this year.

ANZ, which plans to open its doors early in 2013, will likely be followed by Standard Chartered Bank, which is not far behind with its preparations, having secured in-principle approval. HSBC is also pressing for permission for a representative office, beyondbrics has learned. Continue reading »

Tags: banking, FDI, Myanmar investment Posted in Asia, Myanmar | Permalink

Private equity: the last frontier

Dec 6, 2012 6:36pm by Avantika Chilkoti

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A year ago, who would have thought Myanmar would be in the spotlight on the private equity stage? It turns out that those PE funds with an eye on geopolitics, are also seeing potential in the Middle East and north Africa in the wake of the Arab Spring . Continue reading »

Tags: emerging markets, Myanmar economy, Myanmar investment, private equity Posted in Global | Permalink

Myanmar: airlines fly in

Sep 11, 2012 11:37am by Jake Maxwell Watts

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Myanmar has undergone significant reforms in the last year, putting it firmly on the tourism and business agenda. But aside from economic and political changes, merely providing the means for foreigners to visit is a significant challenge, even as Myanmar begins to receive considerable international investment.

This has not escaped the attention of major airlines, who are scrambling to meet demand. Continue reading »

Tags: Air Asia, airlines, aviation, Myanmar investment, Singapore Airlines Posted in Asia, Myanmar | Permalink

Myanmar: planned foreign investment law delayed by local business opposition

Aug 28, 2012 9:31am by Gwen Robinson

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Despite glowing predictions of becoming a “rising star” in Asia, Myanmar has generated more uncertainty than optimism when it comes to its much-delayed foreign investment code.

The saga has dragged on for more than eight months, since president Thein Sein promised a liberal new foreign investment regime late last year, and his industry minister (who also heads the Myanmar Investment Commission, the body overseeing foreign investment) just weeks later announced key points at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Continue reading »

Tags: foreign investment, Myanmar investment Posted in Asia, Myanmar | Permalink

Guest post: muscling into Myanmar’s surprisingly crowded business world

Jul 20, 2012 3:04am by beyondbrics

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By Udayan Chattopadhyay of Ergo

The US’s decision to suspend some key sanctions against Myanmar is the latest and perhaps most prominent endorsement received by that country’s new quasi-civilian regime.

Global interest has surged, due to Myanmar’s vast untapped natural resources, underexploited agricultural sector and huge underemployed labor force. While there is justifiable excitement – the IMF expects 6 per cent economic growth this year – those new to Myanmar will find that it is hardly virgin territory. Continue reading »

Tags: Asian economies, China-Myanmar, guest post, Myanmar economy, Myanmar investment, sanctions Posted in Myanmar | Permalink

From FT.com July 11, 2012

Thein Sein calls for end to sanctions

Moves by western governments to suspend – rather than remove – sanctions against Myanmar will do little to encourage badly needed investment in the country, according to Myanmar’s president Thein Sein. In one of his first interviews since being elected 18 months ago, Thein Sein told the Financial Times that foreign investment was crucial to the country’s rapid democratisation, but that any “major” western investment depended on removal rather than temporary suspension of sanctions. Continue reading »

Tags: Myanmar investment Posted in Asia, Myanmar | Permalink

Myanmar: Japan makes up for lost time

Jul 11, 2012 8:45am by Ben McLannahan

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After the debt, the deluge? Three months after Japan agreed to waive much of the money owed to it by Myanmar, clearing the way for normalised economic relations after a 25-year lending freeze, Japanese companies are beginning to make up for lost time.

On Tuesday Marubeni, Japan’s fifth largest trading house, said it had been awarded a contract to overhaul a gas-fired power plant it built seven years ago, before tighter Western sanctions took hold. Continue reading »

Tags: energy, infrastructure, Myanmar economy, Myanmar investment Posted in Asia, Myanmar | Permalink

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Tag: Myanmar investment

Myanmar: foreign investment rush raises hopes….and concerns

Myanmar: a $300bn economy by 2030

China’s ups and downs in Myanmar open the door for Japan

Myanmar cleans house – China’s worst nightmare?

US eases restrictions on four major Myanmar banks

Myanmar telecoms: boom times ahead?

Taiwan’s HTC calls on Myanmar

Myanmar: ANZ and StanChart lead the march of western banks

Private equity: the last frontier

Myanmar: airlines fly in

Myanmar: planned foreign investment law delayed by local business opposition

Guest post: muscling into Myanmar’s surprisingly crowded business world

Thein Sein calls for end to sanctions

Myanmar: Japan makes up for lost time

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