Weekly Business News from Myanmar

Myanmar government will establish a land bank to provide easy access to the information about available land for foreign investors
The Government will establish a land bank in order to provide information about available land for foreign investors, this is so they can have easy access to information when deciding where to make investments, U Thaung Tun, Union Minister of the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Affairs, said. “Myanmar makes up the biggest land area in Southeast Asia in terms of area and has a lot of land available for industrial investments. However, there are a lot of problems regarding land use. We are trying to provide information on how to acquire and rent the land, and how to change the status of the land into industrial use in accordance with land use policy and Myanmar Investment Law,’’ he said. In order to form a land bank, the government will collect the data of usable land across the country and change it in to electronic data. By doing so the government can provide accurate information about land which will ultimately improve Public Private Partnership and foreign investments.
Yoma Strategic Holdings raised USD $ 70 million from Thai institutional investors in the first foray of a Myanmar- focused company into the corporate bond market
Yoma Strategic Holdings has raised THB2.3 billion (US$70 million) from Thai institutional investors in the first foray of a Myanmar-focused company into the corporate bond market. The Serge Pun-chaired company this month announced that it had filed a bond offering of THB2.3 billion, which is equivalent to the maximum approved guaranteed amount of US$70 million on the day of pricing, with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Thailand (SEC). The issuance took place on January 25. The bonds were more than 2.5 times oversubscribed by Thai institutional investors. The five-year fixed rate bonds are priced at 3.38 percent per annum, which represents a premium of 124 bps above Thai government bonds. The bonds are rated triple A by virtue of them being guaranteed by the Asian Development Bank’s Credit Guarantee and Investment Facility (CGIF).
U Thaung Tun, Union Minister for Investment and Foreign Economic Relations highlighted Myanmar’s economic and investment opportunities related reform initiatives while his participation in World Economic Forum 2019
Union Minister for Investment and Foreign Economic Relations U Thaung Tun highlighted Myanmar’s economic and investment opportunities and latest investment related reform initiatives during the meetings and bilateral discussions as part of Myanmar’s participation in the 2019 Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forumheld in Davos-Kolsters, Switzerland, from 22 to 25 January 2015. Under the theme “Globalisation 4.0: Shaping a Global Architecture in the Age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” the Union Minister exchanged views on international procedures and best practices of investment and trade facilitation with heads of State and Government, Ministers, Senior Officials from International Organizations and business leaders. Union Minister attended the Opening Session and Special address as well as Informal Gathering of World Economic Leaders, held on 22nd and 23rd respectively.
US industrial and manufacturing giant General Electric Co (GE), Vietnam plant stepped up its investments in manufacturing technology and digital innovation with “Brilliant Factory” in the CLMV economies
US industrial and manufacturing giant General Electric Co (GE) is stepping up its investments in manufacturing technology and digital innovation with the first “Brilliant Factory” in the CLMV (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam) economies. The New York-listed multinational is known for innovative creations in various sectors, including the electric light bulb, the first US jet engine for commercial aviation, “rotate-only” CT scanner and HA Gas turbines, which recently won a Guinness World Record for efficiency, according to Wouter van Wersch, President & CEO of GE Asia Pacific, at a briefing for ASEAN media visit, which The Myanmar Times took part. Among those milestones, the “Brilliant Factory” in Haiphong, northeastern Vietnam, is the latest example, he continued. The firm boasts 23 factories in the region but only five “Brilliant Factories” - production unit with advanced manufacturing technologies and digital efficiency - worldwide.
Ministry of Planning and Finance urged four state owned banks to relax the 0.03 percent services fee foreign currency deposits
The Ministry of Planning and Finance, under the Union Government, has pleaded with four state-owned banks to remove the 0.03 percent service fee placed on foreign currency deposit that are being charged to customers. The four state-owned banks include Myanma Economic Bank (MEB), Myanma Agriculture and Development Bank (MADB), Myanma Foreign Trade Bank (MFTB) and Myanmar Investment and Commercial Bank (MICB) are all regulated by the Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM). “There are no state-run banks that are facing losses, they always have a big margin. However, they charge customers a 0.03 percent service fee on foreign deposits. It is not fair to customers by charging this foreign currency deposit fee. There are four state-owned banks and we have requested them to drop the service fees. By dropping the service fees, we hope that they can gain more trusts from customers,’’ said U Soe Win, Union Minister of the Ministry of Commerce, at the regular meeting between U Myint Swe, Vice President No. 1 of Myanmar, and local businessmen.
Tea plantation owner around Pindaya in the Danu Self-Administered Zone are doing transformation organic tea as international market potential for organic products
Tea growers around Pindaya in the Danu Self-Administered Zone are going organic as more foreign buyers show interest in the area’s chemical-free green tea. THE SMALL tea plantations that hug the slopes of Mount Yasagi near Pindaya in southern Shan State are undergoing a transformation, as growers cash in on the international market potential for organic products. The plantation owners hope that the area will be totally devoted to organic farming within three years as they strive to satisfy rising demand for chemical-free green tea. As the transformation continues, they are becoming increasingly vigilant about chemical pollution and that means they keep an eye on trekkers in the area, which is famous for its limestone caves and the placid Bote Talote lake.
Plans are underway to invite tender for first New Yangon Development Company (NYDC) challenge which related to Yangon New Town Plan including big roads with two 26-km bridges
Plans are underway to invite tenders for the first NYDC Challenge related to Yangon New Town Plan including big roads with two 26-km bridges, according to New Yangon Development Company. The visioning workshop on the first phase of the Master Plan of Yangon New Town was held during December in 2018. It was attended by Yangon Chief Minister Phyo Min Thein, members of Yangon City Development Committee, members of Association of Myanmar Architects, members of Myanmar Engineering Society, responsible persons of the NYDC and invited guests. At the workshop, the first phase of the Master Plan chosen by the AECOM to draw up Urban Master Planning and Design was explained. The first phase of Master Plan was drafted based on the findings from strategic flood risk assessment carried out by Royal Haskoning DHV and traffic and transport planning done by oriental consultants.
Government will announce new electricity rates by this year which will take into account the needs of ordinary people
Any rise in electricity rates to be announced this year will take into account the needs of ordinary people, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Electricity and Energy (MOEE) U Soe Myint has told The Myanmar Times. “An increase in rates will take place this year, but only after we seek recommendations from all stakeholders will we announce the new rates that will not affect the lives of ordinary people too drastically,” U Soe Myint said. “The rationale for raising the rates has already been explained to committees in the upper and lower houses of the Assembly of the Union, regional and state ministers, and members of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI). The reasons will also be explained to the 600 MPs of the upper and lower houses. Only when this is done and all objections have been heard will the government announce the new rates,” said U Soe Myint.
PTT Exploration and Production (PTTEP) will invest USD $ 3.3billion in 2019 to continue its activities in Zawtika gas field in the Gulf of Moattama Myanmar
Thai national oil company PTT Exploration and Production (PTTEP) is expecting to spend a total of US$3.3 billion in 2019 to continue its activities in at the Zawtika gas field in theGulf of Moattama, Myanmar. Around 55 percent will be channeled towards investments required for more regular production and storage expansion, with long term development in mind, while the remaining will be used to maintain its daily operations, according to Phongsthorn Thavisin, CEO of PTTEP. The bulk of PTTEP’s capital expenditure (capex) will be used to raise production levels at existing fields in Myanmar and Thailand. These include the S1 Project, the Bongkok Project, the Arthit Project and the MTJDA Project in Thailand and the Zawtika Project in Myanmar. Funds will also be channeled towards building new storage facilities to support higher levels of production, as well as accelerating exploration activities to build up a pipeline of reserves over the long term. Exploration will involve drilling appraisal wells in Myanmar.
Demands are still remain despite Industrial zones are hampered by poor infrastructure have held back investments
Demand for Myanmar’s industrial zones beyond Yangon is bound to grow but poor transport and energy infrastructure have held back investments, a major study suggests. Business information firm Frontier Myanmar Research (FMR) last week at the Yangon Stock Exchange launched its Myanmar Industrial Zone Review, a study based on reviewing approximately 100 active, developing and proposed industrial zones across the country. Industrial zones in Yangon Region benefit from geographical proximity, and hence many better-run zones are being filled up. This has driven up the land prices of industrial estates near the commercial capital. To add to the problem, the government’s effort to push back on land speculation has yielded little success. The price increase has led investors to look beyond Yangon Region.