Economy and commerce
Investment
Lenders come out of the dark
More than a year into a government-backed campaign to clamp down on unlicensed lenders, nearly 130 small lenders operating under the radar have come into the fold, officials said on September 8. The Ministry of Economy and Finance and the National Bank of Cambodia launched a ...
Vietnam should not invest in steel
Former Minister of Planning and Investment, Professor Nguyen Mai, speaks to the Tuoi tre newspaper, suggesting that HSG should focus on the manufacture of high grade alloy rather than steel. Recently, the Hoa Sen Joint Stock Group made public a super project for steel production in ...
European companies plan to up trade, investment in ASEAN
Most European companies will increase trade and investment in an integrated Association of Southeast Asian Nations over the next five years, according to a survey, although many also expressed frustration at existing trade barriers. The 2016 EU-ASEAN Business Sentiment Survey showed that 85% of European respondents ...
Thailand drops quotas on flights to Cambodia
Thailand has dropped its seat quota on commercial flights to Cambodia after its government approved the removal of the restrictions in accordance with an aviation agreement between the two countries signed in May. The approval comes months after Cambodia did the same, liberalising air travel ...
PM attends 8th Mekong-Japan summit
Vietnam pledges continued efforts to foster the Mekong-Japan cooperation for the sustainable development, peace, stability and prosperity in the region, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has affirmed. The Vietnamese Government leader made the statement in Vientiane, Laos on September 7 while attending the 8th Mekong-Japan Summit ...
Group Lease strengthens ties with Sri Lankan financial group
SET-listed microfinance company Group Lease plans to collaborate further with Commercial Credit & Finance, a Sri Lankan financial group, to strengthen its microfinance businesses in Indonesia and Cambodia after GL acquired a microfinance company in Myanmar from a Commercial Credit shareholder. GL on September 7 signed a ...
Laos, Japan agree on joint development plan
Laos and Japan have agreed on a joint development direction for Laos with the two countries joining forces to remove the landlocked nation from Least Developed Country status. The agreement came at a high-level bilateral meeting held in Vientiane on September 6 led by the heads of ...
Asian firms increase footprint with Myanmar MFI expansion
Thai-listed firm Group Lease has brought a majority stake in BG Microfinance Myanmar, with plans to invest almost US$7 million into the business and ramp up the number of branches. Korean credit card firm Shinhan Card, meanwhile, is preparing to start its own microfinance services ...
B Grimm Power delays listing plan over change in accounting
B Grimm Power will postpone to next year its plan to list on the stock market because of a change in accounting standards, said company president Preeyanart Soontornwata. She said the new standards affected B Grimm Power’s plan for an initial public offering as it ...
ASEAN adopts master plan on connectivity 2025
Leaders meeting at the 28th ASEAN Summit in Vientiane on September 6 adopted the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025. Lao Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Saleumxay Kommasith, who is Chair of the ASEAN Coordinating Council that oversees connectivity matters for the regional body, said the Master ...