Construction – and infrastructure development in particular – is expected to be a key driver of economic growth across ASEAN from 2021. The bloc, home to some of the world’s fastest-growing economies and lowest unemployment rates, faced the novel coronavirus after years of health care infrastructure improvements, with much of the group reporting Covid-19 case-fatality rates below the global…
On boosting the local production of materials How will the pandemic impact local steel production over the longer term? SEBASTIAN LANGENDORF: Before the Covid-19 pandemic, 5% of the 2.5m tonnes of steel consumed in Myanmar each year was locally produced. We expect two major trends to arise after Covid-19. The first is stronger regional and domestic supply chains. Steel has a long value chain and…
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…
Construction activity has increased significantly in Myanmar as the country works to address gaps in transport and power infrastructure, as well as an affordable housing shortage. The creation of several economic zones aimed at attracting investment and new cities over the coming years is expected to further the expansion. Cooperation with international organisations and partners such as China,…
From 206 BCE to 220 CE, China’s Han dynasty fostered a booming trade industry in silk, a precious commodity in high demand among the elites of the Mediterranean. The Silk Road was the name given to the network of trade routes connecting the East and West at the time. Later, spices and other precious cargo would be traded using the system, fostering not only economic, but also cultural links…
Urbanisation is a mega-trend redefining contemporary life in both developed and emerging markets across the world. This mass rural-to-urban movement of people and expansion of cities to absorb formerly isolated villages is a relatively recent phenomenon, at least in the developing world. According to the UN, in 1950, 751m people lived in urban areas; however, by 2018 this number had risen…
Urbanisation is a mega-trend redefining contemporary life in both developed and emerging markets across the world. This mass rural-to-urban movement of people and expansion of cities to absorb formerly isolated villages is a relatively recent phenomenon, at least in the developing world. According to the UN, in 1950, 751m people lived in urban areas; however, by 2018 this number had risen…
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…
In recent years Myanmar’s real estate market has been hampered by oversupply, regulatory uncertainty, and an absence of consumer financing or avenues for international investment. However, as market conditions improve, new laws and regulations governing the development and sale of condominiums to foreigners, along with greater flexibility in mortgage financing, have set the stage for a sector…
Interview:Stephen Suen How would you evaluate the current supply-anddemand ratio of residential real estate in Yangon? STEPHEN SUEN: Yangon’s residential supply, like Bangkok’s and Shanghai’s in the past, is inflated by a large number of defective units. Many have a faulty design, are unprofessionally built, have illegal structures, are in bad locations, or are in unacceptable living…