Economy and commerce
Economic policy and administration
Asian currencies set for worst quarter in 17 years
Asian currencies are headed for their biggest quarterly loss since the Asian financial crisis, having been battered by China’s surprise devaluation of the yuan and the prospect of a US interest-rate increase. The Bloomberg-JPMorgan Asia Dollar Index, which tracks the region’s 10 most-active currencies outside of ...
Lao debt accumulates to 29,107b, repayment measures outlined
At least 29,107 billion kip of debt has been registered so far and many provinces have not yet reported their figures, an official report has showed. The debt was accumulated by 20 central state departments, four provinces and the capital of Vientiane, Minister of Finance Dr ...
State support for 70,000 SMEs
Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak has set a target of supporting 70,000 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) next year. The goal includes helping to create 10,000 start-ups. Among the 70,000, 50,000 are healthy but need some help from the government to expand, while 10,000 are in ...
Vietnam scraps ceiling rate on corporate dollar deposits
Vietnam’s central bank said late on 27 September it was abolishing the interest rate ceiling on dollar deposits offered by banks to organisations and companies, in an attempt to avoid dollar hoarding. Keep reading ...
Thai exports slide again in August, but still trade surplus
Exports continued to slide in August, down by 6.69% year-on-year, resulting in a contraction of 4.92% over the eight-month period. Keep reading ...
Vietnam launches $1-million fund for startup incubators
The Ministry of Science and Technology on Friday announced a 1-million-euro (US$1.12 million) fund for Vietnamese incubators of tech startups, local media reported. Keep reading ...
Thailand prioritises border trade
The Thai government is revving up efforts to tackle hurdles to border trade as it aims to achieve 1.5 trillion baht worth of cross-border business this year. Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn, who chaired a panel handling border trade and investment promotion, said the priority is to facilitate ...
Borrowing costs in Vietnam remain too high despite very low inflation: businesses
High borrowing costs have eroded profitability of many companies in Vietnam this year, a business group said, calling for a rate cut and better access to loans. The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry said at a meeting in Hanoi on 22 September that 60 percent of ...
Vietnam to see September inflation lowest in 15 years
Vietnam is expected to see September inflation rate lowest in the past 15 years, according to General Statistics Office on 24 September. Specifically, the country’s Consumer Price Index, the main gauge of inflation, is estimated to decrease by 0.21 percent in September compared to the previous ...
Myanmar grants more firms to invest this month
Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) has granted 17 local and foreign firms to make investment in the country this month, sources with commission said on 22 September. Keep reading ...
