ข่าวเศรษฐกิจและธุรกิจประจำสัปดาห์

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  The European Union funded organization SMART Myanmar aims to bolster the garment industry in Myanmar: there are around 350 garment factories in Myanmar owned by both local entrepreneurs and foreign investors from 28 countries

  SMART Myanmar is an EU-funded SWITCH Asia project focused on making social and environmental improvements in Myanmar’s garment industry. From 2013-15 the project engaged with local garment factories on social and environmental compliance issues, providing technical support and capacity building. The project helped Myanmar Garment Manufacturers Association (MGMA) develop its staff capacity and draft a ‘Code of Conduct’ for its members.
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  The Central Bank of Myanmar should cooperate more with local banks (people from private banking sector)

  “The Central Bank cannot not work independently yet. However, it will work more independently in the future and it needs more skillful workers and experts to work for them,” U Soe Win, manager of Deloitte Touche Myanmar Vigour Advisory Ltd, said.
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  Parliament passes the Banks and Financial Institutions Law of Myanmar: the new law stipulates minimum capital requirement of 20 billion Kyat and lenders have to keep 5% of customer deposits in cash with the Central Bank

  The new law updates Myanmar’s banking laws in line with the Basel Committee’s requirement on banks following the 2008 financial crisis, bank sources said. The final version of the new law has only minor changes from a draft already published on the Central Bank’s website, they added.
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  The Small and Medium Industrial Development Bank (SMIDB) has given over 130 billion Kyat worth of loans to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) within three years

  Those loans are given to about 400 enterprises from various states and regions. Currently, there are 40,000 registered small and medium enterprises in Myanmar while around 40,000 more are unregistered, said DrThanTun referencing on figures from small and medium enterprises organisations.
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  The price of Thilawa special economic zone (SEZ) shares has increased from 10,000 Kyat to 80,000 Kyat per share

  The price of Thilawa Special Economic Zone shares has increased from Ks 10,000 (US$7.6) to Ks 80,000 per share, according to figures calculated on January 26. The shares became available for subscription in March 2014 at Ks 10,000 per unit on the pro rata system. The prices rose to Ks 40,000 after the SEZ opened and have now reached Ks 80,000 per unit.TheThilawa SEZ is also registered in the Yangon Stock Exchange. Share subscription for the SEZ stocks will be available only at the stock exchange once it opens in March 2016.
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  Singapore tops Myanmar's hotel industry investor list with 1.54 billion USD, followed by Vietnam with 440 million USD, and Thailand with more than 340 million USD

  Last year’s new foreign hotel projects include 21 from Singapore, one from Vietnam, ten from Thailand, four from Hong Kong, three each from Japan and Malaysia, one from South Korea, three from the UK and one each from Luxembourg and the UAE.
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  Myanmar's Ministry of Commerce has no plan to draw the 2015-2019 National Export Strategy again under the new government

  The National Export Strategy, a framework to ensure sustainable export-led growth for the country, has included a list of potential goods which the country wants to prioritise
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  Myanmar's skilled labour needs to catch up as the country integrates into the ASEAN Economic Community (Minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security)

  NSSA didn’t say how much of the country’s budget will be used for the projects. German International Cooperation (GIZ) and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) have been helping to implement the projects.
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  Border trade between Myanmar and Thailand is flowing regularly despite protests across the country (Director General of the Directorate of Trade, Ministry of Commerce of Myanmar)

  “Trade is being carried out regularly. These rumours do not harm regular trade,” said MyintKyaw at the Myawaddy border. An officer from the Mawtaung border in Tanintharyi Region said commodities were flowing as usual and furniture and oil palm were mostly exported to Thailand.
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  A total of 48 companies from 12 countries invested more than 500 million USD in Thilawa Special Economic Zone from November 2014 to December 2015 (Vice President of Myanmar)

  Of the three SEZ projects, the most successful and the first one that started operations is Thilawa Special Economic Zone. As part of the first phase of the Thilawa SEZ project, we are implementing a residential and a commercial area on 400 hectares of land,” said U Nyan Tun.