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Analysis

Gas resources help to meet domestic energy demand and lower imports in Myanmar
OBG
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Despite being Myanmar’s most valuable export commodity, there is still an imbalance in the supply and use of gas. The country produces 1.8bn standard cu feet (scf) of natural gas per day, but consumes just 100m scf per day. In addition, there is an extensive network of natural gas pipelines that run through most of the energy demand hubs in the country. Nonetheless, Myanmar still imports…

Analysis

Investment from China spurs large-scale construction in Myanmar
OBG
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Mandalay is booming on the back of rising international investment and government efforts to foster the northern city as an engine of national growth. Local officials expect the economy to grow by 8.1% in 2019, outpacing national GDP growth of 6.1% and the city’s 2018 growth rate of 7.2%, the regional chief minister, U Zaw Myint Maung, told local press in March 2019. “Situated between India…

Analysis

Demand for green bonds grows as investors in ASEAN seek ethical investment vehicles
OBG
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The year 2019 marked the second anniversary of ASEAN’s inaugural bond issue under the organisation’s common Green Bond Standards (GBS) – a RM2bn ($480m) issue by the Malaysian government-controlled asset manager, Permodalan Nasional. Since then, the green bond market in Asia Pacific has won many accolades, with 2018 seeing the region record the second-highest volume of outstanding, climate-aligned…

Analysis

Credit extended to Myanmar's real estate sector surges as financial flexibility increases
OBG
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In January 2019 the Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM) gave the green light for banks to raise the share of home loans in their portfolios to 5% of the total and to extend debt instrument maturities beyond the previous limit of three years. The move saw credit extended to the real estate sector surge by 200% in the first quarter, albeit from a small base, in the process enfranchising thousands of…

Analysis

Increased activity in Myanmar's transport sector to encourage economic development and private investment
OBG
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In a bid to address an existing infrastructure deficit, Myanmar is ramping up activity in the transport sector, which is expected to encourage further economic development. In March 2019 State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and Thailand’s Prime Minister PrayutChan-o-cha officially opened the second Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge, two decades after the first one was built in 1997. The Thai-funded…

Analysis

Growing international trade encourages investment in Myanmar's maritime infrastructure
OBG
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Myanmar has a total of nine coastal ports and more than 400 inland river ports. Its location close to major shipping routes and some of the world’s emerging economic powers, combined with a growing openness to international trade, could see the country unlock much-needed investment in maritime infrastructure in the decade leading to 2030. High Potential Myanmar’s coastal ports are at…

Analysis

Garments segment supports development of Myanmar's manufacturing sector
OBG
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Garment manufacturing has been the driving force behind the development of Myanmar’s manufacturing sector. The Myanmar Garment Manufacturers Association (MGMA), the primary trade association supporting the industry, estimates the segment employs 450,000 workers, more than 90% of whom are women, across its 600 member factories. Garment exports rose from $349m in 2010 to $4.6bn in 2018. The…

Analysis

Retailers take diverse approaches to tap Myanmar's growing domestic market
OBG
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As Myanmar’s economy continues to expand, with GDP growth forecast at over 6% in 2019 and 2020, the country’s young urban population benefits from increasing opportunities to sample new food, beverage and entertainment options, particularly as incomes and leisure times rise. Furthermore, the government’s move to open wholesale and retail markets to 100% foreign ownership is expected to…

Analysis

Mechanisation and sustainability efforts boost Myanmar's crop productivity
OBG
plus

Shortfalls in irrigation and low rates of the use of machinery have led to low productivity in Myanmar’s agricultural sector. A 2016 World Bank report found productivity was behind that of the country’s regional counterparts. During the monsoon months, for example, one day of work would generate 23 kg of paddy in Myanmar, compared to 62 kg in Cambodia, 429 kg in Vietnam and 547 kg in Thailand.…

Analysis

New legislation expected to regulate Myanmar's gemstone industry
OBG
plus

Gemstone mining in Myanmar is separate from mineral mining, both institutionally and legislatively. There is no connection between the gemstone permit system and the general mining permit system. Unlike anywhere else in the world, the two are independent processes. There is also an official distinction between jade and gems, wherein “gems” refers to all gemstones other than jade. Legal…