ข่าวเศรษฐกิจและธุรกิจประจำสัปดาห์

• 

  Internet service provider 5BB Broadband is planning to expand the number of free Wi-Fi hotspots in Yangon, aiming for 50 access points by the end of February

  Internet service pro¬vider 5BB Broadband is planning to expand the number of free Wi-Fi hotspots in Yangon, aim¬ing for 50 access points by the end of February.
• 

  Lack of safety measures in Myanmar's booming shopping centres poses a threat to mall-goers, shopkeepers and investors (experts)

  Despite Myanmar’s softer-than-expected growth, there are still fairly visible developments compared to the years before 2010. A rise in the number of shopping malls is a striking testimony to the recent economic changes of Yangon. This trend has intensified since 2012, when plush shopping malls started reaching beyond downtown into other areas of the city. The emergence of modern plazas, accommodating foreigners and the rising middle-class, is welcome and impressive.
• 

  Ooredoo Myanmar Limited has introduced a dedicated internet access for business-to-business (B2B) customers in Myanmar

  The ‘Dedicate Internet Access’ (DIA) is able to provide a range of basic internet to complex international point links to meet the needs of communication of B2B customers, the Qatari telco said. Ooredoo said its DIA will provide dedicated high-speed connectivity to the internet through modern access technologies using fiber optics or microwave. It will provide flexible bandwidth from 1Mbps to 100Mbps with unlimited upload and download data.
• 

  Thailand's SET-listed digital finance firm Group Lease PCL (GL) has formed a strategic partnership with Myanmar tycoon U Aung Moe Kyaw and other investors at AMK Consortium to launch financial services in the country

  Thailand’s SET-listed digital finance firm Group Lease PCL (GL) has formed a strategic partnership with Myanmar tycoon U Aung Moe Kyaw and other investors at AMK Consortium to launch financial services in the country. Under the new partnership, GL will set up a joint venture company with AMK Consortium, which will support Century Finance Company Limited, a Myanmar finance company owned by AMK, to provide a range of financial services, especially for people in the rural countryside.
• 

  The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is lending up to 13.5 million USD to United International Group Limited, a leading domestic hotel owner and operator in Myanmar, to expand the firm's hospitality business

  The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, is lending up to $13.5 million to United International Group Limited, a leading domestic hotel owner and operator in Myanmar, to expand United International’s hospitality business, the IFC said in a statement.
• 

  Myanmar government has presented its long-awaited economic policy, highlighting the importance of developing a market-oriented system in all sectors and establishing an economic framework in support of national reconciliation

  On July 29, DawAung San SuuKyi presented the policy to diplomats, businesspeople and donors. Most reporters were told to wait outside, but a 12-point summary was passed to members of the media after the event. A longer English-language document seen by The Myanmar Times elaborates on some of the key points.
• 

  Myanmar Agriculture and General Development Public Limited (MAGDPL) plans to construct a jetty in Zone No. 29 of the Thilawa Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for agricultural commodities trade

  The project budget is estimated at approximately $428 million and the company expects to recoup costs through jetty-run businesses depending on commodity items and quantity
• 

  India is looking to import pulses from Myanmar and African nations to counter a domestic shortfall of 7.6 million tonnes that has driven local prices of key pulses like chickpea to a record high (Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution of India)

  India consumes nearly 22 million tonnes of pulses annually, but relies heavily on imports to meet demand as production has been hit by uncertain monsoons and irrigation problems. In the year to March 2016, overseas purchases accounted for about a quarter of the country's total consumption.
• 

  Winning Star won a tender to develop state-owned Mrauk-U Hotel in Mrauk-U city, Rakhine State, paying 250 million Kyat a year for a 15-year lease agreement for the 5.54-acre property

  “I want visitors to experience the nature of Mrauk-U. This has been a dream of mine since I joined the travel and tours industry,” said U MaungMaungOkkar, managing director of Winning Star, who defeated nine other bidders for the tender.
• 

  Myanmar's Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation will lower the fees it charges for providing farming services as part of its action plan for the first 100 days under the new government

  While it used to cost K7500 per acre to harrow land, the mechanisation department has reduced that rate to K6500 per acre. Fees for plowing are likewise lower, down from K15,000 per acre to K13,000 per acre, while the service costs for harvesting and threshing have come down from K40,000 per acre to K35,000 per acre.